Holden's massive recall

On the day it was named as Australia's top selling car in 2007, Holden has recalled 86,000 current model V6 Commodores and Statesmans because of the risk of an engine bay fuel leak that could cause a fire.

The recall affects all V6 VE Commodores and WM Statesman and Caprice long-wheelbase models built by the company since the new generation model was launched in mid-2006, following a $1 billion development program.

Holden spokesman John Lindsay said the recall was a precaution to prevent a potential fuel leak under the bonnet.

"We've got a condition where one of the fuel lines in the engine compartment has the potential to rub against a clip on an adjacent hose, so over a period of time this could potentially - and I emphasise potentially - result in a leak in the hose and a fuel smell may become evident," Mr Lindsay said.

"The chances of this happening are very low but obviously we are erring on the side of caution and we are administering a recall of all (V6) VE and WM Commodores since the start of production..."

The fuel leak problem had affected about 20 of the 86,000 cars affected by the recall, Mr Lindsay said.

The recall includes about 53,000 Commodores and Statesmans sold in Australia, about 5000 in New Zealand, 27,000 sold in the Middle East and 784 in Brazil.

But the lucrative export of its Pontiac G8 version of the car has not been affected because the US models use a different layout under the bonnet.

Holden will launch a national advertising campaign to advise owners of the recall. The company will also write to owners individually.

They will be asked to contact their Holden dealer's service or Holden's recall advice line - 1800 632 826 - to arrange for a simple repair to re-route the affected fuel line.

A similar recall of 1850 V8 models of the same car was announced in October 2006, because of a fuel line in the engine bay that was supplied to Holden by an outside company that could, under certain circumstances, be torn.

Then, a month later about 13,000 cars were recalled because of a minor fault in the rear seatbelt buckles on some cars.

The recall comes as the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries officially announced the Holden Commodore was Australia's top-selling car last year.

Last year was a bumper year for car sales, with more than one million cars sold in Australia in a single year for the first time.