Holden Recall - Information & Updates

The recall is for a defect that means the Cruze’s supplementary electric vacuum pump could fail when the engine is cold, reducing the vacuum and undermining the brake system. The notice warns that this could pose a potential crash hazard.Holden says 11,480 of the JH Cruze vehicles with 1.4 litre turbo petrol engine and automatic transmission built between 22nd February 2011 and 8th June 2012 are affected."We've had one alleged report of a minor collision during a driveway reversing manoeuvre," Holden spokesperson Andrea Matthews says, adding there were no injuries. The 1.4-litre is just one of four engines in the Cruze line-up, which has sold around 45,000 cars over the time span covered by the recall.Holden is writing to owners whose cars are in the affected build numbers range from 6G1PD5E80BL518864 - 6G1PE6E8XCL661387, but advises that concerned buyers should contact their nearest Holden dealer. 

Corporate affairs spokesman Jonathan Rose said the potential problem was in the fuel feed hose.  A ‘Stop Delivery Notice’ was issued to dealers on March 3 to not sell, deliver or transfer the vehicles until the investigation has been carried out "and, if necessary, corrective action has been completed"."No action is required at this time on any (2010) petrol Cruzes that have already been delivered to customers," he said."However, safety is always our number one priority so if further action is required we will notify customers as soon as possible." 

Following a similar recall in the US, 9547 loally-built Cruzes have been recalled to fix a defect that could see oil dripping from the engine and catching fire if it contacts hot engine parts.The recall applies to all Cruze sedans and hatches with the 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engineThe recall statement cited a condition that “in some instances” could see the oil drip appear “if an oil change is not done properly. If oil makes contact with hot engine parts such as the exhaust manifold or catalytic converter, a fire could occur.”The recall overseas affected close to half a million vehicles built in the US, with 413,418 of those sold there, 61,299 in Canada and a 700 in Israel. The Holden recall also affects about 600 Cruzes in New Zealand. The Holden statement says there have been no reported cases of fires in Australia or New Zealand traced to the defect.“However we will always err on the side of caution when it comes to initiating safety recalls and campaigns.  Even if there have been no reported cases in our market we will take action to assure our customers and their vehicles are safe,” Holden director of warranty, customer satisfaction and quality Craig Porritt said in the statement.Holden is contacting potentially impacted customers directly, and will modify the defect at no charge.  Concerned customers should call their local Holden dealer or the Holden Recall centre on 1800 632 826. 

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. 

The company is recalling 51,387 of its imported Korean-built Captiva, Barina, Epica and Viva models after the Korean arm of GM found corrosion issues in the brake control unit, one of the larger recalls in the company's history.The recall notice said General Motors identified a condition where, in some instances, these vehicles may experience a reduced brake performance and or a spongy low brake pedal due to a sticky valve within the electronic brake control module (EBCM).The recall covers 8195 model-year (MY) 2009 and 2010 Barina hatches and sedans built between 2009-2010, 27,778  MY2007-2010 Series I Captiva SUVs, 3723 Epica sedans (MY2008-2010) and 11,691 MY2007-2008 Vivas. GM Holden spokesperson Kate Lonsdale said there have been no incidents of this occurring in Australia. "It has come from a GM Korea initiated recall, we've not actually picked up the condition here - one of the reasons is the brake fluid that we use, or if you get it serviced at Holden dealer, the recommended brake fluid has not been found to cause the condition," she said.Ms Lonsdale said the company was erring on the side of caution as other types of brake fluid might have been used. 'We haven't seen the condition here, but there is still the potential so we want to bring the cars in to double-check as a precautionary measure," she said.Owners are advised to contact Holden to organise a free check on their vehicle. "The check can take two hours for the inspection and they will also do a brake bleed, it will take longer if there is any corrosion found they will also have to replace the (EBCM).""There are no cases here in Australia, we're just making sure and erring on the side of caution, and secondly there's no brake failure, it's a slight reduction and progressive reduction in brake performance and the pedal will become spongy," Ms Lonsdale said.In early 2008 Holden had to recall 88,000 VE Commodore (and WM long-wheelbase models) to fix a fuel lines in the engine compartment that might have rubbed against a fuel vapor hose clip and leaked fuel into the engine bay. The company also recalled more than 90,000 (120,000 if you include exports) examples of the VY Commodore and long-wheelbase WK and WM models after issues relating to unintentional deployment of the side airbag. In late 1996 Holden recalled 75,000 Commodores after automatic transmission problem led to several cars catching fire. Holden will be contacting registered owners by mail but owners are advised to contact a Holden dealer or call the Holden Recall and Rework Assistance Line on 1800 632 826 for more information.