Recalls

Holden has issued its thirteenth safety recall notice this year — more than any other brand in Australian automotive history.The latest recalls affect three models. Manual transmission versions of the Holden Barina small car and Trax SUV can unintentionally “bunny hop” should the driver leave the car in gear, turn the engine off and then leave the key in the ignition.And the two seatbelts in the back row of the Colorado SUV can lock into position if the car is parked on a hill.Holden says it has received at least five reports of the unintentional Barina “bunny hop” but “there have been no reports of accidents or injuries relating to this condition”.RELATED: Holden issues record 11 recallsMORE: Holden Commodore recalled five timesVIDEO: Holden here to stay after factory closureHolden will now recall approximately 9188 Barina and Trax models and 3116 Colorado SUVs. The repairs will be made free of charge.Australian-made Holdens account for more than half of the recalls so far this year.The locally-made Holden Commodore has been recalled five times this year and the Holden Cruze has been recalled twice (one of which was the third recall for the same fault initially reported last year).But Holden still insists the Commodore does not need to be recalled for a faulty ignition switch even though 46,000 export versions of the Australian-made Commodore and Caprice were recalled in the US earlier this month, as part of a safety campaign involving a record 2.6 million cars there.In doing so Holden has avoided what would become the biggest single recall in Australian automotive history as it would involve approximately 432,000 Commodores made since 2006.Holden engineers insist the General Motors ignition fault linked to at least 19 deaths across a number of models sold in the US does not affect Commodores in Australia because the position of the key is different.Holden says it has issued a record number of recalls locally because it is erring on the side caution after its parent company General Motors became involved in a recall scandal in the US, which also cost the jobs of several top executives following years of cover-ups.When asked why Holden had issued so many recalls, spokeswoman Kate Lonsdale said: “This is consistent with the approach being taken across (General Motors).”The latest round of safety notices means Australia is on track to recall almost as many cars as have been sold in 2014.In the first eight months of this year, 789,000 vehicles had been recalled compared with 737,000 new vehicles sold over the same period.But the tally to September means the number of new cars sold (832,000) has edged ahead of those recalled so far this year (803,000).The last time more cars were recalled than sold in a year was in 2001, according to Wheels magazine.Jeep has the second-highest number of recalls in Australia so far this year with nine bulletins, ahead of top-seller Toyota with seven.Among the other Top Five brands Mazda has issued three recalls, Hyundai has issued two and Ford has issued one.The Commodore and Cruze are made at Holden’s factory in Elizabeth on the outskirts of Adelaide, but the Barina and Trax models are made in South Korea and the Colorado is made in Thailand, where Holden is likely to source more cars from once it closes its Australian factories in 2017.Holden already sources most of the vehicles in its line-up from South Korea or Thailand but the company says in the future it will source vehicles from several divisions across the General Motors world.The next Commodore is likely to be sourced from Opel in Germany along with the Astra hatch.Meanwhile, authorities in the US found that General Motors knew of the ignition faults for 10 years but hid them and failed to take appropriate action.The scandal prompted US Senators to propose “life in prison” for car executives who try to hide recalls, and has led to a class-action lawsuit against General Motors by at least 650 owners of the affected cars.

Holden issues 11th recall so far this year, more than any other brand.Holden has issued its eleventh safety recall notice this year -- more than any other brand or any other time in Holden's history.Toyota has the second-highest number of recalls with six bulletins issued so far this year, while among the other Top Five brands Mazda and Hyundai have issued two each and Ford has issued one.The latest Holden bulletin is an expansion of a recall issued in January for the Barina Spark, at $13,990 drive-away the cheapest car in its range.In January, Holden recalled 102 Barina Sparks because the transmission mount "may develop a fracture" which could cause the manual gearbox to be unsupported and "lead to a loss of control of the vehicle".The latest recall has added 385 Holden Barina Sparks to the number of cars affected, bringing the total to 487 vehicles.Holden said it is a precautionary measure and there have been no reports of failures in Australia, "however we will always err on the side of caution … to ensure customer satisfaction and safety".It is the second recall for a separate issue for the Holden Barina Spark; last month it was recalled because the steering knuckle bolts may not have been tightened correctly and the steering could fail.Meanwhile, the Holden Commodore has been recalled five times in three months, the Holden Cruze has been recalled twice (one of which was the third recall for the same fault initially reported last year), and the regular Holden Barina model has been recalled once.The recalls.gov.au website has issued 11 Holden safety bulletins this year but, in a move likely to confuse consumers, it has removed the first one issued for the Barina Spark in January and replaced it with the latest one issued in August for the same fault.The Commodore and Cruze are made at Holden's factory in Elizabeth on the outskirts of Adelaide, but the Barina models are made in South Korea, where Holden is likely to source more cars from once it closes its Australian factories in 2017.Holden already sources most of the vehicles in its line-up from South Korea or Thailand but the company says in the future it will source vehicles from several divisions across the General Motors world.The next Commodore is likely to be sourced from Opel in Germany, say insiders, and Holden executives have already driven early prototype versions of the 2018 model.It means the Commodore will have come full circle; the first Commodore introduced in 1978 was an Australian-ised version of the large Opel sedan at the time.However, Holden is yet to confirm the new front-wheel-drive car will be called a Commodore.When asked why Holden had issued so many recalls, spokeswoman Kate Lonsdale said: "This is consistent with the approach being taken across (General Motors)."In North America, General Motors has come under fire for being slow to respond to a recall of defective ignition switches that have so far been linked to at least 19 deaths -- even though the company knew about the fault for 10 years.It has prompted US Senators to propose "life in prison" for car executives who try to hide recalls, and has led to a class action lawsuit against General Motors by at least 650 owners of the affected cars.Meanwhile, the Holden Commodore has narrowly avoided what could become Australia's biggest ever recall.The Chevrolet Camaro -- which shares its underbody and core components with the Holden Commodore -- has also been recalled because of a faulty ignition switch but Holden says the Commodore does not have the same defect even though it uses the exact same part.Holden Barina Spark recall

Holden is recalling 25,000 Commodores because the seat could wriggle loose.

Holden Commodore recalled because the LPG system may cut out or catch fire.

Windscreen wiper defect sees Holden Commodore recalled for second time in two months.

My wife's 2011 Golf TSI 1.2-litre went through the recall and had the clutch replaced. The car has traveled only 13,000 km, but the factory warranty will expire in September this year and we now need to make decision on purchasing the extended warranty. My wife does 4000-5000 km a year and she would like to keep her car for the next two years. Should we purchase an extended warranty or not?

Australian cars not affected by faulty ignition which can cut out and disable airbags.

Toyota issues its seventh recall in six months, doubles up on one from last year.

Holden is recalling 42,000 Commodores over a potential seatbelt fault.Holden issued the recall Monday afternoon after a confidential bulletin was sent to its network of 230 dealers late last week, instructing them not to sell any new Commodores or transfer them to other showrooms.Holden says the seatbelt pre-tensioner module can make contact with the seatbelt buckle assembly under the seat, causing an electrical short that can disable the seatbelt pre-tensioner mechanism in a crash.Pre-tensioners are designed to take up the seatbelt's slack milliseconds before an airbag deploys, giving the driver and front passenger the best chance of survival in a serious crash.Holden says there have been no customer reports of the seatbelt pre-tensioners not working."The investigation began following an isolated report received from the (production line)," the Holden statement said.The airbag warning light may appear in the instrument cluster on affected cars. Holden says the other airbags and safety systems are unaffected.This is the fourth Holden recall so far this year (of the 33 vehicle recalls to date) but this is the first sign of trouble for the new Commodore, which went into production in May 2013 and has enjoyed 10 months in a row of year-on-year sales growth.Commodore sales so far this year are up by 62 per cent, albeit off last year's record low base.The previous generation Commodore was recalled 10 times between 2006 and 2013, two of which were in the first three months of going on sale.In March 2006, more than 129,000 Commodores, Monaros and Statesmans were recalled after Holden discovered the seat-mounted side airbags in 13 customer cars activated "under circumstances which did not warrant inflation".In 2004, Holden recalled 115,000 Commodores in Australia (and 20,000 overseas) to replace faulty power steering hoses.But the Holden recalls are small compared to those issued by market leader Toyota.In April 2014, Toyota recalled almost 300,000 cars and utes for faults including a potential airbag failure and seats that may slip forward.Owners of 179,000 Hilux utes built between April 2004 and the end of 2009 and 118,600 Yaris small cars made between June 2005 and May 2010 have been caught up in global recall of 6.76 million Toyotas.In October 2012, Toyota Australia recalled almost 300,000 cars — from a 7.4 million global batch — across six models including the Corolla, Kluger, RAV4, Yaris, Aurion and Camry built between 2006 and 2010.That recall was to replace the electric window master switch because "the switch assembly may overheat and melt".

HYUNDAI is recalling every ix35 -- Australia's biggest-selling small SUV -- made over the past three years. The South Korean car maker is recalling 32,525 examples of its ix35 built from January 2011 to December 2013 because the airbag in the steering wheel may not be secured properly and the horn may not work.It is the second recall for the same model so far this year and part of a global recall of more than 137,500 Hyundai vehicles announced last week. In January, Hyundai recalled 6193 of its ix35 SUVs due to a potentially faulty seatbelt pre-tensioner.A statement from Hyundai about the latest safety issue said: "An incorrectly tightened bolt could result in the misalignment of the airbag module, possibly affecting its deployment, and could also affect the operation of the horn."Hyundai says there have been no reported incidents in Australia but customers may notice a rattle in the steering wheel. "It will not cause the airbag to deploy unintentionally," says the Hyundai Australia statement. "(But) the effectiveness of the airbag could be reduced if the bolt is not tightened properly."A safety bulletin has been published on recalls.gov.au and Hyundai customers will be notified by mail in the coming days to have their cars checked free of charge and the bolts tightened if necessary. During preliminary inspections only four vehicles have needed to have their airbag bolts tightened, the company says.In April 2013, Hyundai called 227,000 cars back to dealers to fix a faulty brake light switch that affected eight models, most of its range, after News Corp Australia exclusively unearthed the fault 15 months earlier.But that incident was not documented on recalls.gov.au because Hyundai successfully argued with authorities that potentially faulty brake lights were "not a safety issue" and the repairs could be done as a "dealer service campaign".In its formative years Hyundai refused to issue a recall even after the front suspension assembly of 46 Hyundai Excel cars collapsed while in traffic and/or on the move in 1998.The latest Hyundai ix35 safety campaign is the 33rd vehicle recall so far this year, including one for nine different types of Aston Martin models.The biggest recalls so far this year were Toyota's bulletins issued in April which affected almost 300,000 vehicles: 118,600 Yaris small cars because the seats could slide forward and 179,000 HiLux utilities for a potential airbag failure.Weird car recalls:Land Rover: "assorted models" recalled because the indicators don't flash enough times with one touch (May 2014)Chinese Foton ute: 316 vehicles recalled to replace the wheel jack (May 2014)Aston Martin: all models made between 2007 and 2013 recalled because the accelerator pedal arm may break (January 2014)Ford Falcon LPG sedan: 372 vehicles recalled because the wrong size wheels were fitted (February 2013)Great Wall Motors utes: 23,000 vehicles recalled because some gaskets contained asbestos (August 2012)Holden Commodore ute: 34,432 vehicles recalled because the tailgate could pop open (July 2010)This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling