Recalls

Toyota has announced it is adding the Prado SUV to a recent recall for a defect that could stop the driver's airbag from deploying if a cable between the steering wheel and column is damaged from excessive turning.The expansion of the recall adds 2000 Toyota Prados built from  September 2009 through to June 2010 to the pool of affected vehicles, which includes 179,000 of the Hiluxes built between April 2004 and December 2009.In both models, the spring may be damaged with repeated turns of the steering wheel, activating the airbag warning light and preventing the driver's airbag from properly deploying.A separate safety recall on 118,600 of the Yaris hatches and sedans built between June 2005 and May 2010 is to fix a defective seat track spring on the driver's and front passenger's seats, which can break and become stuck, leading to the impression that the seat is locked in place when it could actually fly loose in an accident.Vehicle owners are being contacted by Toyota, but in the meantime can get more information on the brand's campaign helpline on 1800 643 242.

Mazda has issued the safety recall for a problem with the Powertrain Control Module (PCM), which can malfunction if too much water enters the engine bay, and stop charging the battery -- allowing the car to run out of power.The recall notice is for approximately 9000 Mazda6 models in Australia, covering sedan and wagon, petrol and diesel models built between 29 November 2012 and 7 April 2014.If the problem occurs, it will activate the 'Charging system warning' light and drivers will see the message 'Charging System Malfunction' on the instrument panel. If they continue to drive the car, the battery will drain, with the car losing essential functions and eventually stalling."It's a risk of happening when the vehicle is being driven through very wet weather or very deep puddles," Mazda Australia spokesman Steve Maciver says. "What can happen is the generator belt can slip because of water in the engine area, which causes the electrical system to think there is an error in the system, and makes it stop charging the car -- which can then run out of charge and stall."Maciver says there have been no accidents or injuries in Australia caused by the defect, and that the rectification should be a simple and quick one. "The fix is a very simple software upgrade, in which the PCM is updated," he says. "How long the dealers will need each car is down to their scheduling, but the update is a fairly quick task.""We're contacting all the owners, and asking them to arrange an appointment with their nearest dealer.' Concerned owners can obtain more information from Mazda Customer Support on 1800 034 411. 

Toyota has issued a global safety recall on 6.58 million vehicles, with the impact hitting the popular Hilux ute, RAV4 SUV and Yaris small car.Statements issued by Toyota Australia today said that 179,000 of the Hiluxes built between April 2004 and December 2009 have been recalled for a defect that could see a cable between the steering wheel and  column sustain damage when the wheel is turned, activating the airbag warning light and preventing the driver's airbag from deployingA separate safety recall on 118,600 of the Yaris hatches and sedans built between June 2005 and May 2010 is to fix a defective seat track spring on the driver's and front passenger's seats. The statement says the spring can break and become stuck, giving the false impression that the seat is properly locked in place.In the meantime, the Yaris can still be driven but if there is any difficulty in locking the seats in position, owners should contact a dealer to arrange an inspection. The repairs will take about 1.5 hours for the five-door hatch and sedan, and about three hours for the three-door hatch in which the front passenger seat will also have to be removed.The number of RAV4s being recalled is not yet confirmed. Toyota says neither of the problems with the Hilux and Yaris have resulted in any accidents or injuries in Australia. Vehicle owners are being contacted by Toyota, but can get more information on the brand's campaign helpline on 1800 643 242. 

The recall involves LandCruiser 70 Series wagon, troop carrier, single and double cab chassis models fitted with ABS brakes, and the notice cites a defect in the flexible brake hose bracket on the front differential. Under certain conditions, this bracket could fracture around the securing bolt and break, resulting in brake fluid leaking and a loss of braking ability.If the problem occurs, the lack of braking power could increase the risk of collision. However Toyota Australia spokesman Mike Breen says there has been only one incident reported locally, but with no injuries.He says owners of the affected LandCruisers -- estimated to be about 22,000 around the world and 14,000 in Australia -- should take their vehicles to a Toyota dealership to have them inspected. "Not all of the LandCruisers will be affected, but some will need to have the bracket and hose replaced if needed.The recall affects Toyota LandCruiser VDJ7# models  built between May 2012 through to March 2014. The VIN range covers the following: JTE EV73J# 00008761 - 00010163; JTE RV71J# 00005989 - 00006736; JTE RV73J# 09001428 - 09001708; JTE BV71J# 04000001 - 04005420; JTE LV71J# 00028750 - 00033096; and JTE LV73J# 09010556 - 09014211. The VIN number for your vehicle is located on the build plate in the engine bay.

Ford is recalling 3256 of its FGII Falcon EcoLPi sedans and utes due to a production error that means they may be missing an o-ring seal between the fuel delivery module and the wiring connector insert of the LPG tank.The carmaker says the missing seal means gas could leak from the LPG tank, posing a potential fire risk.The affected sedans were built in Ford's Victorian facility between August 4, 2011 and July 18, 2012; and the utes between September 15, 2011 and July 18, 2012.Ford is contacting owners of the vehicles, but advises that until the problem is rectified, the cars should not be parked in confined areas.Concerned owners can contact their nearest Ford dealership to have their cars inspected and the fix implemented, or can contact Ford's Customer Relationship Centre on 1800 503 672 for more information.

Another recall has hit Toyota, with the brand issuing a notice on the hybrid Prius for a defect that can see the cars suddenly lose power or stop, creating a safety risk for occupants and nearby traffic.The problem has been traced to a fault in the software that controls a power converter, and affects 1.9 million Prius cars around the world built between 2009 and 2014, with 5500 affected in Australia. The software failure can activate the car's warning lights and cause it to enter 'limp home' mode, allowing it to still be driven but only slowly."Because, in the worst case, the car could stop while driving we do consider this a potential safety issue and that's the reason why we are implementing this recall," a spokesman at Toyota's Japanese headquarters told media.However, Toyota Australia spokesman Mike Breen said there have been no incidents reported locally. "We're contacting local owners, who can take their Prius to a dealer and have the software remapped," he said, adding that the fix would take about an hour. Breen said there were no extra precautions Prius owners needed to take until the issue was rectified.The recall follows two previous ones for the Prius -- in 2013 and 2010 -- however this is the largest in scale. It comes on the heels of news that Toyota is close to settling a US$1.1 billion claim from a class action lawsuit by 16.3 million owners of vehicles whose value was affected by previous recalls.Toyota also yesterday announced an overseas recall on other models, including the RAV4 and Lexus RX350, but there will be no impact on Australia as the defective feature is not available here. 

Graco has issued the safety recall due to an issue with the buckles on the child restraint harnesses, which may fail to unlatch -- making it difficult to get the child out of the seat in an emergency. In some cases, children have had to be cut free from the seats.The recall of the Graco models in the US includes several sold in Australia, both by major retailers such as Toys'R'Us and online importers. The complete model recall list covers the Cozy Cline, Comfort Sport, Classic Ride 50, My Ride 65, My Ride with Safety Surround, My Ride 70, Size 4 Me 70, Smartseat, Nautilus, Nautilus Elite and Argos 70, and the on-sale period is from 2009 through to the end of 2013.The number recalled in the US is 3.8 million, however there is no official recall at this stage in Australia. Seven other models, including the Snugride infant seat, have been requested to be recalled by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration."NHTSA's investigation will remain open pending its evaluation of the Graco recall and until the Agency's consideration of the review of the seven remaining seat models is completed," the agency said in a statement.Graco has responded that fault lies with children dropping food and drink while in the seats, and the buckles can become more difficult to open after being contaminated by food or dried fluids over time. The company maintains the Snugride infant seats should not be included in the recall as they can be detached completely from their bases in emergencies. 

The British-based prestige sports car maker is recalling about 75 per cent of its cars built since late in 2007, after discovering a Chinese supplier was using counterfeit plastic in the accelerator pedals.The recall covers all left-hand drive cars that rolled off the production line since November 2007 and all right-hand drive ones since May 2012, in which there is a risk the pedals may break. The DB9, V8 Vantage, DBS,  Rapide, Rapide S, V12 Vantage, V8 Vantage S and Virage are included in the recall, but the latest Vanquish is not.The recall means thousands of wealthy and celebrity owners around the world will have to return their cars -- including the DBS driven by Daniel Craig in the James Bond movie Quantum Of Solace and a V12 Vantage Roadster he was loaned for his 45th birthday last year.Documents filed with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration state that a company called Synthetic Plastic Raw Material Co. Ltd. of Dongguan supplied the counterfeit plastic to Shenzhen Kexiang Mold Tool Co. Ltd -- the firm that makes the pedals for Aston Martin.The recall affects 156 cars in Australia, the owners of which are being contacted. "Aston Martin is writing to owners and working through the process of replacing those as quickly as practical," an Aston Martin spokesman said. "However there have been no accidents or instances of the pedal failing here." Aston Martin has announced it will move production of the part to the UK. 

A recall on Hyundai vehicles earlier in January has now roped in models from stablemate Kia, with a notice being issued for the Sportage and Soul SUVs. The safety recall is for a defect that means the tensioning cable in the seatbelt assembly has not been properly crimped, raising a risk the cable could break and not allow the seatbelts to pretension and fully restrain the wearers in an accident. A total of 2941 vehicles are affected -- 2704 Sportage and 237 Soul -- with build dates between August 23, 2011 and March 31, 2012, and on-sale dates between September 10, 2011 and December 31, 2012. The list of VIN numbers for the Soul can be found here and the VIN numbers for the Sportage can be found here. The VIN number for your vehicle is located on the build plate in the engine bay.The Hyundai recall affected 6552 of their popular ix35 SUV, and a spokesman at the time said the seatbelts would still protect wearers in an accident, but would simply not be able to deploy the pretensioning function that automatically tightens them. "It is only on the driver's seatbelt. We've had one incident in Australia and it was an non-injury incident," Kia Australia general manager of public relations, Kevin Hepworth says.Owners can contact their closest Kia dealer for an inspection and rectification if needed, with the fix estimated to take up to an hour of the customer's time. however Kevin says  

Hyundai has recalled its popular ix35 for a production defect on the tensioning cable in the seatbelt pretensioner, with insecure crimping meaning the cable could be unleashed and injure occupants or fail to offer full seatbelt restraint in an accident.The recall affects 6552 of the top-selling small Hyundai SUV, which last year led its segment with 19,098 sales -- overtaking the 2012 leader Nissan Dualis with a resounding distance to its 12,434.  The build dates affected by the recall from August 23, 2011 to 24 February, 2012, and the VIN number range is  KMHJT81BLCU373966 to KMHJU81VSCU485865. The VIN number can be found on the build plate in the engine bay.Hyundai says the defect has not been responsible for any injuries in Australia, and that the seatbelts will still continue to operate and protect occupants in the meantime. "There have been no incidents here yet," Hyundai spokesman Guido Schenken told Carsguide. "The defect only affects the pretensioner, so the rest of the seatbelt mechanism works fine. The fix will take about 30 minutes at the most."Hyundai is notifying affected owners by letter, instructing them to return their ix35 to the nearest dealership, where the seatbelt pretensioner will be replaced.