Recalls

Jeep parent Chrysler Group has implemented a safety recall on the 2013-2014 Grand Cherokee to fix problems related to the software systems that control the anti-skid brakes, stability control and instrument warning lights.The recall is on 7831 units of the Grand Cherokee – part of a global recall that includes 132,000 vehicles in the US, and will upgrade software that controls the systems.The vehicle maker's engineers discovered  a problem with Grand Cherokee's anti-lock braking system module that affects the instrument cluster display and can also affect the braking and stability control systems.Jeep says there have been no incidents or accidents related to the problem, and the recall was sparked when the company's quality-control workers saw random warning-light illumination and instrument-cluster blackout.The recall notice says that both events 'occurred infrequently and appeared to resolve themselves by turning the vehicle's ignition off and then on' but that the upgrade would be rolled out for safety and compliance reasons.Chrysler Group Australia is contacting owners of affected vehicles, who may also get in touch with their nearest Jeep dealer. 

The safety recall is part of the global recall of 909,900 vehicles announced yesterday, for a defect that coulld cause them to stall while running.The fault is with defective accelerator sensors that may become unstable and stop responding to the driver's foot, slowing and even stopping even if the accelerator pedal is pushed to the floor.Nissan Australia says the recall is on 24,700 of Y61 Nissan Patrols with the ZD 3.0-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder engine built between June 2006 and July 2013. "However, there have not been any incidents reported in Australia," Nissan spokesman Peter Fadayev says.The fix will involve replacing the accelerator pedal and changing the engine control programming. "We estimate it will be less than an hour's work," Fadayev says.In addition to the Nissan Patrol, the global recall affects the X-Trail and Infiniti M sedan in overseas markets but not in Australia.  

The safety recall is to fix a fault that could see the powered seats' reclining lever stick in the operating position after use, allowing current to continue to flow to the seat motor. Mitsubishi says there is a risk the motor, seat cushion and surrounding parts could melt or burn."There have been two incidents recorded in Australia, with no injuries," Mitsubishi spokesperson Shayna Welsh says."There are 3,647 vehicles affected in Australia.  Customers need to take their vehicle to a dealership to be inspected, which should take around 20 mins, however, if the seat adjuster assembly needs to be replaced, this action will take up to two and a half hours."The recalled vehicles are the 2007-2013 Triton 4WD Double Cab and 2010-2013 Challenger 4WD models fitted with power front driver's and/or passenger's seat.Mitsubishi says that as a precaution until the owners have their vehicles inspected, they should make sure the reclining lever always returns to the central position after they have used it -- and whenever they leave the vehicle.All owners of affected vehicles have been contacted by mail sent to their last known address, and are asked to contact their nearest Mitsubishi service dealer to have their vehicle inspected and the seat assembly replaced if needed.Owners who believe their vehicle is in the affected range and who have not received a letter by today, September 27 -- or seek more information -- should call Mitsubishi on 1300 13 12 11 and select option 4, then select option 2.

The safety recall is to fix electrical and mechanical defects that could cause the vehicles to either stall while being driven, or to go into 'limp home' mode, where they can be driven only at designated lower speeds.The 2006-2008 Lexus RX 400h is being recalled for a problem in the car's hybrid system that could see solder on transistors become heat damaged -- particularly under high load or when towing -- activating warning lights and shutting down the system, causing the vehicle to either go into 'limp home' mode or shut down altogether. The Australian portion of the recall will affect about 1750 Lexus RX400h vehicles built from June 2006 to December 2008. Lexus said there had been no incidents related to the issue reported in Australia, but cautioned care while driving. "Motorists can continue to drive their vehicle, however are advised to avoid towing, or rapid acceleration until the vehicle has been inspected," Lexus spokesperson Beck Angel said. "Motorists are advised to stop driving and contact their preferred Lexus dealer if the engine warning lights illuminate."More than 100,000 Lexus IS 350, IS 350C and GS 350 vehicles from 2006-2011 are also being recalled for a defect in which bolts securing the variable valve timing control device may work loose, causing the vehicle to stop. Lexus has alerted owners that an abnormal noise in the vehicles may show early symptoms of the defect. Affected customers will be notified of the recall by mail at their last known address and asked to make an appointment at their preferred Lexus dealer, where affected parts will be replaced. For further information about the recall, customers can call the Lexus Customer Assistance Centre on 1800 023 009.

The recall notice is for 329 of the Mini Countryman diesel and Paceman diesel sold between August 1 2010 and March 18 2013.Mini’s parent brand, BMW, says the defect means moisture can penetrate the plug-in connection of the adapter cable on the electric power steering, causing corrosion on the contacts and in some cases lead to the car catching fire – although there have been no occurrences so far in the local market. "There have been no reported incidences on this current recall in Australia," BMW spokesperson Lenore Fletcher said.The recall on the Mini models follows a larger one last week in which BMW recalled six diesel models: BMW 5 Series E60, BMW X5 Series E70, BMW X6 Series E71, BMW X3 Series E83, BMW 1 Series E87 and BMW 7 Series F01 & F02 – built between August 1 and November 30, 2009.The earlier recall notice cited a defect that means the electric contacts of the diesel fuel filter heating unit could short-circuit, leading to the risk of the vehicle catching fire – also with no local incidences reported.  However the notice also explains that the diesel fuel filter heater unit only operates at temperatures below -1° Celsius.BMW says owners should contact an authorised BMW motor vehicle service centre, or call the BMW Group Australia Customer Interaction Centre on freecall: 1800 813 299. 

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. 

Jaguar and Land Rover have issued a set of recalls that affect 5121 diesel and 124 petrol vehicles, with BMW recalling 3143 diesels, primarily on defects that could cause fires. The Land Rover and Jaguar recall affects 2995 Range Rover Evoque, 1485 Freelander 2 and 641 Jaguar XF vehicles fitted with the 2.2-litre engine. The defect identified that fuel leaking from the engine-mounted injector spill rail spigot could spill onto the he exhaust system and turbo charger where there is an increased risk of an under bonnet fire.The company has also recalled 124 of the Jaguar XF 2.0L petrol 2013 vehicles for a defect that could cause the engine to cut out. The recall notice says the charge air cooler (CAC) hose can detach from the charge air cooler resonator, resulting in the engine stopping while the car is driving. Jaguar Australia said there have been no incidents in Australia related to the recall."The company's Technical Field Reporting team was made aware of only a limited number of incidents elsewhere globally, and no reports of any accidents or injuries as a result of this issue," spokesman Mark Eedle said, adding that the rectification is expected to take no longer than an hour.A letter will be sent to affected owners, who are advised to contact their authorised Land Rover Jaguar dealerships for inspections and a fix.The BMW recall affects six diesel models: BMW 5 Series E60, BMW X5 Series E70, BMW X6 Series E71, BMW X3 Series E83, BMW 1 Series E87 and BMW 7 Series F01 & F02 – relating to vehicles built between August 1 and November 30, 2009.The recall notice cites a defect that means the electric contacts of the diesel fuel filter heating unit could short-circuit, leading to the risk of the vehicle catching fire -- although there have been no occurrences so far of fires in the local market. "There have been no reported incidences on this current recall in Australia," BMW spokesperson Lenore Fletcher said.However the notice also explains that the diesel fuel filter heater unit only operates at temperatures below -1° Celsius. BMW says owners should contact an authorised BMW motor vehicle service centre, or call the BMW Group Australia Customer Interaction Centre on freecall: 1800 813 299. 

The Victorian Coroner has delayed the report on the death of a Volkswagen Golf driver which sparked widespread public scrutiny of the German car maker’s reliability issues and helped prompt a recall of 25,000 cars across Australia.The findings on the January 2011 crash - in which 32-year-old Melissa Ryan died after her car was struck from behind by a truck on a Melbourne freeway during the afternoon peak hour - were due to be released today.But the Victorian Coroner’s office has confirmed the report has been adjourned. News Corp understands the family has asked for new evidence to be considered but it is unclear what that new evidence contains.A spokesman for Volkswagen Australia said the company had not yet been approached to provide any more technical information about the vehicle involved in the fatal crash or on the issues affecting other vehicles in its model range.The victim was driving a petrol-powered 2008 Volkswagen Golf GTI with a manual transmission. However the safety recalls and “dealer service campaigns” to rectify Volkswagen faults affected diesel-powered cars and automated “DSG” gearboxes after customers complained of “sudden deceleration” or the car going into “limp home mode”.Reports at the time of the fatal crash said the car appeared to slow suddenly to 20km/h while it was travelling in the fast lane. The truck driver reported not seeing brake lights.In June Volkswagen said preliminary inquiries found there was no mechanical fault linked to the fatal crash, which was “completely unrelated” to the car maker’s reliability issues.The incident nevertheless sparked widespread feedback from disgruntled Volkswagen customers who complained of numerous faults with their cars. Several groups of owners have said they plan to mount a legal class action against the car maker but, to date, none have proceeded.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

Suzuki has recalled 13,216 Alto models from 2009 onwards for a heating system fault. The recall notice says the Alto’s heater blower motor may jam, causing the resistor fuse to overheat and cut out, preventing the heater from working.Suzuki Australia initially announced 10,187 Altos sold from 2009 until now will be recalled. However, Suzuki Queensland operates as a separate entity, and has only joined the recall overnight, adding 3029 cars to the tally.However not all the cars sold during that period – totalling 14,660 -- are affected, with 1444 being exempt from the recall. “It is only particular VIN (vehicle identification numbers) during that period, and we are in the process of identifying which ones,” Suzuki spokesman Andrew Ellis says. "The faulty resistors were in particular batches, while other batches were fine."The defect is not considered to be a safety risk, and Suzuki says there have been no reports of related incidents, injuries or fires. “It’s a minor recall – the fault simply means you won’t have heating in the car.  There have been no reports of fires anywhere in the world,” Ellis says. "However, it's a safety recall because it can affect the demister, and visibility is a safety issue."Suzuki says the fix will take 30 minutes, and involve the replacement of the existing resistor. “The parts are in transit now and the campaign is about to start in earnest,” Ellis says.

Mitsubishi has issued a recall on 4855 Outlanders built in 2013, which may be affected by one or more of three defects that could see the vehicles safety and crash-avoidance systems stop working. The recalled vehicles comprise 3633 with a defective electronic power steering computer that fail, causing the loss of power to the steering and the activation of the warning light. A defective radar cruise control that could incorrectly identify other vehicles and brake when not required is responsible for the recall of a further 809 Outlanders, while 413 are being recalled to address both faults.The recall notice also warns of failures in the adaptive cruise control, forward collision mitigation and stability control systems. The defects as detailed in the recall notice are:Issues with the internal programming of the ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) / FCM (Forward Collision Mitigation) computer may see "ACC failure", "FCM Failure" and "ASC failure" displayed on the combination meter with a warning alarm, and these systems may stop functioning. When driving in a tunnel with the Adaptive Cruise Control "On”, the system may judge the wall of the tunnel as an approaching vehicle and automatically operate the brakes. Issues with the internal programming of the ETACS (Electronic Time and Alarm Control System) computer may result in failure of the turn signals, if the “answer back” feature is activated when operating the electric tail gate. The Electronic Power Steering computer may fail, causing the EPS warning lamp to illuminate and in the worst case this may require an increased effort to turn the steering.Mitsubishi says the EPS control unit will be replaced and the ACC/FCM and ETACS control unit will be corrected. Mitsubishi is notifying all affected customers by letter. Owners are advised to contact their authorised Mitsubishi dealership for inspection and rectification.