Recalls

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. 

The popular little hatchback was recalled on March 29 for a possible fuel leak from an incorrectly installed fuel filler pipe hose clamp which could cause a fire "in rare cases". It has now been recalled again over the same issue, but for vehicles made more recently.The first recall affected about 11,000 Swifts sold from February 1, 2011, to March 29 this year in Australia -- and was part of a global recall of 109,000. The second recall affects vehicles sold since then. According to VFacts industry figures, Suzuki Australia sold 715 Swifts in April and has sold 3713 since the start of the year.Four cases of leaking fuel filler hoses have been reported in Japan, but Suzuki says the incidents did not lead to any accidents. There have been no reports of leaks in cars sold in the Australian market.Suzuki Australia spokesman Andrew Ellis says the second recall is for an inspection of the re-work that was carried out in the plant to rectify the situation. ``Essentially a visual inspection and confirmation of location of the fuel filler hose that should only take a few minutes,'' he says.The voluntary recall by Suzuki Australia Pty Limited claims insufficient sealing between the rubber filler hose and the metal filler pipe leading to possible fuel escaping from the fuel tank filler port.The defect is a result of a production error during installation. Owners have been advised to contact an authorised Suzuki dealer for the fault to be fixed. 

The recall is to fix a defect in the powered driver’s seat that could contribute to an accident.The notification applies to 2643 of the Nissan Pathfinder R51 sold since 2005 -- VIN range: VSKJLWR51A0007646 to VSKJVWR51A0364879.Incorrect installation of the power sat harness in the drivers’ seat in those vehicles may lead to the harness being damaged. This risks the seat ceasing to operate, or unexpected self-operation that could contribute to an accident, the notice says. Nissan is notifying owners of affected Pathfinders by mail, and advises them to contact a Nissan dealer for inspection and rectification of the defect. 

Latest research reveals 77 per cent of prospective buyers can recall a Ford ad, and 72 per cent a Holden ad.The two brands top the latest Roy Morgan Automotive Currency research, which identifies car buying intentions over the next four years. Roy Morgan Research industry communications director Norman Morris says Ford, Holden and Toyota “remain the most recalled brands, although Toyota has declined by 5% points over the last 2 years.”This week Toyota also lost its MVP crown falling back to second place in the ‘world's most valuable’ car brand rankings. The research indicates that Japanese brand ad recall has dropped due to forced cuts in spending for advertising and marketing.Morris says, “with many of the Japanese manufacturers forced to cut their ad spend as a result of the March 2011 Tsunami & earthquake, it’s not surprising to see that ad recall for the Japanese brands is down across the board.”Korean brands performed well in the study, with Hyundai maintaining a solid 59 per cent and Kia rising to 49 per cent. Volkswagen has been the major mover, jumping from 40 per cent in 2010 to 50 per cent in 2012, with 300,000 more people recalling a Volkswagen ad in this period. This pushes Volkswagen up from spot 11, to a tied 9 with Nissan.Morris says with so many “automotive brands available to choose from, multiple new or face lifted models hitting the market each month and budgets tightening – memorable, targeted communication is increasingly vital.” The research suggests that if an automotive brand is spending millions of dollars on media, but is unable to improve their ad recall figure amongst their target audience; their message is being “lost.” The study of 5657 people was conducted by Roy Morgan Research, focussing on the 12 largest automotive brands sold in Australia.

Ford has issued a recall on the Ford Territory for a defective impact sensor. The recall on the Ford SZ Territory is to fix a problem with the vehicle's left-hand C-pillar side impact sensor.The recall notice says there is a possibility that a sensor that forms part of the vehicle's supplemental restraint system may not have been secured.This could mean that in the event of a side collision, the side curtain airbag may not operate correctly, possibly resulting in serious injury to the occupant.Ford says only a small number of the vehicles are affected. The problem occurred in 134 Territorys built between 29 March  - 26 April 2012.

The cars were produced between September 2010 and last month, with 55,146 shipped to the domestic market and 53,801 others that were exported to countries including to Australia, Mexico, and Europe.Suzuki said that an inadequate connection on the rubber fuel filler hose could cause petrol to leak. Four cases of such leakage have been reported in Japan, but they did not lead to any accidents, the statement revealed."There have been no reports of such defects abroad,'' the spokesman added. "About the exported cars, we will deal with them in keeping with local procedures of the countries concerned.''In March, Suzuki recalled about 93,000 Swifts, including 11,000 in Australia, to repair the fuel filling system.

A second safety recall has been issued for the new Ducati Panigale Superbike.The most powerful bike yet produced by the Italian manufacturer landed in Australia a couple of months ago and almost immediately had a safety recall for inferior brake pads.A second safety recall has now been issued, this time for an incorrect retaining bolt linking the swingarm to the rear suspension linkage rod. If the bolt fails, it "may result in loss of control of the motorcycle", the notice reads. The Panigale sells here for $33,990.This second recall follows on from Ducati's first one in April this year.Ducati's MotoGP-inspired Panigale has been talked about in terms of a bike of the year candidate, but only a couple of months ago the S model was part of a worldwide recall of several models over problems with malfunctioning the rear brake prads.The recall notice claimed inferior brake pads have been used which could affect the braking performance. This in a bike that costs $33,990 for the S model and $39,990 for the S Tricolore. The standard model with ABS costs $26,990.That compares with its European superbike competitors, the BMW S 1000RR at $24,490 or MV Agusta F4 at $24,300.The Panigale has 145kW of power which is not far shy of the Desmosedici, a limited-edition modified street version of the MotoGP bike which fetched more than $100,000 in 2008.Other Ducati models affected by the safety recall include the Monster 796, Monster 796 ABS, Monster 1100 EVO ABS, Hypermotard 796, Streetfighter 848, 848 EVO and Multistrada 1200 ABS.Owners are advised to contact their dealer to arrange for replacement pads. The use of inferior pads seems incongruous with a bike that includes a host of technological wizardry and acronyms - ride modes, power modes, RbW, ABS, DES, DTC, EBC, DQS and DDA+/GPS. 

Company founder Sir Henry Royce aimed to "strive for perfection in everything you do" but problems happen even to the best of them - Rolls Royce has issued two recalls on its Ghost and million-dollar Phantom.The BMW-owned British marque is investigating a fault with the Ghost's turbocharger cooling system on its 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 engine, as well as the Phantom's hydraulic fault within the braking system.The company issued a recall on the Ghost Sedan over fire risks if "the turbo cooling pump cracks, the pump electronics may smoulder, possibly causing an engine compartment fire or a vehicle fire," the notice said. The recall covers Ghosts available for sale between September 1, 2009 and June 30, 2011.Rolls-Royce Asia-Pacific aftersales general manager Carl Whipp said in a letter to customers said vehicles may be affected by an auxiliary water pump failure within the turbocharger cooling system. "In extreme cases this could lead to overheating, posing a potential fire risk," the letter to customers said.The bastion of British motoring has also recalled the Phantom - in sedan, coupe and convertible forms - sold between January 1, 2009 and November 30, 2009, over concerns oil can get into the brake booster. In a letter to owners, Rolls-Royce aftersales general manager Michael Dedekind told Phantom owners a potential oil leak in the braking system and reduce of braking assistance."Mechanical braking is still available to slow and stop the vehicle and there have been no reported incidents among Rolls-Royce owners. "Furthermore, as this issue relates to older vehicles with a high mileage, we believe it is highly unlikely that Rolls-Royce customers will be affected," the letter says.The recall numbers are only a handful as the company's Australian volumes are not considered high - the brand's total sales for 2012 so far is 4 and just 20 Rolls-Royce cars were sold last year.In fact, over the last 10 years only 124 Rolls-Royce cars were sold in Australia - but that's no surprise, given the Ghost starts at $645,000 and the Phantom's asking price starts at just over $1-million. 

The Ford F250 I bought new in 2002 developed an intermittent engine problem in 2006 when it would just cut out. The dealer diagnosed the problem as a camshaft position sensor, which was replaced at a cost of $690 and solved the problem. But Ford Australia has recently contacted me with a recall advice on the vehicle. They have advised me that the camshaft position sensor could fail and the engine may unexpectedly stall. Here is my dilemma. As I have already had the faulty unit replaced should I return the vehicle and replace the current unit and do you think Ford would reimburse me for the cost of replacing the first unit. I have the original service record for the replacement of the unit. Both the recall advice and the original invoice are enclosed. I have not spoken to Ford at this stage.

BMW has been stung by a 1.3 million vehicle global recall. BMW is recalling all models of the previous generation 5-Series and 6-Series, built from 2003 to 2010, because of a faulty battery cable cover.In a worst-case scenario, the car could catch fire. Spokesman for BMW Australia, Piers Scott, says exactly 10,000 cars are affected in this country. "We are contacting all owners, via dealerships, immediately,'' he says."We haven't any reports of problems and I guess this could be seen as being overly-cautious but this is the best approach.'' Scott says issues like this reinforce cars should be serviced through authorised BMW dealerships "however, we will be alerting all service channels to capture all owners''."The problem centres on wiring that is not easily visible,'' he says. It is the second million-car recall in two years, following Toyota's massive 9-million car recall in 2009-2010 for alleged sticking accelerator pedals.BMW says no accidents or injuries have occurred because of the issue, but there is the potential that affected models may fail to start, or worse, catch fire. Owners will be sent a letter and will be asked to visit a BMW dealer for a free, 30-minute repair session.The company says in some instances, the battery cable cover - which is inside the boot - may be incorrectly mounted. It says this can result in the electrical system malfunctioning, the vehicle failing to start and, in some cases, to charring or fire.BMW last year was penalised $3 million for failing to quickly report safety defects to the US vehicle safety authority, the NHTSA. Recalls of more than 1-million vehicles are rare. The latest big recall was Toyota that in 2009-2010 recalled about 9-million Toyota and Lexus vehicles worldwide for defects associated with unintended acceleration.This year recalls have been announced by companies including General Motors which in the US is to repair problems with the steering system that could result in a loss of steering. There are no known complaints about this issue. Porsche is also recalling about 1200 911 Carrera S coupes from the 2012 model year in the US because the fuel line may become disconnected, leading to fuel loss and possible fire.TOP 10 RECALLS