Recalls

Ford will disable all cruise controls on the dual cab models, but have said replacement modules could take several months to arrive.In the interim the company has ordered dealers to disable the cruise control after drivers experienced problems setting or deactivating the system.The stopgap move comes as Ford tries to source enough replacement mechanisms to replace the 8082 units sold between April 2009 and January this year in PK Ranger XLT and Wildtrak vehicles and PJ and PK Ranger models where the cruise control was fitted as a genuine accessory.Ford Australia spokesman Neil McDonald said there have been no reports of accidents .He said replacement parts will arrive progressively over the next two months and all affected owners will be contacted by mail.The issue doesn't affect Mazda's BT-50 workhorse. The two vehicles are built on the same platform, but the cruise control unit is specific to the Ranger.from news.com.au

Toyota has announced the voluntary recall of 1.7m vehicles worldwide, including some of its luxury Lexus models, over a fuel leak.  This brings to approximately 12m the total number of recalls since 2009 when acceleration problems were blamed for fatal crashes overseas.The latest recall affects only 4844 Australian owners of Lexus IS250 vehicles built between August 2007 and February 2009.  Australian Toyota/Lexus spokesperson Laura Hill said there have been no reports of accidents or injuries here or overseas due to the fuel leak.She said only one of the 117 worldwide reports of owners smelling leaking petrol was in Australia.  Lexus will notify owners by mail to make an appointment with their dealer for the free repair."It takes between two and three hours," Hill said.  "It's a small repair; tightening the fuel pressure sensor to the fuel delivery pipe, or replacing a gasket if there is a leak."Vehicles affected overseas are powered by an Avensis engine which is not included in Toyota or Lexus vehicles available in Australia, she said.

It's the fourth time this year that the country's top selling brand has been forced into a recall for a safety problem, this time involving the Toyota Kluger and a range of Lexus models.The recall was triggered by a problem in the braking system that can lead to a fluid leak.  A total of 77 cases have been reported by owners in Australia and 17,582 Klugers and another 8201 Lexus vehicles will be recalled in a global total of more than 1.5 million vehicles.Toyota spokesman, Mike Breen, says the company is already working to advise customers and get the vehicles repaired.  The problem can occur because the Toyota braking system on the vehicles involved needs brake fluid containing lubricating polymers. If different fluid is used, a rubber seal at the end of the brake master cylinder can be damaged and allow a fluid leak to develop.  "We're only talking about a trickle of fluid. But the brake warning light can come on," Breen says.The affected Klugers were built between May 2003 and November 2005, while the Lexus vehicles involved are the RX330 SUV built between February 2003 and October 2005, the GS300 built from January 2005 to November 2005, and the IS250 built from September 2005 to November 2005.Breen says Toyota moved quickly to identify the problem, using the new global recall system put in place after the disastrous worldwide recall of 8.5 million cars last year for a faulty accelerator pedal."I'd suggested we picked it up more quickly with the new system. We had to wait for Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan to identify the situation," he says.The latest recall follows one for a steering problem in the LandCruiser, another in September for a faulty tailshaft support in some HiLux models, and one in February for re-calibration of the braking system in the Prius hybrid.The solution for the latest recall is to replace the questionable part in the braking system, then flush the braking system and replace the fluid.

The world's oldest carmaker is back-pedaling over a steering problem that could cause some current-model C-Class and E-Class cars to lose the power assistance for their steering.The first hint of trouble is a whining noise, then heavy steering during parking.More than 150,000 cars are being recalled worldwide for a repair that should take around 30 minutes."We take safety seriously," the spokesman for Mercedes-Benz Australia, David McCarthy, said. "There is no reason for people to be concerned. We're on top of it."Some of the recall cars in Australia have not been sold and will be fixed before they are delivered, while owners will be advised as soon as possible.The problem is caused by a fault which can allow the power steering fluid to leak. "It does not affect the ability of the vehicle to be steered. The steering just gets heavier," McCarthy said."We've had no reports of problems in Australia."The last time Mercedes-Benz had a safety recall in Australia was in 2009, for a rear-end water leak which could affect the automatic tailgate on its M-Class SUVs.

I have just purchased a 2007 Falcon BF II wagon with dedicated LPG and was wondering how can I tell if all recall work had been done. Can I just turn up at a Ford dealer and ask them to check? Also, who could I get to check the car for any problems and have them fixed under the warranty?

The recall was prompted after two drivers reported problems with mats jamming the accelerator. Ford Australia spokesman, Todd Nissen, said the drivers were able to slow their vehicles and were not injured."We had two reports that drivers weren't able to stop the vehicle because of the mat," he said. "So we looked into and determined that it was one of three mats we sell that could have caused the problem."The carpet mat set can be identified by its black colour with silver "Territory" lettering and rubber backing material. It is sold as an accessory with a Ford parts number 5R7J A13002 AA and is not a standard fitting on the car. Nissen said because it was an accessory, Ford dealers are being asked to contact purchasers directly."Unlike a vehicle recall we don't have a database of names," he said. "But what we do have is a good dealer network that can contact owners."The mats have been available since last June.Anyone who bought one of the 4990 mat sets as an accessory are being urged to return it to a Ford dealer in exhange for a free replacement of another design. Nissen said the mat set was one of three available. The others are not affected, he said.Ford has placed ads in newspapers and is posting notifications with dealers to alert Territory drivers.Earlier this year Toyota in North America was forced to recall millions of cars globally because of a similar floor mat-related problem that was found to jam the accelerator, causing cars to accelerate suddenly and uncontrollably."It's also important to note that there are no issues with accelerators or brakes or any other part of the Territory," Nissen said.

Just as things are calming after Toyota's eight-million-vehicle mistakes in the USA and Europe, Mazda is hit with a 90,000-car recall in Japan and China.Australia has again dodged the recall, which only applies to a specific model of the Mazda3 not sold here, but things are looking tougher for even the world's most-admired brands. "The Mazda3 is not affected in Australia," says company spokesman Steve Maciver. "It's only the 1.6-litre engine, which we do not get here."But Toyota Australia was forced to recall the latest Prius hybrid for tweaking of the braking system; elderly Daihatsus have been recalled - ironically, under the Toyota banner; and Great Wall was forced to recall the first batch of its Chinese twin-cab utes to rectify a seat belt problem.Even Suzuki, which has one of the lowest warranty-claim rates in the country, was forced to recall the baby Alto because of a problem with wiring to the stoplights. Suzuki Australia is still sourcing a replacement stoplamp switch and will contact owners.Then there is Toyota USA, which is hit with another cloud over the Lexus GS460. It's a heavyweight SUV which is built up from the Prado and, thanks to an unsafe rating by the influential magazine 'Consumer Reports', sales have been stopped while the company conducts safety tests. It is responding to claims the car can develop a tail slide, leading to a rollover, in an emergency situation. Once again, Toyota Australia is responding with a 'no panic' reply."The Lexus GX460 is not and has never been sold in Australia. Toyota Motor Corporation Japan has advised us that Prado is not affected by the sales stop. It has a smaller engine and significantly less weight overall, particularly over the front wheels, says Toyota and Lexus spokesman, Mike Breen. Toyota is even putting a positive spin on the Lexus development."This is firm evidence of Toyota’s stated intention to respond even more quickly to ensure quality and customer satisfaction. It shows that Toyota is taking the matter seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue that was identified," Breen says. "Having done that, Toyota Motor Corporation has adopted its normal approach of conducting further tests on other SUVs. These vehicles have already undergone extensive testing and Toyota is confident they meet its high safety standards. Toyota is therefore conducting these tests as an additional measure to ensure customer confidence."And it's not just cheap-and-cheerful car brands that get caught up in recalls. Ferrari is also suffering after recalling more than 2000 of its F355 model fitted with a single fuel pump system and sold in the 1990s. Ferrari says it will be contacting known owners so their cars can be checked for a problem with the fuel system pipes.Porsche, meanwhile, plans to recall 152 of its all-new Panamera flagship, which sells from $270,000 to $365,000. They have to be checked for faulty seatbelt mounting points.

We'll be alleging in court on behalf of the people of Orange County that Toyota knowingly sold cars and trucks with defects that caused Toyotas to accelerate suddenly and uncontrollably,'' Orange Country District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said.We intend to prove that Toyota ignored, omitted, obfuscated, and misrepresented the evidence that was amassing for many years regarding serious safety defects in their cars.Toyota has already been hit with dozens of lawsuits from owners seeking compensation in the wake of a series of mass recalls due to defects that led to sudden, unintended acceleration. At least 89 class-action lawsuits have been filed against the Japanese auto giant, which could cost it $US3 billion ($A3.28 billion) or more.Toyota has also been called to Washington to answer a congressional investigation and faces scrutiny by regulators and a US federal grand jury investigating whether there is sufficient evidence for criminal charges related to problems with Toyota's brakes and accelerators. Friday's suit is the first filed under consumer protection laws and the district attorney is seeking a civil penalty of $US2,500 ($2,731.94) for every violation of the state's unfair business practices act.These defects exist in hundreds of thousands of Toyotas sold to Californians over the last several years,'' Rackauckas said. Rackauckas said the purpose of the suit is to protect the public from "unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent business practices.''"Toyota has known about these defects but intentionally did not disclose them to California purchasers,'' he said. "Rather than halt the sales of products in California until the problem was fixed, they made a business decision to continue selling and leasing their defective products to Californians.''Toyota said in a statement that it "has not received the complaint and is not in a position to comment on pending litigation''. Toyota has insisted that it has found a solution to the defects that triggered the recall of more than eight million vehicles worldwide, including six million in the United States, and have been blamed for about 50 US deaths.The most high profile case was the death of California Highway Patrol officer and three members of his family whose heart-wrenching 911 call for help has been played repeatedly on national television.Critics question whether the mechanical fixes being applied to recalled vehicles are sufficient or if there's a problem with the electronic engine controls. The Japanese automaker made headlines earlier this week after a Prius owner sought help from police after the car sped uncontrollably along a San Diego freeway. US Federal safety regulators are investigating more than 60 reports of sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles which had already received the mechanical fix.

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." 

Every day there seems to be something new, from extra customer complaints to a damaging internal document which points to deliberate delaying tactics on the safety front.  The total cost of the fiasco is likely to be around $2 billion in lost sales, but no-one can yet say what the safety disaster - everything from faulty accelerator pedals to steering complaints on the Corolla and a brake drama on the Prius - will eventually cost the company in long-term respect.Even in Australia, where Toyota has been largely insulated from the safety problems, apart from the 1700 Prius owners who got a computer tweak to their car's brakes, there are people who are worried about buying a car from the company. And it's early days yet for the full impact on consumer confidence down under.Things are so bad internationally that Akio Toyoda, only recently installed in the top job, will head to Washington to represent Toyota in congressional hearings into the safety failings.  Toyoda is seen as the 'new broom' at the world's largest carmaker, with the potential to turn the company into more than just a brand that mass-produces cars for people who put transport ahead of personality or style. He is already pushing cars like the FT-86 concept, which is expected to be a born-again Sprinter for Gen-Y when it reaches production in 2011.But even he could be tainted, just as Australia's Jac Nasser - once the shooting star at the Ford Motor Company - was brought undone by the unsuccessful campaign to protect the Ford Explorer from a safety crisis in the USA.Toyota has reacted with things like a brake-against-throttle safety switch, but other brands have had that protection against a runaway for years.  It has also set up a new global committee for product quality, which will be chaired by Toyoda, but people are asking why it was not done before.The reason is simple: the Toyota production system is designed to stop faults and flaws before the factory gates. It's so good that it has been copied around the world, and by many companies outside the auto business, for decades.But the safety shortcomings highlighted by the multi-million-vehicle safety recalls show the system is only as good as the people who run it. And Toyota has been caught short.  The Toyota safety story has a long way to run and I am not expecting much good news for a long while yet.