April 28th, 2008
The engine issues with Subaru’s turbocharged vehicles reported earlier this month have now been resolved and Subaru Australia has resumed sales of 2.5-litre turbocharged vehicles as of late last week.
The issue which halted all turbocharged-vehicle sales was isolated incidents of engine knocking noise. According to Subaru, its technical department has come out with a diagnostic test to correctly identify and fix vehicles showing knocking symptoms before they reach the customer.
Subaru owners will be happy to know that the company has put its main efforts into vehicles already with customers and vehicles awaiting delivery. Subaru Australia is currently contacting 178 owners of potentially affected vehicles.
All 178 cars will be checked at Subaru dealerships, at no expense to the customers. Owners whose vehicle is found with the fault will be offered a loan car until the issue is fixed.
Subaru Japan has also restarted production of the 2.5-litre units.
Check out our review of the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX.
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January 8th, 2008
The VE Commodore and WM Statesman series have again being recalled this morning following yesterday’s announcement of it being Australia’s top selling car.
Due to the possibility of an engine bay fire from a faulty fuel line, 86,000 V6 models will be recalled to address the issue. Holden spokesperson John Lindsay said the fault was due to one of the fuel lines in the engine bay having the potential to rub on the clip of an adjacent hose, which over a period of time had the potential to result in a leak.
So far this issue has only effected 20 cars though is not limited to Australian vehicles with some export vehicles also being recalled in New Zealand, Brazil and the Middle East. Fortunately the highly lucrative Pontiac G8 has not been affected with the issue affecting V6 models only.
This is the second such recall for Holden on the VE and WM series with the V8 models being recalled for a similar condition some months ago.
Anyone owning a VE or WM series Holden will be contacted forthwith.
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November 29th, 2007
Lexus will recall 264,000 cars- including 927 in Australia - with GS and IS sedans affected.
The issue relates to cars built between December 2003 and December 2005 which may have a faulty fuel pipe that could lead to a fuel leakage. Lexus says no accident has been reported as a result of the issue but 39 defects have been reported by drivers
The recall affects 215,020 cars in Japan. About 49,000 other vehicles will also be recalled worldwide, in markets including the US, Britain and Canada.
Lexus Australia has initiated a safety recall campaign on a range of Lexus IS250 and GS300 models that were built between December 2004 to November 2005. In all about 927 vehicles are involved in Australia.
According to Lexus Australia, there is a possibility over time on certain vehicles that a small split may appear in the fuel pipe.This is due to a weakness created in the pipes during manufacture, combined with natural corrosive agents in the fuel and fuel pressure pulsations.
The recall is the second in a just over a month for Lexus’s parent company, Toyota. In October Toyota recalled about 470,000 cars in Japan to fix problems with their fuel and steering systems.
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November 29th, 2007
Mitsubishi Outlander recall over carpet mat
Make & Model: Mitsubishi Outlander ZE and ZF
Number of vehicles affected: 11,164
Model Years From: 2003-2007
What’s wrong: The front edge of the older design genuine accessory carpet mat overlaps the arc of travel of the accelerator pedal. This creates a possibility for interference of the carpet mat with the accelerator pedal at the full throttle position.
There is a possibility that the carpet mat may delay the return of the throttle pedal after full throttle acceleration.
VIN Range: JMFXRCU4W3U000201 and JMFXRCU5W7U002473
What should you do: Contact your nearest Mitsubishi dealer
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November 28th, 2007
Mitsubishi NS Pajero Recall
Makes & Model: Mitsubishi NS Pajero
Number of vehicles affected: 95
Model Years From: 2007 - Vehicles were manufactured between 20 August 2007 and 23 August 2007.
VIN Range: JMFMYV88W7J000687 and JMFMYV88W7J000692. JMFLNV98W7J000839 and JMFLYV98W7J003459.
What’s wrong: A number of NS Pajero vehicles have been manufactured with the incorrect nuts used to retain the front R/H drive shaft and both front and rear propeller shafts. The threaded portion of the nut may deform on tightening, allowing the nut to become loose in operation.
What should you do: Contact your nearest Mitsubishi dealer
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October 17th, 2007
Suzuki Australia issued a late night press release announcing a voluntary recall on selected Liana models. The recall will address a potential problem with a retainer clip securing the gear selector cable.
Suzuki Australia says 3,519 manual-transmission Lianas built between January 2001 and January 2006 are affected.
Suzuki will contact all owners directly and urges customers to contact their nearest authorised Suzuki Dealer as soon as receiving their official recall notification advice .
The safety recall will replace the retainer clip following some reports of failure which led to the manual gear selector malfunctioning. In the case where first gear is selected rapidly with a high degree of force, the retaining clip may repeatedly strike the gear selector housing bracket and could ultimately dislodge or break.
The replacement clip is of a different design that will not strike the bracket under these conditions. Suzuki says the replacement will be free of charge and should only take about 20 minutes to fit.
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September 10th, 2007
2007 Holden Rodeo Brake Master Cylinder Recall
Holden has today recalled over 9,000 2007 model Rodeo’s due to a fault with the assembly of the brake master cylinder. The recall affects four-cylinder petrol, V6 and diesel variants. Check your Vehicle Identification Number in the list below and contact your nearest Holden dealer.
Make & Model: Holden RA Rodeo
Number of vehicles affected: 9146
Model Years From: 2007
What’s wrong: An incorrectly assembled brake master cylinder could result in reduced brake effectiveness of the vehicle. This may occur without advanced warning and in turn increase the stopping distance required under normal braking conditions.
VIN Range:
- 4Cyl Petrol. MPATF####7H512893 to MPATF####7H561907.
- V6 Petrol. MPATF####7H512894 to MPATF####7H561892.
- Diesel. MPATF####7H512570 to MPATF####7H561912.
What should you do?: Contact your nearest Holden dealer
September 7th, 2007
Honda Australian today recalled 17,164 2006 and 2007 Civics for a potential stop lamp (brake light) switch failure.
The recalled models include:
- Civic Sport 07YM.
- Civic Sport 06YM.
- Civic Vtil 07YM.
- Civic Vtil 06YM.
- Civic Vti 07YM.
- Civic Vti 06YM.
- Civic Hybrid 06YM.
- Civic Hybrid 07YM
Honda admits a possible vehicle safety issue due to a potential failure of the stop lamp switch, which in turn leads to brake lights failing to function when the brake pedal is depressed.
The problem is caused by Honda engineers applying too much grease to the telescopic steering column mechanism. If your Vehicle Identification Number is listed below, please contact your nearest Honda dealer.
VIN Range:
- Civic Sport 07YM. MRHFD25507P040001 to MRHFD25507P040330. MRHFD26507P040001 to MRHFD26507P040540.
- Civic Sport 06YM. MRHFD26506P040001 to MRHFD26506P041715. MRHFD25506P040001 to MRHFD25506P040695.
- Civic VtiL 07YM. MRHFD15707P030001 to MRHFD15707P030330.
- Civic VtiL 06YM. MRHFD16706P030001 to MRHFD16706P032343. MRHFD15706P030001 to MRHFD15706P030783.
- Civic Vti 07YM. MRHFD16507P020001 to MRHFD16507P021290.
- Civic Vti 06YM. MRHFD16506P020001 to MRHFD16506P024980. MRHFD15506P020001 to MRHFD15506P021771.
- Civic Hybrid 06YM. JHMFD36206S200005 to JHMFD36206S205150.
- Civic Hybrid 07YM. JHMFD36207S200987 to JHMFD36207S201092.
September 4th, 2007
Mercedes-Benz M Class and R Class vehicles - Accelerator pedal securing nuts
Make & Model: Mercedes-Benz M Class (type 164 ) and R Class (251)
Number of vehicles affected: 45
What’s wrong: During the production process, one or both of the accelerator pedal securing nuts may not have been fitted correctly or are missing.
What should you do: Contact any authorised Mercedes-Benz Passenger Car Dealer to have the inspection carried out. If you have sold the vehicle please telephone 03 9566 9380, fax 03 9566 6223 or email: campaigns@daimlerchrysler.com
August 28th, 2007
Kia Sportage Radiator Cooling Fan Blade Recall
Make & Model: Kia Sportage (JA)
Number of vehicles affected: 2352
Model Years From: Vehicles produced between 7 November 2001 and 18 December 2002
Campaign Number: 071010
VIN Range: KNAJA523525133058 to KNAJA523525134092. KNAJA523825141835 to KNAJA523825134067. KNAJA523535172558 to KNAJA523535179215. KNAJA523835172551 to KNAJA523835178942.
What’s wrong: There is a possibility the radiator cooling fan blade may break, damaging the radiator and causing possible engine damage
What should you do: Kia Motors Australia will write to owners of all affected vehicles requesting they contact their local Kia dealer for the rectification procedure to be carried out.
August 24th, 2007
Citroën C4 Picasso Seatbelt Restraint Recall
Makes & Model: Citroën C4 Picasso
Model year: 2007
Number of vehicles affected: 20
What’s wrong: The functioning of the front seat belts may be affected and the means of restraint diminished
What should you do: Contact your Authorised Citroën Dealer. For any additional information and assistance, please call Citroën Customer Assist on the toll free number 1800 804 707
The engine issues with Subaru’s turbocharged vehicles reported earlier this month have now been resolved and Subaru Australia has resumed sales of 2.5-litre turbocharged vehicles as of late last week.
