Hyundai Launches Entourage Recall Over Failing Hood Latches

Fountain Valley, Calif. – Dec. 14, 2016 – Hyundai Motor America has just announced the recall of certain Entourage vehicles that have defective hood latches, which could contribute to reduced driver safety if not addressed.

The Defect

Hyundai will recall Entourage vehicles from the 2007-2008 model years that were manufactured between Feb. 16, 2006 and June 30, 2008, according to documents compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The problem is that these vehicles have a secondary hood latch that might corrode and remain open, even when the hood is closed.

The purpose of this secondary latch is to act as a fail-safe in case the primary latch does not fasten. But if both fail, the hood could open unexpectedly. If this occurs when the vehicle is in motion, it could cause a driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Timeline of Events

June 2016 – A customer in Pennsylvania contacted Hyundai to complain about a latch disengagement on a 2007 Entourage. Further inspection could not replicate the problem or determine a potential cause.

September 2016 – Hyundai received another report from Massachusetts about latch problems on a 2008 Entourage, but the car was repaired before an investigation could be completed.

October 2016 – A report of a latch problem on a 2007 Entourage from New York was investigated, and Hyundai discovered corrosion on the secondary latch.

November 2016 – Hyundai conducted a recall of affected vehicles.

Resolution

Owners of vehicles sold or registered in the following states may have their latches replaced by a dealer, free of charge: Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Owners of vehicles registered in other states may visit a dealer to have the latch either replaced or lubricated, depending on the extent of the corrosion.

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Tesla Recalls Charging Adapters

Palo Alto, Calif. – Dec. 13, 2016 – In response to an overheating issue, Tesla has announced the recall of a small number of charging adapter connectors commonly used by owners of the Model S or X.

The Defect

Tesla announced on its website that the recall will affect about 2,000 NEMA 14-30, 10-30 and 6-50 adapters due to the possibility of overheating. This was in response to two separate customer complaints of overheating, which Tesla claimed did not result in injury or property damage. The recall was taken “out of an abundance of caution,” according to the post on the company website.

The company noted that the affected adapters are not standard pieces of equipment that come with every vehicle, but are instead sold separately to those who want to connect their charging cables to 240-volt outlets.

Timeline of Events

January 2015 – Tesla stopped selling NEMA 14-30 adapters.

August 2016 – Tesla re-released the NEMA 14-30 adapter due to increased demand.

November 2016 – Two customers reported NEMA 14-30 adapters overheating during use, prompting the recall. The recall also affected the 10-30 and 6-50 adapters, as they share some elements with the 14-30. No incidents involving those two models have been reported, according to Tesla.

Resolution

Users of the NEMA 14-30 can expect to receive a replacement from Tesla within the next few weeks. Users of the 10-30 and 6-50 may have to wait about three months for the company to develop and manufacture alternatives. However, Tesla told customers that since these two models have not exhibited any problems, they may be used to charge vehicles if no other option is available.

MotorSafety.orgTesla Recalls Charging Adapters

Volvo Issues Recall Over Bus Engine Stalling

Greensboro, N.C. – Dec. 12, 2016 – Volvo Bus Corporation announced a safety recall of buses suffering from potentially severe engine issues. If left unaddressed, these flaws could create safety problems for drivers and passengers.

The Defect

Volvo is recalling certain buses manufactured between Jan. 7, 2008 and Aug. 25, 2016, according to documents compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The engines in these vehicles have power feed relays that are meant to control both the engines and transmissions. There is a chance, however, that these relays can be undersized, leading to failure. In this instance, the affected engines might stall during operation.

Timeline of Events

  • Aug. 18, 2016 – Volvo received reports of potential safety-related issues in some of its buses. At the time, the specific problems had not yet been identified.
  • Aug. 19, 2016 – The manufacturer opened its investigation into the vehicles.
  • Aug. 25, 2016 – Volvo issued a delivery stop of all buses that may have been potentially affected while conducting the investigation.
  • Aug. 29, 2016 – Volvo received information from the investigation detailing the defect and how it might affect vehicles.
  • Sept. 14, 2016 – The manufacturer presented its findings to the North America Product Safety Working Group and Volvo Group North
  • America Regulatory Affairs.
  • Sept. 27, 2016 – Volvo also shared Information shared with the Product Safety Committee.
  • Nov. 10, 2016 – Volvo concluded that it had a safety-related defect and issued a voluntary recall.

Resolution

Volvo will notify owners and dealers of its recall program and replace the affected power relays, free of charge. The replacements will separate engine and transmission power into two circuits, which should reduce the load on each and prevent future problems.

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VW sued by the state of California [Video]

The German automotive manufacturer, Volkswagen, is being sued by the state of California for $86 million, according to USA Today. What’s the reason for the hefty lawsuit? Volkswagen sold vehicles that were putting out more pollution than they were legally allowed to do. If you think $86 million is a lot of money, consider this: V-W is in the middle of a $14.7 billion settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency. The state government is not the only group that is expected to receive money from V-W, however. The car manufacturer is expected to offer owners of affected vehicles $5,000 each.

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Pirelli Recalls Maserati Tires

Rome, GA – Dec. 7, 2016 – Pirelli Tire LLC has announced a recall of tires that were outfitted on certain Maserati cars. A defect in them increased the risk of cracking and air loss over time.

The Defect

According to documents compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Pirelli will be recalling the P Zero All Season tire, which is used exclusively on certain Maserati cars. Tires of size 275/40R19 101W that were manufactured between Feb. 29, 2016 and Oct. 29, 2016 have faulty carcass components, which may cause cracks to develop in the lower sidewalls as the tires reach the end of their tread lives. This leads to air loss, which could then make the affected vehicles harder to control. Pirelli believes that nearly 3,400 tires suffer from this defect.

Timeline of Events

Oct. 27, 2016 – During a routine test, one Pirelli tire did not meet internal specifications. Additional examination found that it contained incorrectly sized components, which led the manufacturer to conduct a check of all the others being produced that week. Inspectors were then able to determine the production range that had been affected by the defect.

Nov. 8, 2016 – All tires were subjected to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and passed. However, Pirelli decided to conduct a recall anyway, due to the possibility that tires in the field could have more significant problems.

Resolution

Pirelli will work with Maserati to have new tires installed on all vehicles currently being held in dealer inventory. In addition, the manufacturer and the dealer will identify all owners and send notifications to them so they can determine if they were affected. Customers may visit a Pirelli dealer to have their tires checked and obtain replacements free of charge if theirs are defective.

MotorSafety.orgPirelli Recalls Maserati Tires

Chevy police cars recalled [Video]

Chevrolet is in the process of recalling more than 6,000 Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicles that were manufactured between May 15, 2013, and March 3, 2016, according to Auto Blog. The police department in La Grange, Illinois, first reported the problem in September of 2015.

An investigation into the matter revealed that corrosion in the power steering and torque sensor can lead to a loss of electric power steering. To fix the issue, dealerships are replacing the steering gear assembly.

The new parts have gold-plated terminals to prevent future corrosion. Fortunately, there have been no reported deaths or injuries from the defect.

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Toyota Recalls Minivans For Sliding Door Malfunction

Nov. 22 – Torrance, California – Toyota recently announced a recall of Sienna minivans in response to electrical problems that may affect the operation of power sliding doors.

The Defect

According to documents compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the problem appears to have affected Sienna vehicles from the 2011-2016 model years – specifically, those manufactured between Jan. 4, 2010 and Aug. 12, 2016. The issue can arise when something impedes the normal operation of the power sliding doors, such as ice in the winter. When this happens, the motor stalls, generating current and operating the fuse for the door motor. There is a chance that this can cause the door to open unexpectedly while the vehicle is moving.

Timeline

January 2014  – April 2015 – Toyota first received reports of a malfunctioning door from a dealer. While an initial inspection found that the door cable was not attached to the latch mechanism, the parts still functioned normally when reattached and no abnormalities in the cable installment process were found. At the time, Toyota concluded that this was an isolated incident.

November 2015 – April 2016 – Toyota received more reports of similar issues. In some vehicles, the sliding doors refused to latch. Two reports indicated that doors opened while the vehicles were moving. Further investigation determined that these problems tended to emanate from cold climates.

May 2016 – November 2016 – Toyota determined that freezing could cause the sliding door motor to stall, leading to further malfunctions down the road. The company then announced its voluntary safety recall campaign.

Solution

Toyota will mail notices to affected vehicle owners by Jan. 21, 2017. This letter will include instructions for those owners who have already paid for repairs and wish to apply for reimbursement from the automaker.

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Daimler Vans Recalls Vehicles For Faulty Brake Lights

Atlanta – Nov. 11, 2016 – Daimler Vans USA has announced a recall of Dodge and Freightliner Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vans due to problems with brake warning light illumination.

The Defect

According to documents compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Daimler will recall vans from the 2003-2006 model years – specifically, those manufactured between June 30, 2003 and Aug. 31, 2006. The problem is that the brake warning lamps located on the vehicles’ instrument clusters are failing to illuminate during startup.

This initial illumination is a good way to let the driver know that the light is functioning as intended. After that point, as long as the light remains off, drivers can be reasonably confident that they do not have any serious brake issues to address. The purpose of the lamp is to warn occupants of low brake fluid, which could severely impact their ability to stop on command.

Timeline of Events

April 2015 – Fiat Chrysler reportedly asked Daimler Vans for support with Dodge vehicles that failed the bulb check during New York State inspections. Daimler Vans examined numerous vehicle models from different years, as well as different instrument clusters, to locate the problems. This was a challenging process that required the manufacturer to study instrument cluster coding and analyze each system to determine the underlying cause. At first, Daimler Vans did not have access to all of the information necessary, forcing it to use other methods to replicate the problem.

October 2016 – Daimler Vans received more information about the faulty bulb, including the proper instrument coding. This allowed the manufacturers to determine exactly which vehicles were being affected.

The Solution

Daimler Vans will conduct a voluntary recall to examine each vehicle’s instrument cluster coding and fix any problems that can be found. This will be done free of charge. A schedule has not yet been announced.

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