Over 1,000 Toyota Models Require Recalls Due To Labeling Error

Over 1,000 Toyota Models Require Recalls Due To Labeling Error

July 22, 2019 Sean Reyes

Laguna Hills, CA – July 22, 2019 – A subsidiary of Toyota Motor Company is recalling certain Corolla, Sienna, Yaris iA and Camry models due to a labeling flaw that may misinform users of how much weight their automobiles can safely carry. Should motorists go by the poundage listed, the overexertion may lead to a mechanical or handling issue that could lead to a crash. Motorists should check the label on their factory-installed floor mats to see if they’re affected and contact their nearest Toyota dealership so the clerical issue can be corrected. The replacement will come at no charge.

The Defect

In documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Southeast Toyota Distributors is recalling a combined 1,325 models. While the models themselves differ from one another they all contain the same flaw: a labeling error that misidentifies how much weight the cars can withstand. Load capacity is a detail that automakers must abide by, pursuant to the regulation “Tire Selection and Rims,” of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.

The following vehicles may contain errant load capacity information:

  • 2017-2019 Camry
  • 2017-2019 Corolla
  • 2017-2019 Sienna
  • 2017-2019 Yaris
  • 2017-2019 RAV4

As detailed in the Part 573 Safety Recall Report, whenever weight modifications are made to an automobile between certification and when they first go on showroom floors, they must be accounted for and corroborated through labeling if the weight differentiation is 100 pounds or more. However, some of the labels affixed to the factory floor mats were “not accurate to within 1% of the actual added weight.”

“In the worst case, a driver may overload a vehicle, which may increase the risk of a crash,” the report said.

Timeline of Events

As is frequently the case, this issue was first noticed during a routine quality control check, this time conducted by Southeast Toyota Distributors. In March, a staff member determined that the load capacity modification specifics were included in only a portion of the automobiles that had received the weight changes. SET informed corporate and on June 20, the automaker determined that the appropriate corrections should proceed in accordance with the FMVSS standard No. 110. Dealers were notified of the impending recall roughly a week later.

The Solution

Starting no later than August 27, SET says it will brief Toyota owners that their vehicle may be affected and will encourage them to bring the car to a local dealership. The proper label will be affixed to the floor mat, so it corresponds with the actual net weight. This will come at no expense to the owner.

For more information on this or any other safety recall, please visit MotorSafety.org. Be sure to have your 17-digit VIN available.

Sean ReyesOver 1,000 Toyota Models Require Recalls Due To Labeling Error
Luxury Automaker Issues Limited Recall Due to Air Bag Snag

Luxury Automaker Issues Limited Recall Due to Air Bag Snag

July 17, 2019 Sean Reyes

Laguna Hills, CA – July 17, 2019 – Maserati North America is recalling a limited number of Granturismo vehicles due to the potential for the onboard air bag systems to malfunction and/or deactivate should motorists experience a traffic accident. It’s also possible the air bag may deploy when it’s not intended to, thus increasing the risk of a crash and potential for injury. Pursuant to federal law, operators and dealers affected by this safety recall will be informed by first-class mail so they can make the appropriate arrangements to have this issue examined and repaired if necessary. This fix will come at no charge to the owners.

The Defect

According to paperwork filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Maserati is recalling an estimated 739 Granturismo and Granturismo convertibles – whose model years range between 2015 and 2018 – because the electrical control units that power the air bags may be defective. Typically, these units have built in sensors that automatically trigger when placed under stress, causing the air bag to deploy when the vehicle is struck. However, the silver adhesive cathode involved in this process may have been corrupted at some point during manufacturing. This defect may also cause the air bag to uncoil without warning.

The production dates for the models in question were between Sept. 2015 and June 2018 among Granturismo convertibles and Oct 2014 to February 2018 for hard-top Granturismo vehicles. The lion’s share of the recalled models – 545 of the 739 – are the former.

Timeline of Events

In May 2019, Maserati’s air bag component manufacturer, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, informed the luxury automaker that some of the Granturismo ECUs may have been installed with a faulty capacitor. Less than 24 hours later, Maserati launched an investigation to determine if this issue was isolated or systemic.

The company ultimately determined that the problem was likely an aberration, as field analysis failed to specify a common link. Furthermore, no warranties, injuries or crashes were reported that traced back to the issue ZF Group made Maserati aware of in May. No customer complaints or satisfaction problems were filed either. Nevertheless, to err on the side of caution, the luxury automaker determined that a small-scale recall was warranted and informed NHTSA of its intentions June 14.

Even though passenger air bags are increasingly sophisticated, there are a variety of reasons in which these systems may fail to deploy or trigger improperly, according to NHTSA. For example, using sensory technology, passenger detection systems are designed to turn on or off depending on whether someone is seated. If the person or animal is physically small in stature, the system may not turn on because it doesn’t detect an occupant. Similarly, if the occupant is seated too close to where the air bag is installed or isn’t seated properly, the air bag system may turn off.

In the 30-plus years that passenger vehicles have been required to include air bags, approximately 50,457 people have avoided a fatal accident in the U.S., according to government data.

The Solution

Maserati says it will inform affected operators no later than July 22 so that they can have their vehicles examined. If the evaluation determines the air bag ECU is compromised, a replacement will be installed free of charge. Maserati sent notifications relating to this issue to dealerships in late June.

For more information, please visit MotorSafety.org.

Sean ReyesLuxury Automaker Issues Limited Recall Due to Air Bag Snag
Over 138,000 Audis Recalled Over Air Bag Malfunction

Over 138,000 Audis Recalled Over Air Bag Malfunction

July 16, 2019 Sean Reyes

Laguna Hills, CA – July 16, 2019 – Volkswagen Group of North America Inc. is recalling over 138,000 Audi vehicles of various models and years because of an air bag detection issue.

The flaw may prevent the system from working in the event of a crash, thus increasing the risk of injury for drivers and occupants. All Audi models and body types subject to the safety recall were built between 2015 and 2019, including the A3 Sedan, A3 e-tron, RS3 and S3.

Operators of these automobiles should receive a notice from the German automaker no later than August 18, and are encouraged to take their vehicles back to the dealer so the passenger occupant detection system can be repaired free of charge.

The defect

According to documentation filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an arm of the Department of Transportation, Volkswagen is recalling approximately 138,896 Audi brand motor vehicles. There are several models involved and include the following:

2016 Audi A3 e-tron
2015 – 2016 Audi A3 Cabriolet
2015 – 2019 Audi S3 Sedan
2017 – 2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet
2019 Audi RS3

Each of these models potentially suffer from the same issue: a faulty node that causes the passenger occupation detection system to malfunction, thus preventing the air bag from deploying should motorists experience a collision.

This dramatically raises the likelihood of injury, depending on the severity of the crash in question. Frequently, when safety recalls are announced, it’s not a guarantee that the vehicles involved have the glitch.

However, in this case, NHTSA and Volkswagen believe that 100% of them have the flaw, and are urging operators to make sure they take their cars off the road so the fix can be installed as soon as possible.

Timeline of events

The errant air bags first came to the attention of the German automaker in the first quarter of 2018 after receiving several field reports from suppliers of the passenger occupant detection systems.

This led to an injury that lasted seven months, and required the involvement of NHTSA’s product safety committee, where additional research and testing was performed.

The investigation determined that the detection issue traced back to a flawed electrical contact that was preventing the system from communicating the air bag was in place.

While no injuries were reported to authorities, Volkswagen and NHTSA mutually determined that a voluntary safety recall was the best path forward, which the automaker made official on June 19, and was acknowledged by NHTSA a week later.

Air bags were deemed mandatory by the federal government back in 1984, and required automakers to install them in all models tracing back to April 1989. 

Based on the most recent statistics available from NHTSA, frontal airbags have saved 50,500 lives, with 2,800 traffic fatalities avoided in 2017 alone.

In recent years, many of the automotive safety recalls have been related to various issues involving air bags and their proper deployment.

The solution

Volkswagen, in consultation with NHTSA, will inform registered owners of the models in question by first-class mail starting on August 18.

Recipients of these mailers are encouraged to bring their Audi vehicles back to their nearest dealership so an optimized connecter and cable can be swapped out and replaced with one that is fully functional. As per usual, this repair will come at no expense to the owner.

Check your car’s recall status using MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Sean ReyesOver 138,000 Audis Recalled Over Air Bag Malfunction
Seat Belt Locking Glitch Forces Recall of Land Rovers

Seat Belt Locking Glitch Forces Recall of Land Rovers

July 3, 2019 Sean Reyes ,

Laguna Hills, CA – July 3, 2019 – Jaguar Land Rover North America is recalling certain Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models due to a seat belt locking issue that may prevent drivers and passengers from adequately strapping themselves in. This flaw could increase the risk of injury pending operators’ potential involvement in a crash. Owners will be formally instructed to bring their SUV back to their area dealer so the assembly can be either repaired or replaced. The fix will come at no cost, as per usual for most safety recalls.

The Defect

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the automaker seeks to recall 16,186 Range Rover and Range Rover Sport vehicles, whose model years span between 2016 and 2017. The genesis of the order stems from an apparent flaw with the driver’s seat belt emergency locking retractor. This component is what gives seat belts its protective capability, as when the brake is applied, it triggers the ELR’s locking mechanism, which is sensitive to movement. Some of these assemblies, however, may fail to perform should motorists be involved in a car accident.

Timeline of Events

This issue first came to the automaker’s attention in November 2016, informed through NHTSA of a customer who noted that the ELR wasn’t triggering when the brakes on the vehicle were applied. Jaguar Land Rover coordinated with its seat belt supplier Autoliv, and they mutually determined that the safety flaw warranted further inquiry, which revealed that this was not an isolated incident. A customer from another automaker that partners with Autoliv also filed a 49 CFR 573 report regarding a malfunctioning ELR mechanism.

An ensuing investigation revealed that some of the CLRs were not in compliance with existing federal safety regulations. However, they determined that the issues would not fundamentally increase the risk of an injury. NHTSA felt otherwise, and in May, ordered Jaguar Land Rover to conduct a recall on 2016-2017 Land Rover and Range Rover Sport models out of an abundance of caution. No known injuries or deaths have resulted from the flaw.

Seat belts are believed to save thousands of motorists’ and passengers’ lives each year. Indeed, according to the most recent statistics available from NHTSA, the national seat belt usage rate in 2018 was nearly 90%, up from 88% in 2015 and 85% in 2010. In 2000, seat belt compliance was just 70%. In most states, seat belts are primary laws, meaning that drivers can be pulled over by traffic enforcement officers for not buckling up. In primary law states, the usage rate is higher than those where seat belt laws are secondary (90% to 86%, respectively).

In 2017, an estimated 14,955 fatal accidents were avoided in the U.S. thanks to motorists wearing their seat belts at the time of a crash.

The Solution

Starting July 1, Land Rover will inform motorists of the vehicles in question by first-class mail in order to make them aware that their automobile may have the flawed seat belt assembly. A follow-up notice will be distributed once the automaker determines the proper solution. When the subsequent notification will commence has yet to be determined, but as noted above, the repair will be free.

For more information on this recall and to see if you may be affected, enter your VIN at MotorSafety.org.

Sean ReyesSeat Belt Locking Glitch Forces Recall of Land Rovers
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