List of manufacturer recalls for September 2016

Here’s a list of all the recalls for the month of September, some in the United States and some globally.

After last month’s recall, Ford recalls an additional 1.5 million cars to address an issue with side door latches. These latches have a pawl spring tab that prevents them from closing properly. This could lead to the opening of the door while the car is on the move. The affected models include 2013-2015 Ford C-Max and Escape, 2012-2015 Ford Focus, 2015 Ford Mustang, 2015 Lincoln MKC and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect. An accident with three injuries has been reported which probably might be caused by this glitch. Ford dealers will replace the door latches at no cost if they find it faulty.

About 134,000 units of the 2016-2017 Maxima sedans, 2015-2017 Murano Crossovers and 2015-2016 Murano Hybrids are currently being recalled for addressing a problem with the Intelligent Cruise Control. The Anti-Lock brake actuator pump in these models are found to leak brake fluid onto an internal electrical circuit board which can lead to a fire. Nissan has reported no accidents yet but has announced a few cases of “thermal damage” which apparently is their way of describing an underhood fire. The owners of the cars will be notified via mail and for them, the ABS actuator will be replaced free of cost. Drivers of these cars have also been advised by the National Highway Traffic Administration of USA to park their car outdoors away from other cars, if the ABS light stays on for more than ten seconds after starting the engine.

General Motors has asked for a one-year deferral of a pending recall that is slated to be announced on 31st December 2016 by Takata, the Japanese manufacturer of their faulty airbag units. The 980,000 trucks and SUVs affected are fitted with these faulty airbag units that are filled with a propellant prone to degradation over time. This might cause the unit to explode after a few years of usage. GM announced that they are conducting a combined research with aerospace and defense manufacturer Orbital ATK on this matter which requires an year to be completed. They claim that the delay that they ask for will not increase the risk associated with these airbags as the units will “likely perform as designed until at least Dec. 31, 2019.” The affected vehicles include 2007-2012 Chevrolet Silverado, Tahoe, and Suburban, the GMC Sierra and Yukon, and the Cadillac Escalade.

On the same page, BMW has announced a recall of some 110,000 cars in Japan to replace the Takata airbag units in them. 44 examples of 2004-2012 116i, 118i and 320i are reported to be recalled. Japan’s transport ministry has ordered a recall on an estimated 7 million vehicles by 2019. As of now, this recall is only applicable to the models sold in Japan. More details will be acquired in the coming months if this recall is taken to the global level.

Another airbag related problem for GM is now subject to a massive recall of 3.6 million vehicles. The sensing and diagnostic module that controls the airbags and seat-belt pretensioners is found to have a software related hitch that triggers the module to initiate a diagnostic test under specific driving conditions. This could prevent the safety systems from working properly in the event of an accident which can be quite dangerous. This recall covers 2014-2015 Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet SS, and Spark EV; 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Trax, Caprice PPV, Silverado 1500, Buick Encore, and GMC Sierra 1500; and 2015-2017 Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, Silverado HD, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, Sierra HD, Cadillac Escalade, and Escalade ESV. The owners of the affected vehicles can take them to a GM dealer where the problem will be rectified with a software update.

A trouble with the rear control arm rod has forced Toyota to recall 337,000 units of 2006-2011 model Toyota RAV4 crossovers and 2010 Lexus HS250h cars. The affected RAV4s are built between 31 October 2005 and September 7, 2010 while the Lexus models are manufactured from 6 July 2009 and 26 August 2010. If the tie rod adjustment nut on the rear control arm of these cars is not tightened properly, especially after a wheel alignment is given, the threads on the tie rod is found to rust over time. This may result in losing control of the car. The dealer, if they find your vehicle to be one among the affected lot, will replace the whole rear suspension assembly and coat the tie rods and nuts with epoxy to prevent further corrosion. It is possible GCC-spec RAV4s are not affected, as our supply came from Japan, and American-spec ones are built in the States itself.

If any of these are a concern for you, ask your local dealer to see if your car belongs to the affected bunch.