Category Archives: quality

Bridgestone Recalls Alenza, Dueler, Ecopia, Turanza and Firestone Destination Tires for Leaks

A Tire Laser Marking System which uses laser light to mark certain information on tire sidewalls, malfunctioned. The malfunction caused the laser to remain stationary and burn a pinhole into the tire sidewall near the first digit of the Tire Identification Number date code – the last 4- digits of the TIN. Continue reading

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What Car? Britain’s Most and Least Reliable Cars

“Our latest study also shows that a high price tag isn’t always a guarantee of reliability, because some of Britain’s cheapest cars are among the most reliable,” said What Car? editor Steve Huntingford. Continue reading

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Chinese Junk Watch – Six More Recalls from CPSC

CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products – such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals – contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years. However, in AutoInformed’s view, Chinese products remain a problem both in their design and manufacturing quality control. Herewith are some of the latest in Chinese Junk. Continue reading

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Confirmed: General Motors to Recall more Bolt EVs at $1B Cost

General Motors is expanding the current Chevrolet Bolt EV recall to cover the remaining 2019 and all 2020-2022 model year vehicles, including the Bolt EUV. With this expansion, all Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles are now recalled due to the risk … Continue reading

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Subaru of America Recalls for Sudden Stalling 165K Vehicles

Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge as required by US safety regulations. Owner notification letters are not expected to be mailed until September 13, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru’s number for this recall is WRG-21. Continue reading

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Mercedes-Benz USA Recalls Rear Seatbelts on 2021-22 Models

The rear seatbelt automatic locking retractors may “deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly.” These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, “Occupant Crash Protection.” Continue reading

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Recalls – Roof Rail Air Bag Shrapnel on 410,019 GM Pickups

A separated inflator end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape, resulting in the end cap or other components being propelled into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or crash from what is in effect shrapnel. Continue reading

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Wheels Falling Off Ram Trucks. More Than 446,000 Recalled

In an unusual statement FCA said: “routine customer data analysis led to an FCA US investigation that discovered certain service and owner’s manuals contain incorrect lug-nut torque instructions. Accordingly, the corresponding vehicles may have had their lug nuts over-torqued, a condition that could conceivably compromise studs and lead to wheel separation.” Continue reading

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Toyota Recalls 280,000 Venza Models for Defective Side Airbags

The Venza models  are equipped with an airbag sensor installed in the driver- side front door. The sensor is connected to the Supplemental Restraint System Electronic Control Unit by a pair of twisted wires in a Yazaki North America supplied harness routed from the door to the vehicle body through a grommet. Because of a larger difference between the wire harness length and grommet length, there is a tighter bending radius for the wire harness inside the grommet. Continue reading

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Tesla Recalls 135,000 S and X Models for Display Blackouts

NHTSA prompted the recall when it started an investigation of last June*. The Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE20-010 to investigate incidents of media control unit (MCU) failures resulting in loss of rearview camera in model year (MY) 2012-2015 Tesla Model S vehicles equipped with the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor with an integrated 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device. The eMMC NAND flash devices have a finite lifespan based upon the number of program/erase (P/E) cycles. Continue reading

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Nissan Establishes Carbon Neutral Goal for 2050

The company’s electrification and emissions reduction efforts support the aims of the U.N. Paris Agreement on climate change and global progress toward carbon neutrality by 2050. Continue reading

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VW Beetle Ensnared in Takata Airbag Recall

VW maintains that the Takata SDI-D driver frontal airbag inflators installed in the recalled vehicles currently do not pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety to drivers of affected vehicles. “Based on its prior conversations with NHTSA, Volkswagen understands that the Agency is concerned that after additional time, the airbag inflator may not perform properly in the event of a crash,” VW said. Continue reading

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Honda Recalls a Recall on 2002-06 CR-V Models for Fire Hazard

What started out as a recall on CR-V power window master switches has resulted in a recall of that recall because the recall fix (NHTSA ID 12V-486) of applying butyl tape to seal the power window master switch (PWMS) from moisture was “insufficient.” Continue reading

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Honda Recalls 737,000 Accord, Insight Cars for Bad Software

These Hondas fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 103, “Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems” and number 111, “Rear Visibility” as well as FMVSS numbers 104, 108, 114, 118, and 305. Continue reading

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NHTSA Imposes Engine Recalls, Penalties at Hyundai, Kia

These consent orders do not affect separate, ongoing investigations by NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation regarding allegations of non-crash fires in certain Hyundai and Kia vehicles, some of which are equipped with Theta II engines. Continue reading

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