Category Archives: quality

Hyundai Recall Active on Veracruz and Santa Fe SUV Airbags

The recall appears to have been prompted by a request for an explanation about a high number of warranty claims by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Continue reading

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Kia Recall on Sorento Passenger Airbag Trails Service Bulletin

A Kia recall is now active for model year 2007-2008 Sorento passenger cars manufactured from June 15, 2006 through November 27, 2007. The safety recall is prompted by a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) analysis that showed complaints about the passenger side airbag were higher than those of other vehicles. The Korean maker Kia disagreed, but has recalled the Sorento to prevent a dispute with NHTSA and it obvious negative effects on its quality image.

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Honda Recalls 310,000 Pilot SUVs for Defective Seat Belts

The latest quality gaff from the Japanese maker once known for its quality follows Honda recalls announced over the Labor Day weekend for fires on more than a million vehicles globally. During the past year or so, Honda has issued more than 22 public statements about various safety defects and recalls in the U.S. Continue reading

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Honda Recalls a Million Vehicles for Fires, Software Problems

The latest Honda recalls are part of much larger global quality problems that affect almost one million Honda vehicles with potential fatal safety defects, including the Honda Fit, which was already recalled in the U.S. Worse, Honda recalls during the last year show that Honda’s once vaunted reputation for manufacturing and design quality is in shambles. Continue reading

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NHTSA Opens BMW Defect Probe on 120,000 7-Series Models

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a preliminary engineering investigation on 120,000 2002-2008 BMW 7-Series models because of one complaint. The Office of Defects Investigation said in a regulatory filing today that it has received a single complaint from a consumer alleging a rollaway incident with a model year 2006 BMW 7-Series vehicle after parking and exiting the vehicle. Continue reading

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NHTSA Investigating Ford Mustang Manual Transmissions

NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigations has received 32 complaints alleging an unexpected inability to shift into gear on model year 2011-2012 Ford Mustangs equipped with manual transmissions. According to a filing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration some of the reports allege that the incidents occurred while merging into high speed traffic; others allege that incidents occurred while turning left across oncoming traffic. Continue reading

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Toyota Recalls 80,000 Highlander Hybrid and RX 400h Vehicles

Toyota Motor Sales, USA (TMS) today said that it will recall about 45,500 Highlander Hybrid and 36,700 Lexus RX 400h vehicles sold in the U.S in what appears to be the first recalls for its hybrid drive system.

In a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Japanese company said that the so called Intelligent Power Module (IPM) located inside the Hybrid System Inverter contains a control board with defective transistors. Transistors on the control boards in some of 2006-2007 model year Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX 400h SUVs were inadequately soldered and could be damaged from heat caused by a large current flow during high-load driving. Continue reading

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Quality Drops Drastically as Automakers Introduce New Models

After a four year run of improving quality, the trend has reversed itself as the initial quality of 2011 new vehicle launches has declined considerably in the latest study. Overall initial quality improved to an average of 107 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) in 2011 from 109 PP100 in 2010. However, launch models – vehicles that are all-new or have had major redesigns – saw ratings drop by 10% to an average of 122 PP100 in 2011 from 111 PP100 in 2010. Continue reading

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Vehicle Satisfaction Declines in Germany after Subsidies

Two years after a massive taxpayer subsidized scrappage program boosted the German new car market, customer vehicle satisfaction with their purchases declined from previous levels. Industry wide satisfaction in vehicle quality and reliability, vehicle appeal, and service declined as well. Continue reading

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Toyota Recall Study Finds Adversarial Relationship with NHTSA

The Quality Report, since it was paid for by Toyota, has already come under attack for bias from organizations linked to product liability lawyers. Nonetheless, the Report describes Toyota’s attitude toward federal safety regulators as “adversarial.” Unintended acceleration or stuck gas pedal problems are implicated in thousands of incidents and more than 90 alleged deaths. Continue reading

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Volvo Recalls XC90 Crossover for ZF Power Steering Defect

Volvo is recalling 2010-2011 model XC90 vehicles manufactured from 29 January 2010, through 16 August 2010. The power steering fluid may leak from the oil pipe connection at the steering gear valve housing from the ZF produced part. Continue reading

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Kia Recalls Spectra and Sorento Models for Safety Defects

In the first recall, almost 60,000 Spectra cars from model years 2004-2007 are being recalled because of corrosion, which can lead to the fuel tank to fall and contact the road.

The second recall was promoted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation into the sudden loss of power on 2011 Sorento 2wd vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions and 2.4-liter engines, when the intermediate driveshaft failed. Continue reading

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Nissan Recalls Pathfinder, Infiniti QX4 for Rust, Steering Failure

Nissan Pathfinders from model years 1996-2004, and Infiniti QX4 SUVs from 1997-2003 are affected by regional recalls for vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the following 20 states and the District of Columbia: Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington D.C., West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Critics of regional recalls for safety defects maintain that they do not address the entire population of defective vehicles. Automakers like them since it cuts the expense by limiting the inspection to fewer vehicles. Continue reading

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Toyota Recalls Rav4 and Highlander SUVs for Bad Airbags

Toyota has been aware of the problem since October of 2007, and changed the software in new vehicles in 2008, and yet did not recall the defective vehicles. Previous such coverups resulted in record fines imposed on Toyota by NHTSA in 2010 for failure to act promptly on a safety defect. Continue reading

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Vehicle Dependability at Record, but Electronic Problems Grow

Overall vehicle dependability has slightly improved from 2010, but automakers are having difficulty overcoming problems with newer technologies and features, according to the J.D. Power and Associates. The study measures problems experienced during the past 12 months by original owners … Continue reading

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