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Category Archives: safety
Volkswagen Recalls ID.BUZZ Third Row Seats
Volkswagen Group of America is recalling ~6000 model year 2025 ID. BUZZ vehicles. The third-row rear bench is wide enough for three passengers, but is designed for two passengers and equipped with two seat belts. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, Occupant Crash Protection.
“Based on the third-row rear bench seating surface width, the vehicle is required to have three DSPs. The third-row rear bench in the ID.Buzz has only two DSPs and with this only two seat belts available. If three passengers were to be seated the third-row rear bench, there would be insufficient seat belts for all three passengers. This could increase the risk of an injury for passengers in the event of a crash,” Volkswagen said in the mandatory safety defect recall filing made public today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, design and styling, news analysis, recalls, safety
Tagged 2025 VW ID.BUZZ recalls, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, NHTSA Campaign Number 25V269 or 25V-269, Volkswagen Group of America, Volkswagen recall 72LC, X @KenAutoinformed
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Latest Ford Recalls – Bronco SUVs and F-150 Pickups
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is recalling 2022-2023 model year Bronco SUVs, 2023 F-150 Lightning pickups and 2025 F-150 pickups for The 360-degree view camera; the high-voltage battery pack; and the air bag warning label, respectively. All told ~129,000 Ford products are affected – a relatively small number for the automaker.
“Missing or loose retention nuts on the high voltage battery junction box bus bars in the high voltage battery pack may result in electrical arcing, which can increase the risk of fire. In addition, a ‘Stop Safely Now’ message may occur in the instrument cluster followed by loss of motive power, which can increase the risk of a crash.” Ford said in the mandatory safety defect recall filing mad public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this morning about what appears to be the most serious recall.
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Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, manufacturing, news analysis, quality, recalls, safety
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ford Bronco recall 23S48, Ford F-150 pickup recalls 24S11 and 25C12, Ken Zino, NHTSA recall campaigns 25V271 25V272 25V273, X @KenAutoinformed
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GM Recalls 1.14 Million V8 Engines for Failures and Fires
General Motors is recalling more than a million V8 engines used in 2021 – 2024 model year Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, and GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with the 6.2L V8 gas engine (RPO L87). The connecting rod and/or crankshaft engine components in these vehicles may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine damage and engine failure. This safety defect recall follows years of GM investigating the problem and concluding that no problem existed. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) continued its investigation based on persistent complaints from users. NHTSA had an active engineering analysis open when GM made the recall decision.
In the required safety defect recall filing – only some of it was made public by NHTSA, GM said “Engine teardown analysis identified two primary root causes, both of which are attributable to supplier manufacturing and quality issues: (1) rod-bearing damage from sediment on connecting rods and crankshaft-oil galleries; and (2) out of specification crankshaft dimensions and surface finish.” The supplier will remain publicly unknown until all the documents are made public, which is likely next Monday in AutoInformed’s experience. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, litigation, manufacturing, news analysis, quality, recalls
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, GM 6.2-liter L87 V8 engine failure recall, GM recall number N252494000, Ken Zino, NHTSA recall 25V274 or 25V-274., X @KenAutoinformed
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Seat Belt and Electrical Recalls from Mercedes-Benz USA
Mercedes-Benz USA is recalling a previous recall for fuse boxes, electronic stability control programming and driver’s side seat belt covers, according to documents made public this morning by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. First, an incorrect fuse box that was not designed for the vehicle may have been installed. Second, the vehicle’s electronic stability program (ESP) may display an incorrect warning light during an ESP system failure. Third, the driver-side seat belt cover may not be properly installed on the seat belt tensioner, which can cause the seat belt anchor to come loose.
All told ~6700 vehicles are affected. NHTSA recall campaigns are 25V255 or 25V-255, 25V254 or 25V-254, 25V253 or 25V-253. Planned owner notification dates are not until June 2025. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, electronics, engineering, news analysis, quality, recalls, safety, software recalls
Tagged 25V253 or 25V-253, 25V254 or 25V-254, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Bosch Engineering GmbH, Ken Zino, mbusa, Mercedes-Benz NHTSA recall campaigns 25V255 or 25V-255, Mercedes-Benz recalls in the United States, Mercedes-Benz USA, X @KenAutoinformed
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Audi Airbag Recall – RS E-TRON GT and E-TRON GT
Audi, part of Volkswagen Group of America, is recalling ~4000 2022-2023 model year RS E-TRON GT and E-TRON GT vehicles. The passenger occupant detection system (PODS) may experience a fault in the wiring and deactivate the front passenger air bag when the seat is occupied.
“A manufacturing error may cause the passenger occupant detection system(PODS) to detect a malfunction and switch off the passenger airbag even though the seat may be occupied. As designed, a warning light in the instrument panel comes on together with an acoustic warning sound and an error message is displayed in the instrument cluster. The airbag indicator light shows Passenger Airbag OFF,” Audi said in the mandatory safety recall filing made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Continue reading
Ford Recalls Expedition and Navigator SUVs for Bad Brakes
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is recalling ~124,000 model year 2017-2018 F-150, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. The brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the front wheel circuit into the brake booster. Customer complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration prompted this latest expansion of a previous safety defect recall.
“In some of the affected vehicles, a seal in the rear of the brake master cylinder may become compromised, allowing brake fluid to leak into the brake booster. If the brake fluid reservoir is depleted below a predetermined level, the driver will be alerted that brake system service is required by a combination of an audible chime, a full screen message center alert, and illumination of the red brake warning indicator,” Ford said in the mandatory safety defect recall notification made public this morning by NHTSA. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, manufacturing, news analysis, quality, recalls, safety
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ford Expedition brake recalls, Ford Expedition recalls, Ford Motor brake recall 25S37, Ford Motor recall, Ken Zino, Lincoln Navigator brake recalls, NHTSA recall 25V236 or 25V-236, X @KenAutoinformed
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Porsche Taycan Hybrid Airbag Recall
Porsche Cars North America is recalling ~10,000 2022-2023 model year Taycan hybrid EVs. An occupant classification system error may deactivate the front-passenger air bag.
“The occupant classification system for automatic airbag activation/deactivation in the front passenger seat can trigger a fail-safe mode due to a manufacturing error, which deactivates the airbag in the front passenger seat,” Porsche said in the mandatory recall filing made public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this morning. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, manufacturing, news analysis, quality, recalls, safety
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, Lear Corporation recalls, NHTSA Porsche Taycan recall 25V221 or 25V-221, Porsche Taycan recall ASA2, X @KenAutoinformed
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Blank Screen – Audi Instrument Panel Software Recalls
Audi (Volkswagen Group of America) is recalling more than 44,000 model year 2021 SQ8, A6 SEDAN, A7, A8, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S6 SEDAN, S7, S8, A6 Allroad, and SQ7 vehicles. Because of a software error, the instrument panel display may fail.
“A vehicle’s virtual cockpit instrument cluster may shut down because of detection of an internal fault. When this occurs the engine speed (RPM), vehicle speed and gear/mode indicators will not be displayed. In addition to this, other information, such as time, date and mileage are also not displayed,” Audi said in the mandatory filing made public this morning by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Continue reading
Posted in customer satisfaction, manufacturing, news analysis, quality, recalls, safety, software recalls
Tagged 2021 A6 Sedan A7 A8 Sedan recalls, Audi recall 90VC, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, NHTSA Recall Number 25V201 or 25V-201, Q7and Q8recalls, Robert Bosch GmbH recalls, RS6 Avant recalls, RS7 and RSQ8 recalls, S6 Sedan recalls, S7 S8 A6 Allroad and SQ7 recalls, X @KenAutoinformed
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Dark Roadways Deadly for Cyclists, Pedestrians
The twice-yearly time change is not a major factor in America’s ongoing road safety problem that some call an emergency. However, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation yesterday held a hearing on whether to continue switching back and forth between daylight saving time and standard time every year.
“Whatever you decide to do about the clock, I hope you will also consider actions to keep pedestrians and bicyclists safe, especially after sundown,” said David Harkey president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in written testimony submitted to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, insurance, news analysis, public health, safety, shows and events
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, David Harkey, insurance institute for highway safety, Ken Zino, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation, X @KenAutoinformed
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Annals of Marketing – McMurtry Upside Down Spéirling
McMurtry Automotive said today that it has driven its record-breaking Spéirling hyper track car upside down. Proprietary Downforce-on-DemandTM fan system enabled the upside-down driving stunt. Customer deliveries of all-electric hypercar are scheduled for 2026; with 100 to be made. The specific car used was the McMurtry Spéirling PURE Validation Prototype 1 (VP1).
“That was just a fantastic day in the office! Strapping in and driving inverted was a completely surreal experience. The 2000kg of downforce that the fan system can generate is truly astonishing to experience and it’s great to show the reason why our Spéirling continues to take records around the world,” Said Thomas Yates, Co-founder & Managing Director of McMurtry Automotive. Continue reading
Nissan Launches Next Gen Autonomous Drive in FY 27
Nissan (7201T and NSANY ADR) said today it will launch the next generation of autonomous driving technology in the Japanese fiscal year of 2027 (1 April 2026 and ends on 31 March 2028).*
“The system, featuring Nissan Ground Truth Perception technology with next-generation Lidar and Wayve AI Driver software, will set a new standard for autonomous driving with advanced collision avoidance capability,” Nissan claimed. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, autonomous vehicles, connected vehicles, electronics, engineering, mobility company, news analysis
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, Lidar and Wayve AI Driver software, Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry, Nissan Ground Truth Perception technology, X @KenAutoinformed
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BMW North America Recalls 2025 xDrive Models
BMW of North America is recalling more than 4000 model year 2025 330i, 330i xDrive, 530i, 530i xDrive, 4 Series Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive), 4 Series Convertible (430i, 430i xDrive), 4 Series Gran Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive) and X3 30 xDrive vehicles. The electrical connection between the Chinese-made starter-generator and battery may come loose. The supplier is Shanghai Valeo Auto-Elec System Company.
“This safety recall involves the power connector component of the starter- generator which may not have been produced by the supplier according to specifications. During the supplier production process, a gap could form at the connector location. If a gap exists, this could cause a loose connection between the connector and the positive battery cable (or wiring harness). As a result, resistive heating could start to occur,” BMW said in the required safety defect recall filing made public this morning by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, electric vehicles, electronics, manufacturing, news analysis, quality, recalls, safety
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, BMW of North America recalls, BMW xDrive recalls, Ken Zino, NHTSA 25V-202 or 25V202, Shanghai Valeo Auto-Elec System Company recalls, X @KenAutoinformed
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More Ford Motor Recalls – Fires, Power Loss, Seat Belts
Numerous Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) recalls covering a wide variety of serious Ford and Lincoln brand safety defects were publicly released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this morning. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, electronics, engineering, manufacturing, news analysis, quality, recalls, safety, software recalls
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Expedition or Navigator recall25S31 or NHTSA 24V099 or 24V-099, Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator Recalls 25S30 or NHTSA 24V099 or 24V-099, Ford Transit recall 25S32 or NHTSA 25V196 or 25V-196, Ken Zino, NHTSA 25V198 or 25V-198, X @KenAutoinformed
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Volvo Car Recall for LG Battery Fires
Volvo Car USA is recalling more than 7400 2020-2021 model year S90 vehicles, 2020-2022 model year S60, V60, XC60 and XC90 vehicles and 2022 V90 plug-in hybrid vehicles.
“The recall population are vehicles produced with LG high-voltage battery modules built in China between 3 June 2019, to 30 November 2021. During this production period there was supplier process deviation that could lead to a risk of an internal short circuit with certain battery cells within the battery module,” Volvo said in the required safety defect recall filing made public today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, electric vehicles, manufacturing, news analysis, recalls, safety, software recalls
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, Ken Zino, LG high voltage battery recalls, NHTSA safety defect recall number 25V179 or 25V-179, Volvo car recall R10312, X @KenAutoinformed
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Volvo Car USA Rearview Camera Software Recall
Volvo Car USA is recalling ~413,000 model year 2021-2025 XC40, 2022 V90, 2022-2025 S90, V90CC, C40, XC60, and 2023-2025 S60, V60, V60CC and XC90 vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse. These Volvos fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111 on Rear Visibility. The center display will show “Camera is temporarily not available”.
Wide Angle Vision Module (WAM) Software from Google is the problem. “A fault code may be set under certain conditions, which could result in the backup camera image to not be available for the rest of the driving cycle. Park assist warnings, rear automatic braking and cross traffic alert will still be functional if the vehicle is equipped with those features, which will automatically stop the car if an obstacle is detected,” Volvo told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which made the mandatory recall filing public this morning. Continue reading →