Recalls continue to bedevil automakers as airbag and software issues at Mercedes-Benz and a bad brake vacuum hose at Kia show. These are the result of quality control and development issues in what are admittedly complex automobiles.
Mercedes-Benz USA is recalling 2017 E300 and E300 4Matic vehicles. The front passenger air bag may not deploy properly if a front seat passenger is sitting on the edge of the seat or is laying in the seat with the seat reclined. These vehicles therefore fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, “Occupant Crash Protection.”
Mercedes-Benz is also recalling numerous 2009-2017 vehicles because a software update on control units used the wrong software, potentially affecting the correct deployment of the air bags in the event of a crash.
The Kia safety defect recall concerns a defective brake vacuum assist hose from Korean supplier Hwasung R&A. The vacuum hose, which connects to the power brake booster may have been incompletely formed. This could cause decreased elasticity of the rubber, which may make it vulnerable to kinking while normal vacuum is applied to it, degrading its performance. If this condition occurs, the brake pedal may feel harder when depressed, resulting in increased braking distance.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
