Toyota Recalls Vehicles for Electronic Defect

NBC News is reporting that Toyota is recalling 3.4 million vehicles worldwide for an electronic defect that results in the failure of air bags to deploy.  2.9 million of the recalled vehicles have been identified as sold in the United States.  The recall applies to 2011 – 2019 Corolla, 2011 – 2013 Matrix, 2012 – 2018 Avalon, and 2013 – 2018 Avalon Hybrid.  The problem with the electronic circuit is that it is not adequately protected against electrical noise.  Electrical noise can occur during a crash and can result in incomplete or non-deployment of the air bags.  NBC is also reporting that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) expanded a probe last April which included approximately 12 million vehicles for this air bag problem.  That probe also included the vehicles that Toyota is recalling.  In addition, the probe involved vehicles manufactured between 2010 and 2019 and sold by Fiat, Chrysler, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, as well as Toyota.  Owners of any of these vehicles should check with their local dealers to see if their vehicle has been recalled for this particular problem.  Toyota owners can also visit Toyota’s website at www.toyota.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Safety Recalls”, then enter their vehicle identification number to determine if their has been recalled.

Vehicle Recalls by Ford, GM, and Chrysler

 

The Ford Motor Company has recalled 2013 -2014 F-150 pick up trucks due to a problem with the brakes.  The trucks involved in this recall were manufactured Between August 1, 2013 and August 31, 2014 and equipped with 3.5L engines.  The problem with the brakes is that the master cylinder rear cup seal can leak brake fluid from the reservoir into the brake booster.  The loss of brake fluid results in the loss of braking power to the front brakes and increases the likelihood of a crash.  The recall was expected to begin on July 11, 2016.  Owners of the recalled vehicles should take their trucks to an authorized Ford Dealership where dealers will replace the master cylinder and if necessary, the brake booster, free of charge.  For additional information, owners can contact Ford customer service by calling 1-800436-7332 and referencing recall # 16S24.

 

General Motors has recalled certain 2016 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles due to a problem with the memory chip located in the electronic brake control module (EBCM).  The recalled vehicles were manufactured between March 7 and March 12, 2016.  The failure of the memory chip can cause the loss of the anti lock braking system and electronic stability control.  According to GM, if the EBCM fails, the primary braking function will still operate but, the vehicle will be harder to stop increasing the risk of a crash.  GM has already begun notifying owners and replacing the EBCMs as of June 17, 2016.  For additional information, owners can contact GM by calling Chevrolet customer service at 1800-222-1020 and referencing recall # 39440.

 

Chrysler has recalled 2009-2016 Dodge Journey vehicles manufactured between July 31, 2007 and November 12, 2016 for a problem with a defective power steering return hose.  The hose can rupture at engine start-up after being exposed to cold temperatures.  The rupture can cause a loss of power steering which can also increase the risk of a crash.  Chrysler dealers will replace the power steering return hoses, steel tubes and oil cooler free of charge.  The recall is currently in progress and owners should take their vehicles to their Chrysler dealer for the free repair.  For additional information, owners can contact Chrysler by calling 1-800-853-1403 and referencing recall # S08.

 

Chrysler has also recalled certain 2016 Jeep Cherokee Vehicles manufactured between September 30, 2015 and October 2, 2015.  These vehicles were manufactured with left side halfshafts that can fracture without warning.  A fractured halfshaft can disconnect from the drive axle increasing the risk of a crash.  This recall was begun on June 30^th and has been assigned recall # S38.  Chrysler has also discovered that the problem extends to the right side halfshaft.  As a result, Chrysler has extended the manufacturing period of the recalled vehicles to include October 3, 2015 to March 22, 2016.  Chrysler has also assigned the recall number of S39 to address problems with the right side halfshafts.  For additional information, owners can contact Chrysler by calling 1-800-853-1403 and referencing the appropriate recall number.

Takata Air Bag Recall, Part 2

Back in May of this year, it was announced that Takata had recalled its air bags used in several different vehicle manufacturer’s vehicles.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Takata has extended that recall to include 19 million vehicles from 12 manufacturers.  The current list of manufacturers includes BMW, Honda, Mazda, Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Daimler Trucks North America, Daimler Vans USA, Subaru, Ford, Toyota, and General Motors.  Owners are advised to go to www.safercar.gov and click on the “Takata Recall” button on the toolbar to see of their specific vehicle is on the list of those recalled.  Note that the list is extensive and should be reviewed carefully.  The website also offers owners an option to enter their vehicle identification numbers to check for recalls.  The vehicle identification number can be found on most vehicles on the lower left corner of the windshield or the manufacturers sticker located on the inside edge of the driver’s side door or pillar.  The vehicle identification number is a seventeen digit number unique to each vehicle.  Owners can also check with their dealers for recall information.

Takata Airbag Recall

Earlier this year, several automobile manufacturers announced recalls of different vehicle makes as a result of faulty airbags manufactured by a Japanese company called Takata.  Takata manufactured airbags for both driver and passenger’s sides in the recalled vehicles.  After investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and others, it has been determined that the propellant used in the airbags has a tendency to deteriorate in humid areas.  As a result, when the airbag is deployed, the combustion of the propellant which produces the pressure to inflate the bag can do so with greater than necessary force.  The excessive force can cause the inflator to rupture sending pieces of metal to the occupant of either the driver or passenger seat resulting in greater risk of injury to the occupant.  The vehicles that are involved in this recall are Acura, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota.  The recall covers models years generally from 2002 through 2008.  In order to determine if the recall applies to a specific vehicle, owners can go to the manufacturer’s website and use its VIN lookup tool or contact a dealer and ask to speak with a service writer then give that person the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

Hyundai Sonata Recall

I just finished posting a recall to our website which talks about how Hyundai is recalling 883,000 Sonata vehicles for a defective automatic transmission shift cable. I know that there have been larger numbers of vehicles recalled by other manufacturers but, this isn’t about the numbers. It’s about whether manufacturers have learned anything. You would think that as long as cars and trucks have been built, especially here in the US, that manufacturers would have a handle on keeping problems to a minimum. But, how does a faulty ignition switch get by a company like General Motors? Ford and Chrysler have had their problems as well. One only has to do a little research to find something that had a significant impact on the company’s bottom line. Remember Ford’s electronic ignition that caused fires in F 150s back in the lat 90s? Remember the Jeep sudden acceleration/inadvertent movement that wouldn’t go away? The problems aren’t limited to American made vehicles. The Japanese have had their share of recalled vehicles as well. Remember the Toyota floor mat fiasco? If all of the people that worked for all of the world’s car manufacturers were put under one roof, there has to be an untold number of millennia of experience and yet, recalls are a part of everyone’s life.

Serious Recalls

The news section of our web site has been updated and discusses recalls from Chrysler, Hyundai, and Prevost for defects that can be life threatening. Please visit www.rjhill.com/news for the latest information.

Sudden/Unintended Accelerration

The problem of sudden or unintended acceleration has been around for over ten years now, mostly associated with Jeeps. But,  recently another of Toyota’s problems. Since about 2006, most vehicles have been equipped with something called an event data recorder (EDR) or a crash data recorder (CDR), otherwise known as a “blackbox”. These devices are programmed to record certain events just prior to and during a crash event. In order to access the recorded data, special equipment must be used. It is understood that the readers that are used are commercially available but, only from a limited source and are very expensive. It should also be noted that manufacturer’s dealers do not have these instruments (or at least are not publicly advertised). Vehicle manufacturers want to be able  to control the data in case it reveals a defect within their vehicle. As a result, if an EDR or CDR is to be read, it has to be removed from the vehicle and sent to the manufacturer unless an individual party with access to a reader can be located. If the problem of sudden acceleration is to be properly addressed, manufacturers have to come clean. If there is a problem with a vehicle, the manufacturer should take over the problem, fix it and stop trying to hide it in order to keep from being sued. The problem has been around long enough that all American manufacturers are aware of it. So much so that a little research will produce articles about GM, Ford and Chrysler making their own deals to have data recorders made and  programmed  for their vehicles. There are those that feel that the problem is the result of driver error. That is, driver’s inadvertenly step on the accelerator instead of  the brake pedal or step on both pedals at the same time. If this is what is happening, then how is that driver’s are confusing the pedals? Have manufacturer’s compacted the floor space so much that pedal location is confusing drivers? If so, isn’t this a manufacturing defect that should be addressed by the manufacturers?

Vehicle Recalls

Ford’s done it again!  So has Honda and Chrysler, among others.  If  you haven’t already heard, Ford and Honda have each recalled over one million vehicles for various problems.  Chrysler isn’t doing as bad but, recalling over a quarter of a million vehicles is still a big problem (visit www.rjhill.com/news/ for details).  After hearing about the recalls I had to ask myself  “Why are all these recalls necessary?”  What happened to all the lessons in quality that car manufacturers were supposed  to have learned back in the 70s and 80s?  Vehicle recalls have been part of  our lives for so long that I wonder what we would do without them.  On the other hand, as long as Detroit keeps putting out cars with problems, I’ll keep investigating them.