Manufacturer recalls for August 2017

Here is the list of all the recalls that happened in the month of August.

NHTSA officially announced recalls for the Dodge Hellcat models, Challenger and Charger, due to faulty engine oil cooler lines. These lines are made using rubber that didn’t meet Dodge’s quality standards which can cause massive loss of oil as it can spill oil out. This can overheat the engine and lead to a severe engine damage. This recall affects Charger and Challenger Hellcats built between 6 Feb 2017 and 30 May 2017.

General Motors has issued a recall for 800,000 pickup trucks globally as the electric power steering system fitted to these vehicles are found to be problematic. The power assist of these vehicles could fail suddenly, especially at low speeds. At these kind of speeds, the system requires more electricity to work. But the voltage of the system can suddenly drop below a minimum of 8.8 Volts. Thus the system will cease to operate till the 9V current is restored. The issue has temporary effect though, as the power usually comes back after a second or two. The vehicles affected include Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks manufactured between 29 Jan 2013 and 4 Sep 2014. The electric power steering module of these vehicles will be reflashed free of cost to rectify the amperage fluctuation.

Nissan joins the band of manufacturers who offered a settlement for the Takata airbag recall by agreeing to pay $97.7 million to address consumer losses, according to report by Automotive News. Almost 4.4 million Nissan vehicles were affected by this massive recall that ultimately led to Takata Corp’s bankruptcy. Toyota, Subaru, Mazda and BMW were the other manufacturers who agreed for a settlement before. Around the world, 18 deaths were traced back to the faulty airbags. By 2019, it is estimated that almost 125 million vehicles will be affected, making it the largest recall in automotive history.

After receiving several complaints regarding the engine in the 911 GT3, Porsche had to recall 785 examples of the model and issue a stop-sales order a few months ago. Now they have decided to extend the warranty of all the 911 GT3 models worldwide to 10 years or 193,121 kilometers (whichever comes first). This warranty will be fully transferrable to the future owners of the car. Reports on Rennlist suggest that Porsche executives have met with the concerned owners group before taking this decision. Porsche will replace the engines of the affected cars with optimized new units, if the car falls under the warranty period. They have also announced that only the 991.1 GT3 models are affected and not the 991.1 GT3 RS nor the 991 R.

Mazda has offered a permanent fix for another 284,779 of their Takata airbag fitted vehicles in two different recalls. These recalls affect 2009-2012 Mazda 6, 2007-2011 CX-7, and 2007-2012 CX-9 vehicles. The faulty front passenger side airbag in these models will be replaced free of cost. These parts were replaced with identical parts as a temporary fix as the revised parts were not available in the required numbers. Now this recall will be an update to the same. A PDF with all the details from NHTSA is available here.

VW has announced a recall for 2009-2016 CC, 2006-2010 Passat and 2006-2010 Passat Wagon models for possible fuel pump failure. The fuel pumps in these vehicles are either prone to losing power from the battery which can stall the engine or it can run continuously which can drain the battery. VW does not have adequate number of parts to repair all the affected vehicles so they will send out a notification to the affected owners now just to let them know about the problem and another one will be sent when they have the parts ready for repair.

Mercedes-AMG recalls 12,322 examples of the 2016-2017 GLE43 AMG Coupe and 2017 GLE43 AMG models as they are due for a software update. These vehicles are fitted with engine control software that has a glitch that can stop the 3.0-litre biturbo V6 suddenly, especially before coming to a stop. The update will be offered free of charge for which the owners will be notified in early-September.

That’s all for the month of August. If you see your car in this list, contact your dealer to know more.