Nissan has issued a recall on 36,608 Versas regarding the cars automatic transmission system.

The vehicle can apparently be shifted out of park without depressing the brake pedal which could lead to someone inadvertently shifting their Versa into gear, allowing it roll away. This also makes the Versa a much easier vehicle for thieves to steal because they can simply slip the Versa into neutral and tow it away.

Only Versas built between June 9, 2011 and January 13, 2012 are affected by this recall. The recall is expected to begin on February 20.

For more information, Versa owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261 or the NHTSA vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

Toyota is recalling 427 2011 RAV4 models because the side-curtain airbags that might not deploy.

According to the notice, a propellant with incorrect specifications was used in the airbag inflator. In certain instances that can cause one or both of the devices to fail.

The vehicles included in the recall were made between November 24 and December 11 of last year. As recalls go, this is a pretty small one but interestingly enough, Honda issued an almost-identical recall for the same issue in their Accords and Crosstours today.

It seems the same supplier, Autoliv Americas, does business with both Honda and Toyota. Owners can expect to be contacted by mail if their vehicle is among the affected group.

Honda has recalled 347 Accords and Crosstours citing the possibility of a side curtain airbag failure.

In the event of a collision the side curtain airbags may fail to deploy, putting the vehicle occupants at higher risk of injury. Customers can bring their 2012 Accords and Crosstours into any Honda dealership and have their side curtain airbag system replaced for free. The recall is set to begin on February, 10th. Accord or Crosstour owners can contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009 for more information.

In the automotive industry, recalls are a bit like taxes, you just can’t get away from them. One of the most recent revolves around Maserati Gran Turismo coupes and convertibles manufactured between June 2008 and March 2010.

The problem, concerns the vehicles’ lighting system, specifically the tail lamps, which can unexpectedly fail, compromising visibility in dark or misty conditions, potentially leading to accidents.

Maserati says that approximately 1,768 cars in the US are affected by the issue and ask the owners of these vehicles to contact their nearest Maserati dealer, so the problem can be fixed; they can also contact Maserati at 201-816-2200

Additionally, affected owners can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) toll free at 1-888-327-4236, referencing recall campaign number 12V024000.

Honda has announced a recall in the United States for 206 Ridgeline trucks built from 2011 through 2012. This recall is to address a possible mismatch between the Ridgeline’s spare tire and the FMVSS mandated tire information placard installed on the vehicles’ driver-side doorjambs.

Honda Ridgeline trucks sold in the United States are fitted with a compact spare tire and, in some cases, placards may incorrectly indicate that the Ridgeline came with a full-sized spare tire instead. To solve this matter, Honda will either provide Ridgeline owners with a spare that will match the information provided on the vehicle’s placard or it will install a new placard that reflects the spare tire installed by the factory. While this issue may not seem like an urgent safety hazard, the recommended cold inflation pressure for the tire may not be correctly indicated.

No crashes or injuries have been reported due to spare tire failures but Honda’s recall encourages owners of all affected Ridgelines to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer when they receive a recall notification in the mail. Recalls notifications will begin to reach Ridgeline owners by mid-February 2012. An owner could also take the initiative by contacting www.recalls.honda.com or by calling (800) 999-1009, option 4.

Kudos to BMW for owning up to its mistakes. Too often the news is full of scandals where car companies tried to cover catastrophes with foggy facts, but not the Bavarian luxury car king, no sir.

Instead, we stumbled across a recall that BMW deserves a pat on the back for, despite having to laugh a little. It’s only for six cars…

Apparently a handful of 2012 X5 xDrive35i SUV models have transmissions that can fail to engage in park, even with the shifter in the “P” mode. As a result, they can roll away. Obviously that could wreck the car, cause an accident, hit pedestrians and all sorts of other evil stuff, but we’re more fascinated with the fact that BMW is actually taking the initiative to recall them.

Expect a call from BMW soon if you own one of the six affected vehicles. You’re in for a free transmission.

After almost a year since regulators closed Toyota’s unintended acceleration investigation, independent auto-safety firm Safety Research and Strategies announced Tuesday that a lawsuit has been filed in federal court requesting for the government to release internal records of said investigation.

According to Safety Research and Strategies, there is reason to believe that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration withheld documents and videos that suggest unintended acceleration incidents were caused by electronics systems rather than floor mats or driver error.

Concerned that evidence of electrical defects in Toyota vehicles have been ignored or concealed, the lawsuit demands all transcripts, recordings, photographs, and videotapes generated from two federal investigators that went to visit the home of senior government official, Joseph H. McClelland, who has experienced unintended acceleration in his 2003 Toyota Prius hybrid.

According to a sworn statement from Mr. McClelland, investigators came to visit his home on May 17th, and documented evidence of sudden acceleration during an accompanied test drive. Mr. McClelland claimed the car over-accelerated in three distinct occasions as electronic displays began to blink wildly. The investigators videotaped the events and inspected floormats to determine the cause. After the drive, the two investigators even connected a computer to the car to read software codes.

Mr. McClelland said, “[The investigators] generally seemed excited. They said they hadn’t seen a vehicle display this type of behavior before, capturing the information in real time, and they said this could be an important vehicle for the sudden accelerations and it might help put some pieces together.”

Ultimately, NHTSA did not follow up with the investigation since the agency believes it’s possible the vehicle’s age and high mileage (280,000 miles) could have been the cause of any number of issues.

Upon learning about McClelland’s incident and inquiry, Safety Research and Strategies co-founder Sean Kane requested for the documents pertaining the McClelland investigation. However, photos and videos were denied and Sean Kane only received six pages of the 22 page case file.

In regards to the lawsuit, Sean Kane explained, “This is all about transparency. This is an agency that selectively releases data that fits its narrative that electronics are not at fault in sudden acceleration.”

NHTSA responded that the agency had already carefully reviewed more than 40,000 complaints each year. There are no plans to reopen the unintended acceleration investigation.

[Source: The New York Times]

After an extensive two-month investigation into the Chevrolet Volt’s fire related incidents, the U.S. safety regulators of the National Transportation Safety Administration have announced that the case is closed. The conclusion: the Volt’s plug-in hybrid battery pack does not pose a significant fire risk following a crash.

According to NHTSA’s statement, the organization “does not believe that Chevy Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles.” GM also added that NHTSA’s decision to close the case is, “consistent with the results of our internal testing and assessment.”

Even though there are no known real-world Volt crashes that resulted to a fire, NHTSA strongly believed an investigation was important and necessary in order to “ensure the safety of the driving public with emerging [electric vehicle] technology.”

Earlier this month, GM had already taken preemptive measures, enhancing structural reinforcements surrounding the Volt’s 435 lb. lithium-ion battery pack to reduce its risk of damage. Addressing the action, GM stated that the change simply “is intended to make a safe vehicle even safer.”

[Source: Autonews]

Kia Motors America has announced that it’s recalling 145,755 vehicles today. The two models affected are the 2006-08 Optima sedan, specifically those manufactured between September 29, 2005 and January 29, 2008, and Rondo MPVs (pictured above) built between September 13, 2006 and March 21, 2008, for issues with the cars’ supplementary restraint system.

The problem concerns the clock spring in the airbag assembly, which can apparently become damaged over time. Failure of the clock spring contact assembly, will result in high resistance in the airbag electrical circuit, meaning that in the event of an accident, the airbag will fail to deploy, likely resulting in greater risk of injury to vehicle occupants.

Kia says it will be notifying owners of the affected vehicles, suggesting them to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer who will replace the airbag clock spring assembly. Kia says the recall is expected to begin in March 2012 and concerned owners are encouraged to contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236. Alternatively they can also visit HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

BMW is currently cooperating with NHTSA to recall 88,911 MINI Cooper models that were sold between 2007 to 2011 for fire risk. Affected models include the 2007-2011 MINI Cooper S, 2008-2011 MINI Cooper S Clubman, 2009-2011 MINI Cooper S Convertible and additional variants manufactured between November 2006 to January 2011.

Back in summer of 2010, BMW began investigating reports of engine fires and the NHTSA opened their own independent investigation in October. It’ is only recently that the NHTSA has sought further assistance from BMW on the matter.

In total, NHTSA has received at least 12 separate complaints of MINI Cooper S models catching fire. Five of the fires reported have completely destroyed the vehicles while the rest have caught fire when the engine wasn’t even running. No injuries related to the fires have been reported fortunately.

NHTSA has recently found that the circuit board on the electric auxiliary pumps that cool the turbochargers are malfunctioning, causing them to overheat. At least 81 of these water pumps are known to have failed and four additional fires have been reported worldwide.

BMW will begin notifying affected owners next month, having needed time to get its supply and repair process in place for the number of recalls they’ll need to do.