Chrysler has just issued a recall for 87,000 Jeep Wrangler models due to a risk that they could catch fire.

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BMW has announced a recall of 24,340 vehicles in the U.S. that are equipped with diesel engines.

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Nissan has announced a recall on 26,626 model year 2012 Armada SUVs and Titan pickup trucks for improper certification labels. 

The part 567 certification label does not contain rim size information, which makes it fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110. If you are looking to replace your tires, you may get an improper tire/wheel combination that could cause wheel failure and ultimately could lead to a collision.

Nissan will supply affected customers with a new label that can be placed on the vehicle by the owner, or by a Nissan dealership.

The recall is expected to begin May 14, 2012. For more information you can call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

289 Dodge Caravans and Chrysler Town and Countries manufactured from November 15th, 2011 to November 21st, 2011 are being recalled for a possible wheel separation issue.

The cause of the problem is from a right rear hub and bearing assembly that might not be fully machined. Those affected by the recall will be notified by Chrysler so that dealers can replace the right rear hub and bearing assembly free of charge. The safety recall began this month, so concerned owners can also contact Chrysler at (800) 853-1403 and reference recall number M13.

Ford Motor Company has announced a recall of 140,310 model-year 2012 Ford Focus vehicles built through Oct. 18 in the Wayne, Michigan Assembly plant over a potential windshield wiper defect.

According to Ford, a seal plug on the passenger side windshield wiper motor electrical connector may be missing, causing water to fall into the motor and a short in the unit.

Ford’s recall entails the installation of a redesigned seal plug and dealers will re-coat grease for electrical connectors to ensure wipers are protected and functioning.

Ford told dealers to begin the recall on Tuesday and notified affected owners on Friday.

Honda is issuing a voluntary recall today for around 554,000 CR-V’s and Pilot SUVs.  The recall affects model-year 2002-2004 CR-V’s and 2003 Pilots (shown above).

The company claims that there is potential for failure with the wiring of the headlight switch, which can result in the loss of low-beam headlights. No collisions or injuries have been reported as a result of this defect.

Honda encourages all affected customers to take their vehicles to the nearest authorized dealer for a free inspection, and part replacement if necessary. Letters will be mailed to all affected owners starting in late-April. For more info on the recall you can click here, or call (800) 999-1009 and select option four.

If you own a 2006 model-year Honda CR-V, you might need to keep an eye on your mail box.

Honda is voluntarily recalling 1,316 CR-V’s because it suspects that the weld that they used to hold the right front lower control arm was improper. With time, that weld can break which potentially can lead to an accident.

So far, no one has reported this issue and Honda hopes to address this problem before anyone has an unfortunate accident.

Honda will be mailing out the recall notice to the affected customers by mid-April. Customers are encouraged to visit a Honda authorized dealer as soon as they get their notice.

If you think your vehicle could be affected and yet did not receive a letter from Honda by mid-April, you can also check the status of your vehicle by going online to www.recalls.honda.com or by calling (800) 999-1009 and then selecting option 4.

If you own a 1995 to 1999 Land Rover Discovery, a 1999 to 2004 Discovery II or a 1995 Range Rover Classic, and had recently replaced its rear drive-shaft coupling, you need to read on.

The problem: certain rear drive-shaft couplings manufactured as replacement parts between April 2011 through November 2011, carrying parts number TVF100010, could fail because they weren’t built to exact design specification the manufacturer had required.

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration reported that, “some of the rear driveshaft couplings may not have been manufactured to the required engineering design specifications and may exhibit the onset of joint separation, precluded by driveline vibration.”

This means, ignoring the vibration warning sign may lead to a “catastrophic failure” of the drive coupling, which may lead to a loss of the driveshaft while moving. The vehicle could lose drive along with its transmission park settings, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash or injury.

Land Rover expects around 180 vehicles to be affected. So if you recently had this item changed on your old Discovery or Classic, we advise you to contact Land Rover at: 1-201-818-8500. The campaign number for this recall is P024.

Over the last few years, the words “Toyota” and “recall” have gone hand in hand. While the companies previous woes are behind them, Toyota has since been extra cautious and issues recalls for everything it finds to have a potential defect.

Just today, Toyota has announced a recall notice for three of its vehicles, the 2009 Camry, the 2009 – 2011 Venza, and the 2005 – 2009 Tacoma pick-up truck.

The Camry and Venza share the same defect. According to Toyota; “during the installation of the contact-type stop lamp switch on one of the North American assembly lines, silicon grease may have reached the inside of the switch and caused an increase in electrical resistance. If this occurs, warning lamps on the instrument panel may be illuminated, the vehicle may not start, or the shift lever may not shift from the ‘Park’ position. In some cases, the vehicle stop lamps may become inoperative.”

A total of 70,500 Camry’s and 116,000 Venza models are affected and Toyota will be informing their customers via first class mail. The repair should take roughly 30-minutes to complete at a Toyota dealership.

If you own a 2005 – early 2009 Tacoma pick-up truck, you will also receive a recall notice via first class mail very soon. The Tacoma’s recall is to replace the steering wheel spiral cable assembly.

According to Toyota; “due to the combination of steering wheel spiral cable design and characteristics unique to the Tacoma chassis, friction between the spiral cable and the retainer in the steering wheel spiral cable assembly may occur in some vehicles. Friction over time may result in loss of connectivity to the driver’s air bag module. If connectivity is lost, the air bag warning lamp on the instrument panel will remain illuminated after starting the vehicle and the driver’s air bag may be deactivated, preventing deployment in the event of a crash. ”

A total of 495,000 Tacoma’s are potentially affected. This brings the grand total to 681,500 vehicles to receive a recall service, which is surely going to be costly. However, Toyota has learned from the past and will act on correcting these issues as soon as possible.

If you believe your vehicle might be affected, you can contact Toyota’s Customer Experience Center by dialing 1-800-331-4331.

A recall issued today could potentially affect 10,000 Ford Focus models. Gabriel, a company that provides ReadyMount suspension assemblies says that its set up for 2000-2005 Ford Focus models did not include a necessary washer.

This omission can cause the suspension assembly to fall apart, resulting in an injury while being installed. Additionally, if the part is already installed, drivers may notice rattling, or rubbing noises from their front suspension. If the front assembly comes apart while in use on the vehicle, a collision can occur.

None of the Gabriel ReadyMount assemblies were used as original equipment, they were used strictly as replacement parts. The defect was first noticed in a Midas, so if you’ve had any front suspension work done on your vehicle, take a close look at this recall.

Contact Ride Control at 1-800-999-3903 for more information on the ReadyMount assembly, and NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 for more information about vehicle safety recalls.

Volvo has issued a recall for 17,000 vehicles today, for risk of front/side airbags not deploying in a crash. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of side airbag issues in the past few weeks, but Volvo is very specific about why this occurs.

2012 models of the Volvo S60, S80, XC60 and XC70 are affected.

Volvo states that the issue is with one of its wiring harnesses, that can become disconnected while adjusting a seats position. As a result, side or front airbags may not deploy properly, if at all. Additionally, the seat-belt pretensioner may not deploy as well.

Volvo says that these issues increase the risk of injury when involved in a crash, and are notifying owners if their vehicle is affected.

For more info contact NHTSA vehicle safety hotline at: 1-888-327-4236

Nissan has just announced that it is recalling 2,983 2012 Murano and Rogue models that were manufactured from November 23, 2011 through to January 11, 2012.

During the assembly of these 2012 Murano and Rogue vehicles, the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) was not activated. As a result, the system is unable to warn the driver of an underinflated tire. This could lead to a tire overloading and overheating, resulting in a blowout and possible car accident.

The 2012 Murano and Rouge models that are affected by this recall are still in dealer inventory and dealers will be activating all of the tire pressure monitoring systems.

If you have any questions, please contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153) or visit http://www.safercar.gov/.

A recall of 2012 Honda Pilot and Acura MDX sport-utility vehicles has just been announced. According to American Honda Motors, about 8,709 Pilot and Acura SUV models have “vent shut float (VSF) valve” issues. If left unattended, the faulty VSF valve could cause a fuel leak, which means an increased fire risk.

If you drive a 2012 Honda Pilot or Acura MDX SUV, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that Honda will inspect and fix the VSF valve, if necessary. Both the inspection and the replacement will be free of charge.

If you are affected by the recall, Honda will notify you around March 13, using the recall campaign numbers S25 and S26.

If you’d like more information on this recall, call Honda’s toll-free customer service at 1-800-999-1009 or visit the NHTSA website at www.SaferCar.gov.

Earlier this month we reported that Honda had launched a recall for 347 Accords and Crosstours subject to the possibility of side curtain airbag failure. The devices may fail to deploy at the moment of strong impact, putting passengers at a higher risk of physical harm.

The failure lies in incorrect propellant used in the side bags. Most recently, Honda announced the recall has been expanded to include additional Accords and Crosstour models as well as select 2012 Civic and Acura MDX. The number of affected vehicles grew to 974.

Owners of affected Hondas should receive recall letters mailed February 24th. The recalls will be carried out free of charge at authorized dealerships.

BMW has been charged with a U.S. civil penalty for a failure to report auto-safety defects and recalls in a timely manner for approximately 338,700 vehicles in 2010.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), BMW was reviewed in 2010 when the German automaker routinely did not disclose enough information regarding defects and recalls for vehicles including the X5 and X6 SUVs, the 5-series Grand Turismo crossover, 1 Series and 7 Series Cars, as well as motorcycles. In NHTSA’s December 15, 2010 report, a regulator noted, “BMW appears to maintain a practice, by design or habit, in which it provides little information in its initial filings. Where information required to be provided as part of a recall report is not provided initially, BMW will assure it will provide that information, but then take an inordinate amount of time to do so.”

At $3 million, BMW received the highest penalty since the NHTSA fined Toyota $16.4 million for its own defects and recalls.

Quoted from an email statement written by NHTSA Administrator David Strickland, “It’s critical to the safety of the driving public that defects and recalls are reported in short order. NHTSA expects all manufacturers to address automotive safety issues quickly and in a forthright manner.”

According to BMW U.S. spokesman Dave Buchko, BMW will respond by changing its reporting methods for future recalls and defects. Buchko adds, “In each case when a defect was identified, a recall was conducted.”

[Source: Bloomberg]

There has been a trend of high profile NHTSA investigations recently, the most notable being Toyota‘s unintended acceleration and GM‘s Chevy Volt fire hazard. Although both cases have closed, NHTSA has announced a new case involving 830,000 Toyota vehicles for possible fire hazards.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are investigating a possible fire hazard that affects 830,000 Toyota vehicles made in 2007. This investigation consists the 2007 Toyota Camry, Solara, and RAV4. According to reports, Toyota owners have complained of a fire originating from the driver’s door. In a particular report, an owner claimed that a burning odor came from the door, then ignited in flames and destroyed the vehicle. No injuries were reported. Investigators believe it is a malfunction of the master switch controlling power windows.

Recently, Honda has also recalled a million CR-V and Fit models for defected power-window master switches that caused fires.

Before it was floor mats, now its power window switches. Sometimes the smallest components seem to cause Toyota the biggest problems.

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.

Calls for a recall of the 1993 to 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee have been redoubled after the release of a new report documenting the growing list of fatalities associated with the SUV.

The report, published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has added 14 more deaths to the SUVs total, resulting from fires that occurred in rear end collisions. In total, the Jeep from that era has claimed 284 people in 198 accidents due to the vehicle catching fire, says the Center for Auto Safety (CAS).

Jeep Grand Cherokees are at an unusually high risk of catching fire during these types of crashes alleges the CAS, due to the gas tank being located behind the rear axle.

The Ford Pinto was made infamous for a similar design that resulted in fiery rear end collisions, and CAS points out in a letter to Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne that at the time of its recall the number of deaths associated with that car were relatively small, totaling 28.

The rather sensational letter asks Marchionne to act on this news and says, “Your predecessor as CEO of Chrysler once said that part of his decision to install airbags at Chrysler was the prospect of St Peter at the gates of heaven asking him about airbags in cars. Just as surely, St. Peter will ask you about fuel tanks in Jeep Grand Cherokees.”

In response Chrysler says that, “…rear impacts resulting in a fire are extremely rare. Rear impacts resulting in a fire occur no more often in 1993 – 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles than in peer vehicles, and the 1993 – 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles are at no greater risk of exposure to fire in rear-end collisions than peer vehicles. Accordingly, Chrysler Group has concluded that 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles are neither defective nor do their fuel systems pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety in rear impact collisions.”

The 1993 to 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee is currently under investigation by NHTSA but no recall has been issues.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

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]

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that investigations of the Honda Accord Hybrid and the Kia Sorento have both ended.

The NHTSA first looked into Accord Hybrid models after initial investigations linked unintended acceleration to a fatal accident. After a thorough investigation, the agency found no evidence of defect within the Accord Hybrid. No safety recall has been issued for the Accord Hybrid.

A total of 18 complaints have been reported, relating to fuel spilling from the filler port of Kia Sorento models from 2003-2004. The Sorento’s fuel evaporation system has a canister filter that may clog over time. Excess pressure could build due to the clog and may cause gasoline to spill out of the filler neck. A total of 86,000 Soreno units will be repaired and Kia agreed to provide a one-time replacement of the canister filter, at no cost to the owner.

It seems this is the first major recall of the year, and it comes from the Ford Motor Company. Ford is recalling 450,426 vehicles consisting of three different models for two separate reasons which they announced all together this morning.

205,896 model year 2004-2005 Ford Freestars and Mercury Montereys are being brought in by Ford because of a weak torque converter output shaft which is at risk of failing. If this shaft is compromised the driver of the vehicle will experience a sudden loss of all drive power with no warning. This recall is expected to begin the second calendar quarter of 2012.

Along with the Minivans, 244,530 Ford Escapes are being recalled thanks to a brake master cylinder cap which is at risk of leaking brake fluid. If the brake fluid leaks it would cover the ABS module wiring harness connector which could result in corrosion of the electrical connection, and eventually melting, smoke, and fire. This recall affects model year 2001-2002 Escapes that were built between October 22, 1999,through July 19, 2002, and is expected to begin on January,23rd 2012. However Ford has also said that there may be a parts shortage for this particular cap at dealers, so while owners will be contacted soon, they may have to leave their vehicles with Ford for an extended period of time before the problem can be remedied.

Honda‘s latest addition to its airbag recall affecting older Accords, Civics, Odyssey’s, Pilots and Acuras bumps the total number of recalled vehicles to more than 3.7 million.

The issue came to light three years ago, and has already caused one death and at least a dozen injuries due to airbags in some vehicles deploying with too much force. Earlier this month we reported that Honda announced 600,000 vehicles being added to this large scale recall. This latest development will include 272,000 new vehicles.

The problem incudes 2001 and 2002 Accords, Civics and Odysseys from 2001 through 2003, CR-Vs from 2002 to 2003 and 2003 Pilots. The recall also affects 2002 and 2003 Acura 3.2 TLs and 2003 3.2 CLs. Expect notice from Honda if you own a vehicle included in the recall.

[Source: ABC News]

2011 has been the year of the recall for General Motors. Hardly a week goes by when a new vehicle recall from GM is not making news. The latest addition to this list is the Cadillac SRX.

In particular, SRX models built in Mexico between 2010 and 2011. Roughly 20,000 vehicles are said to be affected, with the majority of these vehicles being in China and America. A smaller number of defected vehicles can be found in 20 other countries.

The problem is with the transmission shift cable causing unintended movement. Upon examination, GM has sourced the problem to an incorrect routing of the transmission shift cable through the engine bay.

The problem was triggered by a person who wrote to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration) about unintended vehicle motion when he shifted from park to drive to park again.

GM has notified the NHTSA that it will sort out this issue. No accidents or injuries have been reported due to this defect.