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

The recall resulted from an investigation by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), which was prompted after stories of burning Wranglers made headlines.

While reports of fires on 2007 through 2012 model year Wrangler have been made, the recall only affects 2010 model year models equipped with an automatic transmission. According to Chrysler the vehicles could catch fire as debris can become lodged between a skid plate and the car’s catalytic converter. To meet emissions requirements, Chrysler changed the location of the catalytic converter for 2010.

Recalled models will have their skid plate replaced by a skid bar, a design Chrysler implemented later in 2010 and which has been used since.

In total, 87,000 Wranglers have been recalled, including 68,000 in the U.S. and 6,000 in Canada.

Chrysler will be contacting owners and will replace the part free of charge.

The Ferrari 458 is being recalled again, but not for catching on fire this time.

A small group of Ferrari 458 models, as well as convertible California models have been issued a recall notice by the Italian exotic automaker due to an issue with the engine crankshaft. In total, 206 cars did not receive a properly finished crankshaft, which could result in excessive vibration and eventually damage to the engine.

Owners are being contacted and will be asked to visit their Ferrari dealer in order for the necessary recall work to be done.

[Source: AutoCar]

Even owning a vehicle with a price tag of around $250,000 doesn’t make you immune to recall notices.

As part of a larger BMW recall, a total of 69 Rolls-Royce Ghosts from the 2011 model year are being recalled for a circuit board that can cause an electric auxiliary water pump to overheat.

The overheating pump can cause an engine compartment or vehicle fire, though no injuries have been reported related to the recall. Rolls-Royce will be notifying owners before the end of the month and dealerships will replace the faulty pump for free.

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.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated a preliminary investigation regarding approximately 360,000 units of Ford Taurus produced from 2005 through 2006.

According to 14 Taurus owners, the Ford Taurus has experienced incidents of stuck throttle due to cruise control cable detachment.

NHTSA revealed that most complaints described that the Taurus would experience, “engine speeds as high as approximately 4,000rpm after shifting into Park or Neutral”. Drivers noted that a shift into neutral or an engine shut off was necessary to effectively slow the vehicle down.

Although there are no reported accidents or injuries, one incident involved a Ford Taurus driver who allegedly went through a red light, partially crossing the intersection before he could stop the vehicle. “This is an extremely dangerous situation,” the driver wrote. “There needs to be something done about this before it becomes fatal.”

According to NHTSA, “A Preliminary Evaluation has been opened to assess the scope, frequency, and safety-related consequences of the alleged defect.” Interestingly, Ford Taurus mechanical twin Mercury Sable is not a part of the investigation.

More information and details from Ford and the NHTSA will be available as the investigation continues.

GALLERY: 2005 Ford Taurus

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.

Recalls are a norm in the automotive business, but rarely do we hear about a recall that just affects vehicles that are living in certain climates.

Jeep has just announced that it will recall 209,724 units of its Liberty model, built for model year 2004 and 2005. However, the recall is only for States that are considered “Snow Belt” areas.

Why do these Liberty models have a problem with snow?

Because the recall is about rust, and the States that use road salt are more likely to cause a rust issue due to excessive corrosion.

The components that are of concern to Jeep and NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) are the lower control arms, which can crack as a result of corrosion. Such a defect can effect the vehicles handling and could result in a crash.

NHTSA says that 21-States are included in this recall, and Jeep will start notifying and correcting this issue by April of this year. So far, 83 corrosion complaints have been reported, but thankfully no one has been involved in an accident or reported any injuries.

Jeep made a significant design change to the lower control arm in 2004. This part was manufactured by Global Automotive Systems, which is now part of DURA Automotive systems of Rochester Hills, MI.

If your vehicle is potentially affected, expect a letter of recall from Jeep very soon. All the repairs will be done free of charge for the owners of these vehicles. For more info, contact NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236.

Nissan has announced a recall on Quest minivans manufactured from July 29, 2010 through February 21, 2012.

Due to a flaw in its software programming, an insufficient supply of fuel to the engine may occur when the Quest is driven slowly along a descent or idling on a decline with a 1/4 tank of fuel or less. In some cases, the engine may stall.

To address this problem, Nissan will notify affected Quest owners to bring their car to a local Nissan dealer for a reprogramming of its engine control module, free of charge.

Nissan will begin the recall process during mid March 2012. A total of 23,531 units are potentially affected. Concerned Nissan owners may also contact customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Mazda has issued out a recall notice for 2001-2002 model year Tribute SUVs for a faulty brake master cylinder reservoir cap that can leak brake fluid. If the fluid does leak, it can come into contact with the ABS wiring harness connector that could result in corrosion developing in the electrical connector. In a worst case scenario, melting, smoking or possibly fire could result.

A total of 52,390 Tributes are affected in all and Mazda has even done something peculiar on this recall asking owners to park their vehicles outside until a dealer is able to make the repairs. Mazda will notify owners starting on or about January 30th, 2012 and dealers will replace the vehicle’s brake master cylinder reservoir cap and modify the ABS electrical system free of charge.

With no official recall on the books, General Motors is announcing enhanced safety features on its Chevrolet Volt extended range electric car to protect against possible fire concerns.

The Volt made headlines of the wrong kind recently when it was revealed that last summer a test vehicle caught fire at a National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) facility after being crash tested. As explained by Mary Barra, senior vice president, Global Product Development at General Motors, during a conference call today, the issue arose when a piece of the car punctured the battery pack. Then during a “slow roll” procedure coolant (over a liter of it) leaked out of the battery. Days later, when the car was recharging, an electrical short caused a fire.

GM dispatched a “senior engineering investigation team” and developed a solution to the potential fire risk, choosing to strengthen the car’s safety structure, thus “eliminating the chance of a post crash fire,” says Barra, who confirmed that in internal testing the solution resulted in no intrusion into the battery pack and, therefore, no coolant leak.

Barra confirmed that no changes have been made to the battery cell or pack and commented that GM is “confident in robustness and safety of the battery,” which is supplied by LG Chem. A sensor has, however, been added to the inside of the battery pack to monitor coolant levels, as well as a “tamper-resistant bracket” designed to help prevent potential coolant overfill.

General Motors is saying the “fix” will be applied to all existing Volts and that when production of the Volt restarts this month after a Christmas brake, new cars will be fitted with the enhanced safety structure. According to GM North America president Mark Reuss, dealers will be able to complete the fix easily within a day adding a small part that weighs around two or three pounds.

Reuss was eager to point out that GM’s response to this safety concern is voluntary and that, “there have been no real world incidents like NHTSA experienced during its severe crash tests.”

“Safety is the ultimate piece of standard equipment we can provide,” said Reuss. “I trust the Volt with the most important thing in the world to me, my family.”