An automatic transmission defect initiated a recall for 2011 Ford F-150, 2012 F-250, F-350,F-450 and F-550 pickup trucks.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the 16,091 examples of Ford trucks may suffer a problematic brake shift interlock switch. This defect may allow the transmission to shift out of park without the need of engaging the brake pedal.

NHTSA recommends this recall because this hazard could cause a driver to accidently shift the vehicle out of park, launch the truck, and increases the risk of a car accident.

Recalls will begin on December 19th. So far, no incidents have been linked to this issue.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Volkswagen, the parent company of Audi, has announced a recall for the 2012 Audi A6.

According to the NHTSA, the recall is directed to A6 models made between April 8 to May 26, 2011, concerning the head-curtain airbag units. Due to seams that may not have been properly stitched, the head-curtain airbags may fair to deploy during a crash, increasing the risk and severity of injury to A6 occupants.

Volkswagen will begin notifying Audi A6 owners in January and will offer a replacement curtain airbag free of charge.

Call Volkswagen at (800) 822-8987 or contact your local Audi dealer. You may also reach the NHTS at (888) 327-4236, recall reference #11V580000, for more information.

Nissan is recalling 118,000 Juke crossovers world wide due to a pair of defects that could pose problems for owners. Nissan says that the door locks could freeze in cold-weather, presenting an annoying problem for owners in cold climates. In addition, a boost pressure sensor on the turbocharger may malfunction, causing a check engine light to appear.

Both issues aren’t exactly critical, but definitely could be annoying for affected owners. Nissan also said that the issues were regional, with Japan, North America and certain European countries affected by the door lock issue. Virtually every continent save for Australia is affected by the turbocharger issue. Nearly every Juke sold worldwide – 118,000 in total, will have to have something fixed.

After encountering 30 incidents involving cracked wheel studs and steel wheels separating from the vehicles, Ford will be recalling 128,616 2010 and 2011 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans to fix the issue.

An investigation by NHTSA led to the recall, though no injuries have been reported. Ford will notify owners of the affected vehicles, inspect them at dealerships and replace any components free of charge. Check out the official article below the jump for more information.

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General Motors is moving closer to a solution for the fires that occurred in Volts after crash testing earlier this year.

Fox News reported yesterday that, according to an unnamed source, fires sparking inside Chevrolet‘s lauded green car might be caused by coolant crystallizing on the car’s battery after a crash, leading to a short circuit.

Since then, Reuters reported that GM is moving towards a set of dealership-implemented fixes to ensure post-crash safety in the cars, though the solution isn’t finalized.

“To the best of my knowledge, we’re not discussing exact solutions at this point,” GM spokesman Rob Peterson said.

Despite that, rumored solutions continue to surface by unnamed sources. Among those unofficial fixes, it seems that GM might laminate the 400-pound battery pack as well as strengthen the casing around it. They may also take steps to better protect against coolant leakage after a crash.

While those possibilities aren’t certain, GM senior management expects a solution by the end of the week. Barring demand by U.S. safety regulators for a deeper-reaching solution, the fix is expected to cost less than $1 million, or roughly $1000 per car.

GM is also offering current Volt owners loaner cars to drive until their vehicle is bolstered against the potential disaster. The aggressive repair policy signals how serious GM is about making the Volt their symbol of future progress.

As far as the EV market is concerned, others are on the way, but for now the Volt’s sole competitor is the Nissan Leaf. The key difference between the two is that the Leaf runs solely on battery power, whereas the Volt has a 1.4-liter gasoline engine that extends driving range. The Leaf didn’t experience the same problems after crash tests, possibly because it doesn’t a use liquid-cooled battery.

Last week GM CEO, Dan Akerson told the Associated Press that GM plans to buy back Volts from any customers concerned about the cars catching fire. He also maintained that they are safe to drive and that owners shouldn’t worry about the issue.

“I think it behooves everyone including General Motors and all of our competition, but more importantly our customers, that we get it right,” Akerson said.

Getting it right definitely involves fixing hazardous issues, but how right is it that GM knew about the problem as early as May without making the public aware? In an earlier story, we reported that it’s possible both GM and the NHTSA knew about the problem but failed to disclose it until last November.

For now, Akerson seems confident in GM’s solution, citing that Lexus had quality issues when they started, but that Toyota dealt swiftly with the issues and pushed the brand on to be a success.

[Sources:  Reuters]

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2011 Nissan Rogue models have been issued a recall due to possible incorrectly installed circuit boards within the Rogue’s electronic power steering assist control unit.

According to Nissan and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this defect could cause additional stress on the solder of the terminal to the circuit board and may lead to the solder cracking or even separating from the circuit board. In the event of circuit board failure, the  Rogue’s power steering system could fail. The force needed to steer the vehicle will increase and the risk of an accident will increase as well.

Nissan will contact affected Rogue owners and dealers will service and replace the electric power steering (EPS) control unit for free. The safety recall begins December 2011 and owners may contact Nissan at 1 (800) 647-7261 or contact NHTSA at 1 (888) 327-4236 for more information.

GALLERY: Nissan Rogue

Honda‘s airbag woes grew significantly after they recalled an almost 1 million additional vehicles.

The issue involves airbag pressure in 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.

The latest development primarily includes vehicles sold in North America. Owners can expect to receive notice soon if their car is included.

The recall started three years ago, so far Honda has recalled 2.8 million vehicles.

[Source: Left Lane News]

If you own a new GMC or Chevrolet van, there’s a chance the airbags might not be safe.

The notice comes after General Motors and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that airbags in 1,798 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans manufactured between June 2, 2011 and October 17, 2011 have faulty airbag systems that fail in their second stage during a severe frontal crash.

This isn’t the first time this year that GM issued recalls related to their airbag systems. Earlier this month we reported on an airbag recall for the Pontiac G8 after it came to light that many of the vehicles had issues with late deployment.

Owners can expect a call later this month when the recall begins if they own a qualifying vehicle.

[Source: Left Lane News]

Model Year 2011-2012 Nissan 370Z sports cars and Infiniti G37 luxury coupes are recalled due to a programming error in the power window switch controller in select vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into Nissan’s auto-reverse power windows, which contains a sensor that can stop and reverse the windows when a blockage is detected, preventing the occupants from having their finger’s pinched. In approximately 1,788 Nissan 370Z and Infiniti G37 cars built between July 2 to August 29, the auto-reverse power windows might malfunction.

Owners can bring their recalled vehicles to local dealerships for free servicing. For more information, contact NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 (reference recall campaign number 11V538000) or Nissan at 1800-647-7261 or Infiniti at 1-800-662-6200.

NHTSA is ramping up its investigation into the Saturn Aura after numerous complaints of the vehicle moving while in park or accelerating in the opposite direction to which the driver intended.

A total of 33 complaints have been received by NHTSA and GM combined, covering both 2007 and 2008 model Auras. So far, an engineering analysis is underway, but this is considered a step on the way to a full recall of the vehicles. One incident saw an Aura driver place the car in park and exit the vehicle, only to be struck by the car as it rolled backwards. The recall could affect as many as 65,000 cars.

[Source: Reuters]