For the third year in a row, Toyota‘s recall campaigns affected the most vehicles compared to any other automaker in 2011. With 13 campaigns launched in 2011, Toyota recalled over 3.5 million vehicles while GM issued the greatest number of recalls with 21.

General Motors’ affected vehicle total was only 455,901 despite the overwhelming number of recalls issued. Over half of those vehicles recalled were the newly-launched Chevrolet Cruze compact, a total of 231,319 over three different recalls.

Ford was in second place with 3.2 million vehicles affected over 10 recall campaigns. Honda had 11 recalls affecting 2 million vehicles putting them in third place. Comparatively speaking, Nissan was stellar with just 273,700 vehicles affected through seven recalls.

Toyota was fined $32.5 million for failing to issue recalls in a timely fashion by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has caused the Japanese automaker to issue recalls more readily.

[Source: Ward's Auto]

Back in 1907, Rolls-Royce presented the Silver Ghost as the “Best car in the world.” Unfortunately, more than a century later, the Rolls Royce Ghost models manufactured between September 2009 to September 2010 are now facing a recall pertaining to an electric auxiliary water pump that can overheat and potentially cause a fire.

It would seem that even “the best” can still be imperfect. Earlier, there have been reports regarding how BMW‘s 5-series, 7-series, X5 and X6 models are at risk of engine fires as well. Since the Rolls Royce power plant is a turbocharged application of BMW’s V12, it must be placed under investigation too.

Only 589 affected Rolls-Royce models have been produced during this period. Rolls-Royce will begin making necessary repairs on these models free of charge beginning later this month.

With every development of a new app, the smartphone is turning into a necessity. The latest to be created for car owners is the Car Recalls iPhone app.

For owners who want to find a better way to stay on top of all the recalls regarding their vehicles, they can refer to this software and search for recalls that date as early as 1950. New recalls that are issued with be notified to your phone as well.

As handy as this tool may be, the Car Recalls iPhone app does have some shortcomings. The app does not provide a contact number to get in touch with specialists that handle the recall, nor does it provide details on the consequences if one does not address the problem in a timely manner. Regardless, if your car is recalled, call your local dealer and book a service appointment.

The app isn’t free, but it does cost just $.99 and can be purchased here.

[Source: InsideLine]

Owners of BMW‘s 2009 X5 SUV powered with a diesel engine should be keeping their eyes out for a recall notice, scheduled to be sent out on October 1st. The recall is for a replacement fuel filter heater that BMW has concluded can be faulty in 2,120 X5 SUVs with a diesel engine manufactured from October 1st, 2008 to June 12th, 2009.

The problem, according to BMW, is that the fuel filter heater remains on even if the SUV itself isn’t. This causes the heaters to discharge its battery prematurely and there’s a possibility that the heater could overheat and cause a fire. BMW will replace the fuel filter heater for free and if owners have any questions they can contact BMW at 1-800-525-7417.

Mazda has announced a recall for its Mazda3 model, which is also sold under the name Axela in Japan. The recall affects 494,500 units globally with roughly 157,700 in North America.

The recall surrounds an electronic problem that could prevent the windshield wipers from working. Affected vehicles include those between the 2008 and 2010 model years. Mazda is expected to notify customers and those with questions can contact their local dealer to see if their specific vehicle is listed under this recall.

Toyota has announced a recall on its first generation Prius models for an issue with the power steering system. The recall affects 52,000 Prius vehicles from the 2001 to 2003 model year sold in the U.S. In total 106,000 Prius models are included in the safety bulletin globally.

According to a statement released by Toyota, the car is being recalled to replace several nuts that hold the steering pinion shaft in place, as the original nuts could become loose over time making turning left significantly harder.

Owners will be notified in early July and the repair work will be done free of charge. Those with questions or concerns can contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331 or www.toyota.com/recall.

In addition, Toyota has announced an additional recall affecting just 34 Venza and 16 Sienna AWD models from the 2011 model year to replace the front right-hand driveshaft.

Citroën was once the company bizarre enough to dabble in hydraulic suspensions, power steering, and swiveling headlights before anyone else. It’s good to see that legacy of damn-it-all innovation carry through to today, where the Gallic carbuilder has mounted the brakes in the passenger side.

Not on purpose, anyway. Turns out that the C3 Picasso is interesting enough to be sold in England, and upon its right-hand conversion, the brake hardware was left in the, uh, left side. If a passenger pushes down hard enough, he or she can actually stop the car, leading to side-splitting spousal sitcom shenanigans.

20,000 examples of the French breadbox are currently being recalled, and the company hasn’t seen any other examples of this practical joke issue in other British-converted vehicles. Remember: it’s not broken, it’s “quirky.” You know, like Amélie.

[Source: Autoblog]

Hyundai has recalled over 190,000 Elantra models over concerns that the passenger side airbags might not work properly.

The Elantras were from the last generation, built from July 2006 to November 2008, and cover model years 2007 to 2009.

The recall deals with a defect in the airbag seat sensor that detects a person’s weight and deploys the airbag accordingly, not deploying the airbag if the passenger is a child, for example. The sensor is located in the center console, and could break easily—if liquid is spilled into the console, for example. Then, the side airbag could fire regardless of the passenger’s size and weight, injuring a child.

Over 96,000 additional Elantras from 2007 and 2008 are also being examined for a driver’s side airbag that could deploy incorrectly if the seat is set in a certain position.

Tire manufacturer Continental, has announced that it is recalling some 391,000 tires, most of which were fitted to Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty pickups.

The tires, all of which were made in Mexico from between May 2007 and September 2008 were installed on 2008 and 2009 model year trucks.

Continental said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, that the affected tires, if overloaded or under inflated, could cause the belt edges to separate and the tread to become detached from the tire, not something you really want to happen while the vehicle is at speed.

The company will replace all four tires and the spare on the affected vehicles; at present Ford says 65,000 pickups in the US and Canada are affected by the recall.

Apparently spiders don’t just prefer Mazdas. Honda has warned its dealers to keep an eye out for the same spiders that nested in 65,000 recalled Mazda6 sedans, as they may infest the Accord. Hyundai is also reportedly warning dealers of a similar issue with its models.

It’s not a full-blown recall, but if you see a spider inside your Accord, your local friendly Honda mechanic will be happy to get rid of the yellow sac spiders that are nesting inside a vent pipe and weaving “sack-like” webs that could lead to a blockage. The driver will find that the “check engine” light will come on, as well as a freaked-out friend or relative who will scream at ear-splitting levels. Possibly.

The fix is easy, because it consists of fitting a spring into a drain box—similar to Mazda’s solution. Unlike Mazda, however, there is no danger in blocking the gas tank venting hoses that may lead to an engine fire, and Honda has merely issued a service bulletin to its brave, spider-vanquishing mechanics instead of an all-out recall like its Japanese sedan brethren. The yellow sac spider hasn’t caused any engine stalling or fires in the Accord. Maybe yellow sac spiders prefer Honda over Mazda? And why not an Italian car? Or a convertible?

[Source: USA Today]