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U.S. Safety Recalls by
Land Rover (1), Volkswagen (1), General Motors (2), Saab (1), Chrysler (5), Ford
(5, Including Another Fire Hazardous Deactivation Switch Recall), Mazda (1), Nissan (1), Subaru (1), Honda (2), and Toyota (1)
Auto on Info April 2007
U.S. Safety Recalls by Land Rover (1), Volkswagen (1), General Motors (2), Saab (1), Chrysler (5), Ford (5, Including Another Fire Hazardous Deactivation Switch Recall), Mazda (1), Nissan (1), Subaru (1), Honda (2), and Toyota (1)
By James B. Bleeker
The following February and March 2007 U.S. safety recalls were published by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
By Ford Motor Company's Land Rover division (with a 1998-2002 Reliability Percentrank average of .05):
(1) 33,247 2002-2005 Freelander sport-utility vehicles for brake lights that may remain on after the foot pedal is released, thereby defeating their warning function and increasing the likelihood of an accident.
By Volkswagen AG (with a 1998-2002 Reliability Percentrank average of .22):
(2) 790,000 2001-2005 Jetta sedans and wagons, 2001-2007 New Beetle sedans and convertibles, and 1999-2006 Golf and GTI sedans (including the 2004 R32) for a brake light switch that may malfunction if not installed correctly, causing the brake light to fail or remain on and thereby defeating their warning function and increasing the likelihood of an accident.
By General Motors Corporation (with a 1998-2002 Reliability Percentrank average of .32):
(3) 13,032 2007 Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia sport-utility vehicles for an air bag module that may not function properly resulting in uninflated air bags in a frontal crash.
(4) 359 2007 Pontiac G6 passenger cars for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208 to protect small children in the event of a crash.
By General Motors Corporation's Saab division (with a 1998-2002 Reliability Percentrank average of .32):
(5) 94,377 2000 and 2003 9-3 convertibles, 2003 9-3 sedans, and 2001-2005 9-5 sedans and 9-5 Estate wagons for damaged fuel-line-holding tabs that may cause a fuel leak. This is an expansion of previous recalls.
By DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group (with a 1998-2002 Reliability Percentrank average of .39):
(6) 86,333 2006 Dodge Ram pickups for insufficiently greased front wheel bearings that may result in bearing degradation, vibration, and hub assembly separation.
(7) 149,605 2006-2007 Jeep Liberty sport-utility vehicles for a blower motor that may overheat and cause an interior fire. Reuters reports that in two cases drivers suffered "minor burns."
(8) 328,424 2004-2006 Dodge Durango sport-utility vehicles for an integrated circuit that may overheat and cause an instrument panel fire. The Associated Press reports that Chrysler stated that it has received 66 reports of fire.
(9) 3,282 2007 Dodge Ram 4x4 pickups with diesel engines for a label that provides incorrect tire inflation information.
(10) 11,191 2007-2008 Dodge Avenger passenger cars for a door latch cable that may become partially unseated thereby preventing the latch from being secured to the striker and increasing the risk of passenger ejection.
By Ford Motor Company (with a 1998-2002 Reliability Percentrank average of .48):
(11) 155,584 2002-2003 E-550 vans, 2003 F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 pickups, 2003 Excursion sport-utility vehicles, and 2003 Lincoln Blackwood pickups for a deactivation switch that may corrode, overheat, and cause a fire. This is an expansion of the recalls involving Ford's massive incendiary problem. (See "Park That Ford on the Street!," May 2005 Auto on Info, "Park That Ford on the Street! II," June 2005, Auto on Info, "As Fires Mount, NHTSA Puts the Heat on Ford: Park That Ford on the Street! III," July 2005, Auto on Info, "Another Ford Fire: Park That Ford on the Street! IV," July 2005, Auto on Info, "Fire Hazard Prompts Ford to Recall 4 Million Vehicles," September 2005, Auto on Info, "Ford Fires Rage On," October 2005, Auto on Info, "Toyota, Honda, Ford, Mercedes, GM, and Volvo Recall a Batch; Ford's 'Solution' to Its Incendiary Problem Will Not Be Available until February," December 2005, Auto on Info, "Ford's Incendiary Problem May Include Explorers," March 2006, Auto on Info, "Ford Announces Recall of 1.2 Million More Incendiaries, But No New Relief for Owners of GM's Runaways, Collapsing Tailgates, and Engine Knockers," August 2006, Auto on Info, and "NHTSA Safety Investigations: More Seat Fires for Chrysler and More Engine Compartment Fires for Ford, Plus Summary and Others," November 2006, Auto on Info.)
(12) 109,664 2003-2005 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor vehicles equipped with steel wheels that may crack near the weld line and cause rapid air loss.
(13) 33,169 2008 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 pickups with a 6.4-liter diesel engine that may generate excessive hydrocarbons, clog the filter, raise temperatures, and throw a flame.
(14) 1,022 2008 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 pickups with a 6.4-liter diesel engine for a battery wire that may lose surrounding insulation by contact with a bolt and potentially cause a fire.
By Mazda Motor Corporation (with a 1998-2002 Reliability Percentrank average of .65):
(15) 1,700 2007 Mazdaspeed3 passenger cars for insufficient clearance between the floor mat and the accelerator pedal that may, if the pedal gets stuck under the mat, prevent proper deceleration.
By Nissan Motor Company (with a 1998-2002 Reliability Percentrank average of .73):
(16) 16,309 2007 Nissan Versa hatchbacks for terminals for the passenger side seat belt tension sensor harness connector that may have been damaged during the manufacturing process and may prevent deployment of the passenger side air bag.
By the Subaru division of Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd. (with a 1998-2002 Reliability Percentrank average of .75):
(17) 7,400 2006 Subaru Forester sport-utility vehicles and Subaru Impreza passenger cars for a wiring harness for the air bag occupant detection system that may have been pinched during production and may cause an electrical short that prevents passenger air bag deployment and/or induces a fire.
By Honda Motor Company (with a 1998-2002 Reliability Percentrank average of .88):
(18) 31,123 2006 Honda Civic Hybrids for an electrical terminal covering that may be insufficient, because use of the rear seats may push the metal cover of the IMA system into contact with the current rubber terminal covering causing the terminal covering to fail, an electrical short to occur, and the engine to stall.
(18) 166,561 2005 Honda Accord sedans, Honda Odyssey minivans, Acura TL sedans, Acura RL sedans and Acura TSX sedans, and 2006 Honda Ridgleline pickup trucks for a coil wire inside the fuel pump relay box that may break and may prevent the engine from starting or cause the engine to stall.
By Toyota Motor Corporation (with a 1998-2002 Reliability Percentrank average of .90):
(20) 716 2006-2007 Scion xA and Scion xB vehicles for a Rostra Precision Controls' cruise control installed by Southeast dealers or processing center that requires a double push to turn off.
In addition, the following March recall was reported.
By Ford Motor Company (with a 1998-2002 Reliability Percentrank average of .48):
(21) 132,000 2005 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner sport-utility vehicles for for failure to pass a NHTSA safety test that measures the driver's head protection during a crash.
Sources for safety recalls: "Vehicle Safety Defect/Noncompliance Notices Received During February 2007" and "Vehicle Safety Defect/Noncompliance Notices Received During March 2007" Monthly Recall Reports, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and "Ford Recalling SUVs over Head Protection Testing," Ken Thomas, the Associated Press, WAVY TV 10, www.wavy.com
Source for Reuters report on the Jeep Liberty recall: "Chrysler Recalls SUVs after Dozens of Reported Fires," Kevin Krolicki, Reuters, available at Yahoo! News
Source for the Associated Press report on the Dodge Durango recalls: "Chrysler Recalls Nearly 500,000 Vehicles," Ken Thomas, the Associated Press, available at Yahoo! News
Source for 1998-2002 Reliability Percentrank averages: Table I-MVRP
Related Web Pages NHTSA (U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) Monthly Recall Reports for the Past 6 Months (a U.S. government web page that sometimes has active links and sometimes not) NHTSA Recall Search by Year, Make, Model, and Component NHTSA Defect Search by Year, Make, Model, and Component NHTSA Complaint Search by Year, Make, Model, and Component NHTSA Instructions and Options on Filing a Safety Complaint
Addendum: Although this site covers only cars, SUVs, minivans, and sport-utility vehicles, NHTSA's Monthly Recall Reports web page covers motorcycles, large trucks, trailers, school buses, city buses, and motor homes. Consequently, concerned parents may wish to regularly visit NHTSA's monthly recall reports to find out what school buses have been recalled and then enquire at their local bus companies to find out whether the repairs have been made or when they will be made.
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