Category Archives: Lemon Alert

Mercedes Benz Floor Mat Carpets Wet

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An investigation into reports of water intrusion into the passenger compartment of certain 2020-2021 Mercedes Benz GLE and GLS, cars and SUVs has led to a recall of over 6,000 vehicles. Owner notifications are expected to be mailed out in June.

According to the defect report, at the end of May 2019 Mercedes Benz launched an investigation into customer complaints of water intrusion into the driver and passenger side foot wells of certain GLE and GLS vehicles. The investigation revealed a deviation in the assembly process of the air conditioner drain hoses that would allow the drain hose to disconnect and condensation to enter the passenger compartment. If a significant volume of condensation enters, it could cause corrosion and/or short circuits to electrical components.

NOTE: Drivers may experience problems with door locks and the vehicles emergency call (eCall) feature; the engine may not start or may enter limp-home mode. Sings that the problem exists include wet carpets in the front foot wells and fogged windows.

Vehicles Affected Include
2020 GLE350
2020 GLE450
2020 GLE580
2020 GLS450
2020 GLS580
2021 AMG GLE53

Dealers will inspect and correct the installation of the air conditioner drain hoses, as necessary. The NHTSA recall Campaign Number is 21V-288.

2021 Porsche Cayenne – Rear Axle Lock Nuts Could Break

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Porsche North America, Inc. (Porsche) will be contacting the owners of certain 2021 Cayenne vehicles because of a problem affecting the rear axle suspension. The Porsche models affected include 2021 Cayenne, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo, Cayenne GTS, Cayenne Coupe, Cayenne S Coupe, Cayenne Turbo Coupe, and Cayenne GTS Coupe.

According to the defect report, lock nuts on the trailing arm of the rear axle have not been manufactured according to specifications. The problem could cause a loose thread connection that may allow respective suspension components to move beyond the intended position. If the screw connection fails, the driver could experience a sudden loss of driving stability with a significant change to driving behavior and a loss of vehicle control. Drivers may notice noises and vibrations due to the loosening of the connection, but these warning sings are not guaranteed.

Porsche will instruct owners of affected vehicles to return to their dealers to have the lock nuts replaced. The recall is expected to begin June 2021. Porsche’s number for this recall is AMA9 and the NHTSA campaign number is 21V-271.

2021 Infiniti Q50 And Q60 Engine Stall

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In February, Nissan initiated an investigation into reports of an illuminated Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL), reduced power and engine stalling in some 2021 Infiniti Q50 And Q60 vehicles. This investigation has resulted in a recall affecting approximately 13,000 vehicles.

According to the defect report, the engine control module (EMC)in the subject vehicles has a software function that prevents unintended acceleration based on monitoring torque input. A problem was found with the EMC software which prevented it from correctly reducing engine speed after an excessive torque detection. As a result, the vehicle would go into limp mode, reducing engine power, illuminating the MIL and eventually stalling. Nissan has received one report of an accident without injuries potentially related to this issue.

Infiniti will be notifying owners to return to their dealerships to get the ECM software reprogrammed. Infiniti’s number for this recall is R20C5 and the NHTSA campaign number is 21V-234.

2018 Chevrolet Tahoe Repeated Repair Attempts

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Our client purchased a 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe and was very happy.

Her first visit to the Chevrolet dealership was on April 9, 2019 because the heater was blowing out luke warm air when she had the temperature up to 83-85 degrees. It also was having a rough idle in the morning.

The next visit was on August 12 due to the fact that the Tahoe had a knocking engine noise upon start up.

She was back again on October 7th because the cold idle was idling intermittently, and after the vehicle had warmed up, there was a loud knock noise coming from the engine. Also when the HVAC control was set to any temperature above 75 degrees, the air was hot.

She brought the vehicle to the dealership again on November 18th. The check engine light was on, the engine was running rough when at a complete stop and while using the AC and setting it to a low temp, the AC was blowing out cold air and then would become warm air.

The last visit was on January 27, 2020 and the check engine light was on again.

This is when she called to talk to Barry at the Law Office of Barry L. Edzant as she was very frustrated and wanted to know what her rights were under the California Lemon Law. After speaking with him and his reviewing some paperwork, Barry felt that she met the criteria of the California Lemon Law and our law firm was retained. A demand letter was sent on her behalf to General Motors Corporation.

GMC decided to repurchase the 2018 Chevy Tahoe. The manufacturer reimbursed our client for the down payment, all payments made to date, paid off the loan, paid for the registration, less a mileage deduction allowed under the California Lemon Law. They also paid for all attorney fees. Our client was so excited about the outcome.

If you have having problems with your vehicle and think your vehicle may be a lemon, please contact California Lemon Law Attorney, Barry L. Edzant at 888-395-3666. He’ll be happy to answer your questions about the lemon law.

2018 Chevy Traverse CA Lemon Law Buyback

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Our lemon law client was so happy about purchasing his 2018 Chevy Traverse. After a few months he starting taking his vehicle to the authorized Chevrolet dealership to have them make repairs on his vehicle.

The first visit was on May 16, 2018.  His complaint was that the third row middle seat belt would keep getting stuck.

The next visit in November he requested an alignment check which they performed.

Our client’s third visit was because the defrost control was coming apart.

A couple of weeks later he was having problems with both the rear and middle seat belt buckles.

His next visit was to request another alignment which the dealership completed.

He was back in on July 23. 2019 because he was seeing a shift to park message when he was in park and could not turn off the vehicle.

The next visit was to perform a recall on the brake pedal.

His Chevrolet Traverse was back in the shop a month later because the check engine light was on.  While there they also found the code P0018 and fixed it.

The last visit to the Chevrolet dealership was on February 14, 2020.  Our client stated that while driving over 60 mph, the RPM’s were revving high and it felt like it was losing power.  This happened while accelerating.  The check engine light kept going on and off.  He also complained that the shift to park message appeared when in park and he could not turn off the vehicle.  At this point our client was frustrated and felt that he had given General Motors enough chances to fix his vehicle and so he called our law office.  His spoke with attorney Barry L. Edzant and then emailed our office some documents for the attorney to review.

We sent a demand letter to General Motors Corporation demanding that they buy back his defective vehicle under the California Lemon Law.  They agreed to repurchase his vehicle, pay off his loan, reimburse him for any monthly payments made and his down payment less a mileage fee allowed under the California Lemon Law.  They also paid for his registration and paid for his attorney fees.  Our client was thrilled with the results.

If your vehicle is giving you problems and you think you might be driving a lemon, please contact the Law Office of Barry L. Edzant at 888-395-3666 to get some answers.

2020 Nissan Murano Ball Joint Separation

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Nissan will be asking the owners of certain 2020 Nissan Murano SUVs, to return to their dealerships for a problem that could result in loss of vehicle control. Approximately 15,000 vehicles are affected by this recall.

According to the defect report, an equipment failure at the supplier resulted in improperly formed billets in the transverse links. As a result, the right and left transverse links are out of specification and in rare cases could separate from the ball joint. This could result in loss of vehicle control and an increased chance of an accident.

Owners of affected vehicles will be notified to return to their dealer to have the left and right hand transverse links inspected for the affected LOT codes. If the LOT code is identified, the dealer will replace the links and perform an alignment.

Nissan’s number for this recall is PC797 and the NHTSA campaign number is 21V-170.

2020-22021 Nissan Altima Steering Wheel Vibrations

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Nissan will be contacting the owners of certain 2020-22021 Nissan Altimas, because of a problem affecting the steering in their cars. Approximately 2,407 vehicles are being recalled.

According to the defect report, in December of last year, Nissan became aware of a Nissan Altima owner who reported a loss of steering while driving. The vehicle was towed to a Nissan dealership and an inspection found that the tie rod ball joint fasteners had become loose and fell off. As a result the tie rod ball joint separated from the steering knuckle and steering was lost.  Further investigation found that a back up process had been used during production, that resulted in inconsistent torque control of the torque on the rod ball joint fastener. All vehicles that underwent the back up process during production were audited and 48 loose tie rod ball joint fasteners were found and repaired.

Owner of affected vehicles will be contacted and instructed to return to their dealers to have their Altima inspected. The left and right hand tie rod ball joint fasteners will be tightened to specification and any missing fasteners will be replaced. Nissan’s number for this recall is PC795 and the NHTSA campaign number is 21V-138.

Hyundai Ioniq And Kona EV Battery Fire

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Hyundai Motor America will be asking owners of certain 2020 Hyundai Ioniq Electric and 2019-2020 Hyundai Kona Electric vehicles to return to their dealerships because of a problem affecting the lithium-ion battery.

In March 2019 Hyundai received three reports of Kona electric vehicles catching fire while parked. All vehicles involved were reportedly parked with a fully charged battery. Further investigation found several similar incidents which initiated an investigation into the problem. As a result of this investigation, a campaign was launched to upgrade the BMS software for early detection of abnormalities in the battery while the vehicle is parked. The software update was developed as a fail safe countermeasure as they continued their investigation

In February 2021 Hyundai became aware of a Kona EV. with the updated software. that caught fire while at full state of charge. Further investigation into the cause found an internal short within the battery cells caused by a folded Anode tab could result in Lithium plating on the Anode tab to contact and short circuit to the Cathode. Based on this information a safety campaign will be conducted to replace the Battery System Assembly (BSA)

Once parts are available, dealers will replace the Battery System Assembly (BSA). Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the recall is complete. The recall is expected to begin end of April. Hyundai’s number for this recall is 200 and the NHTSA campaign number is 21V-127.