Tag Archives: automobile problems

Kia And Hyundai Recalls Power Train

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kia sorento and hyundai Santa Fe power train recallKia has announced a recall for certain 2011 Sorento 2WD vehicles with automatic transmissions and 2.4L engines manufactured from the start of production through to May 22, 2010. Because Hyundai uses the same parts in their Santa Fe, the same recall is being made on the 2010 Santa Fe 2WD vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions and 2.4L engines manufactured from October 2009 to March 2010.

The problem is being blamed on a misalignment of the intermediate shaft with the right side output gear. This misalignment will accelerate wear in the shaft and lead to excessive noise and eventually to a damaged automatic transmission. Dealers will replace the right side output gear and the intermediate shaft beginning this month. Kia owners wanting more information on this recall can contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Hyundai owners can contact Hyundai’s customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151.

Dodge Sprinter Recalled For Seat Belts

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Mercedes Benz has announced a recall that could affect the safety of passengers riding in the second row seating of their 2008-2011 Dodge Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vehicles. According to the recall, the safety belts in these vehicles may not lock as required and the assembly loop may not perform to minimum force requirements. During an accident, the passengers could be left unrestrained resulting in injury or death.

Mercedes Benz will inspect and replace any seat belts that have been found to be unsafe. Owners wanting more information on this recall can contact Mercedes Benz at 843-695-5000.

California Automobile Rental Recall Bill

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California lawmakers are one step closer to passing a bill that will force automobile rental companies to immediately pull recalled vehicles from their fleet until the problem has been fixed. Carol Houck has been fighting for this bill since 2004 when her two daughters died in a rented PT Cruiser accident caused by a recall. Assemblyman Bill Monning, who presented the bill said, “Consumers need to know that when they rent these cars, that the cars are safe. Auto dealers can’t sell or lease cars that have been recalled, and this bill would close the loophole that allows rental car companies to continue doing so.”

Rental company representatives argue that 90 percent of vehicles are repaired withing 30 days of receiving a recall notice, making the bill unnecessary. They feel that the bill targets their industry unfairly and ignores other vehicle fleets, like taxi, limousine and shuttle bus services, private companies and governments.

Hyundai Elantras Recalled For Airbag Sensors

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hyundai elantra airbag sensor recallHyundai has announced two recalls for faulty airbag sensor systems that could lead to the airbags inflating with too much force or when they are not required causing injury to occupants.

  • The first recall involves certain 2007-2009 Elantra vehicles manufactured between July 2006 to November 2008. Under certain circumstances the the connector for the front passenger weight sensor may become contaminated. This could lead to the airbag deploying during impacts that do not require the airbag, or deploying with too much force for the weight of the occupant. In order to fix the problem, dealerships will install a protective cover over the connector to prevent contamination.
  • The second recall involves certain 2007-2008 Elantra vehicles manufactured between July 2006 to August 2007. The drivers seat has a track position sensor that determines how much pressure is used to deploy the airbags according to how close the driver is to the airbag. The air bag control module may receive an unstable signal that may lead to the the airbag deploying at a pressure that is too high or too low for the position of the seat. The recall will have dealers reprogramming the airbag control module to deploy at the proper pressure.

Some vehicles will be affected by both recalls. Hyundai will begin sending out recall notices to Elantra owners starting in April. Anyone wanting more information on these recalls can contact Hyundai’s customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151.

Honda Recalls 2011 Civic For Fuel Pump

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Honda will be recalling almost 20,000 2011 Civic vehicles to replace the fuel pump module inside the tank. It was found that during assembly, the roll over valve inside some fuel pump modules could have been damaged. In a rollover, the cracked valve could allow fuel leakage from the tank to the evaporative emissions canister. Owners wanting more information about the recall can call 1-800-999-1009 and selecting option 4, or go to www.recalls.honda.com.

Automobile Recalls Affecting Insurance Rates

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The United States has one of the largest vehicle markets in the world. There are over 260 million registered passenger vehicles according to a 2007 Department of Transportation (DOT) study. With vehicles outnumbering licensed drivers, the automobile has become an integral part of American life.

With the amount of work that goes into vehicle design, it is not surprising that flaws occur. If you have been paying attentions to vehicle recalls, it seems like there is a new one coming out almost every day. Since the safety of a vehicle is a factor in determining insurance rates, it would seem logical that if a vehicle has had safety recalls, the insurance rate on the recalled vehicle may raise.

In general, car insurance premiums can be increased every time the policy is up for renewal. While an insurer may do this for a number of reasons, a mechanical defect of the vehicle cannot be controlled by the consumer. But, if the policy holder does not follow the recall notice in a timely manner, and ends up getting into an accident because of a failure of the recalled part, they could be held responsible for the damages. If you do not respond to a recall notice at all, an insurance company may drop you altogether. Another way your insurance rates can be affected by recalls, is the recalls decrease the resale value of the vehicle. If the replacement value of a vehicle decreases the insurance rates should decrease as well.

Safety issues that cause accidents and damages, can hold the car manufacturer responsible and may recoup money from them. In this case the insurance company does not need to gain more money from its policyholders since the car manufacturer is paying for what they are responsible for.

Dealing with the auto insurance industry is never easy and, when the vehicle manufacturers gets involved, it just adds to your problem. For now, there should be no cause of concern so long as you pay the premiums on time and take the vehicle in for repair as soon as you get the recall notice. If you believe your premiums have been raised unfairly or in error, you do have some recourse. Most insurance companies have procedures in place through which a customer can file a complaint. When all else fails, a customer can sign up with a competing insurer. Take precautions however: an auto insurance policy is a legally binding contract between you and the company. You need to give advance notice of cancellation and make certain your new policy is in effect. Don’t just stop paying your premium, or you could be penalized.

Recalled Child Restraints In GM Trucks

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No injuries have been reported, but after concerns were raised by Transport Canada, GM has decided to recall almost 200,000 pickup trucks for an inadequate child restraint system in trucks without rear seats. The vehicles involved in the recall are:

  • 2004-2011 Chevrolet Colorado
  • 2004-2011 GMC Canyon regular cab
  • 2004-2011 GMC Canyon extended cab
  • 2007-2008 Isuzu I-290/I-370
  • 2006 Isuzu I-280/I-350

According to GM, “The child restraint top tether anchor for the front center seat position is not accessible for installing a child seat”, so the child restraint may not be properly secured.”

Customers will be mailed an owner’s manual supplement that describes how to install a child restraint using a top tether in the center position. Dealers will modify the back panel trim cover to allow access to the top tether anchor, if requested by the customer.

Ignition Coil Problems For Volkswagen

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volkswagen ignition coil recallVolkswagen is conducting a voluntary emissions service program to inspect and, if necessary, replace ignition coils installed in some 2001 to 2007 Volkswagen vehicles. The coils in some of these vehicles are prone to malfunction under certain conditions, which could lead to poor engine performance, decreased fuel economy, increased vehicle emissions, and an illuminating Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL).

If the MIL should illuminate, you should take your vehicle to the nearest authorized Volkswagen dealer for diagnosis and repair as soon as possible to avoid damaging the vehicle. If you vehicle is not experiencing any problems, it is safe to continue driving until you receive a notification to bring it in. Because of a shortage of parts, customer vehicles with immediate needs will be dealt with first. Some vehicles have already been equipped with the latest version of the parts and are not included in this campaign.

If you have paid to have ignition coils replaced in your Volkswagen prior to this program, you may be eligible for reimbursement. For further information, please contact Volkswagen Customer Care at: 888.683.9156 (United States) or 888.595.8228 (Canada). For more information, go to http://www.vwcoils.com/.