The owners of certain 2015-2016 Volkswagen e-Golf electric vehicles will be contacted by the manufacturer about a problem that could lead to sudden unexpected shutdown. Under certain conditions, oversensitive diagnostics in the battery management system may classify a brief internal electrical current surge as a critical battery condition. This could cause an emergency shutdown which will deactivates the vehicle’s electrical drive motor. Continue reading
2013-2015 Jaguar XF Loss Of Steering Assist
Jaguar Land Rover will be asking the owners of certain 2013-2015 Jaguar XF sports cars to return to their dealership to repair a problem that could affect the steering system. According to the defect report filed with the NHTSA, a bolt on the Front End Auxiliary Drive (FEAD) could fail leading to the loss of the FEAD. As a result, the driver may experience a battery charge warning lamp illumination, air conditioning failure, engine overheat warnings and a Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) followed by a reduction in steering assist. A sudden increase in steering effort could increase the risk of a vehicle accident. Continue reading
GM Airbag Problem Could Lead To Improper Inflation
GM will be notifying the owners of certain 2016 Chevrolet and GMC vehicles about a problem affecting the driver frontal airbag, after a supplier investigation found some airbags do no meet the airbag fill time requirements for colder temperatures. According to the defect report, the secondary chemical enhancer required for proper deployment of second-stage frontal airbags was not loaded during the airbag inflator build. Vehicle involved in a high speed crash that triggers the second stage deployment of the driver frontal airbag may not fill the airbag as completely and as quickly as designed, which could lead to an increased risk of injury to the driver. Continue reading
2016-2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Seat Belt Warning Failure
Hyundai will be asking the owners of certain 2016-2017 Santa Fe vehicles to return to their dealerships to repair an electrical problem affecting the seat belt warning system. The subject vehicles use a front occupant seat belt buckle with an integrated switch to monitor the seat belt latch status. In some Santa Fe’s, the seat belt buckle harness could be damaged by the height adjuster mechanism. If this happens, there will be no audible signal or warning light that the seat belt is not fastened or the chime and indicator light will stay on even when the seat belt is buckled. Continue reading
2014 Nissan Rogue Fuel Defect Expanded
Nissan North America will be asking owners of certain 2014 Nissan Rogue crossover SUVs to return to their dealership to repair a problem that could result in the vehicle unexpectedly stalling. Certain vehicles manufactured between January 2, 2014 and June 7, 2014 are already subject to Recall 15V-197, but upon further review of warranty data, Nissan is expanding the recall to include vehicles manufactured from the start of production (July 25. 2013) to December 21, 2013. Continue reading
Hyundai Equus & Genesis Windshield Wiper Failure
The owners of certain 2011-2013 Hyundai Equus and 2012 Hyundai Genesis vehicles will be contacted by the manufacturer about a problem that could result in reduce drivers visibility. According to the defect report, the subject vehicles are equipped with a windshield wiper motor in which the cover seal could degrade over time and allow corrosion to develop on the wiper circuit board. If the corrosion progresses, the windshield wiper motor could function intermittently and eventually stop. Continue reading
Does Your Vehicle Have A Safety Defect?
The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act was established in 1966 to give the Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) authority to issue and enforce vehicle safety standards. These standards set minimum performance requirements for those parts of the vehicle that affect its safe operation (brakes, tires, lighting) or that protect drivers and passengers from death or serious injury (air bags, safety belts, child restraints, energy absorbing steering columns, motorcycle helmets). Federal Standards are applicable to all vehicles and vehicle-related equipment manufactured or imported for sale in the United States and certified for use on public roads and highways. Continue reading
2013-2015 Nissan Leaf Brake Relay Failure
Nissan will be contacting the owners of certain 2013-2015 Nissan Leaf vehicles about a problem that could result in extended braking distances. According to the defect report, the relay inside the electronic brake booster could freeze in cold temperatures. If this occurs, the vehicle will illuminate the brake warning lamp and the system will set to “assist mode”. More pedal effort and increased braking distances could increase the risk of an accident. Continue reading
