A company that sells replacement winter tires is recalling more than 541,000 of them in the U.S. because they don’t have enough snow traction to meet North American standards

Prinx Chengshan Tires is recalling Fortune Tormenta and Prinx Hicountry tires with three-peak mountain snowflake symbols on the sidewalls.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/company-recalls-541000-winter-tires-snow-traction-116863577

U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating complaints that engines can fail on as many as 1.4 million Honda and Acura vehicles

The probe by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers the 2016 through 2020 Honda Pilot and Acura MDX, as well as the 2018 through 2020 Honda Odyssey and Acura TLX. Also included is the 2017 through 2019 Honda Ridgeline.

The agency says in documents posted on its website Monday that connecting rod bearings on vehicles with 3.5-liter V6 engines can fail, leading to complete engine failure.

Honda recalled about 250,000 vehicles in November of 2023 to fix the same problem. But the agency says it has 173 complaints from owners who reported connecting rod bearing failures, yet their vehicles weren't included in the recall. One owner reported a crash with no injuries.

The agency said it's opening a recall query to determine the severity of the problem in vehicles not included in the 2023 recall.

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/engines-14-million-honda-vehicles-fail-us-regulators-115730208

BMW revealed it will have to recall 1.5 million vehicles (including MINI and Rolls-Royce Sceptre) over a braking problem, costing it almost €1bn

Although BMW said the problem with the braking system in some new models was not a safety issue, the additional cost under warranties would be a “high three-digit million amount”

The update is the latest blow to Germany’s car industry, which is reeling from Volkwagen’s announcement that it may have to close factories. The closure of factories in Germany would be a first for the carmaker.

While BMW stressed that the brakes in the cars covered by the recall continue to work, and it does not know of any incident caused by the issue, it is understood that the fault in the electronic braking support system could affect how hard drivers have to press the brake pedal to stop the car.

The system, made by Continental, is used in a variety of BMW models that have come off the production lines since June 2022, including the BMW X1, X2 and X5 SUVs, the Mini Cooper and Countryman, and the luxury Rolls-Royce Spectre. It is understood only a small fraction of the cars potentially have the system malfunction. These would have been manufactured in BMW’s plants in Germany, the UK and France, as well as in the US, China, and South Korea.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/sep/10/bmw-shares-fall-recall-braking-fault

Truckers told not to drive recalled Kenworths and Peterbilts due to risk of 'complete loss of steering control'

According to recall documents, “the tie rod or drag link assembly may contain an improperly heat-treated ball stud, causing the ball stud to break,” which in turn could cause a complete loss of steering capability.

https://cdllife.com/2024/truckers-told-not-to-drive-recalled-kenworths-and-peterbilts-due-to-risk-of-complete-loss-of-steering-control/

Ford Motor Company is recalling select 2024 Ford Maverick models because they had the wrong tire and loading information labels installed for a week in January

As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, “Tire Selection and Rims.”

 https://fordauthority.com/2024/04/2024-ford-maverick-recalled-over-incorrect-tire-information/

a hood scoop sold as an official Ford accessory may detach from the hood... and they didn't engineer for the amount of force the real world dishes out

 1200 of the 2021-2024 Ford Bronco Sport models equipped with the accessory hood scoop sold under part number VM1PZ-16C630-A and produced between November 12th, 2020, and February 21st, 2024 are part of the recall which only reimburses customers for the purchase price of the hood scoop.

How that's going to make someone satisfied, when they can't remove the scoop without fixing the mounting holes, I don't know. It should have been a replacement hood instead, and leave it to the Bronco owners to decide whether they'll chance their hood flying off and damaging the windshield and roof, and possibly other vehicles in traffic behind them, or, have a new replacement hood installed and the hood with a mounted scoop traded in. 

https://fordauthority.com/2024/04/ford-bronco-sport-hood-scoop-recalled-over-detachment-issue/

Toyota is recalling 2022-24 Tundras, Sequoias, and Lexus trucks and SUVs

Toyota is recalling about 280,000 pickup trucks and SUVs in the U.S. to fix a transmission problem that can let the vehicles creep forward while in neutral.

The recall covers certain Toyota Tundra pickups and Lexus LX 600 SUVs from the 2022 through 2024 model years. Also included are 2023 and 2024 Toyota Sequoia SUVs.

Toyota said that certain parts of the vehicles' automatic transmissions may not immediately disengage when shifted into neutral.

Those can transfer some engine power to the wheels, then rolling forward at low speeds on flat surfaces if the brakes aren't applied, increasing the risk of a crash.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/toyota-recalls-280000-pickups-suvs-transmissions-deliver-power-107431355

It's a software problem. They intend to fix this with a software patch.

That doesn't happen with a stick shift manual mechanical transmission.... someone should tell Toyota

GM had to announce the recall of 323,232 Chevrolet and GMC HD trucks due to their tailgates spontaneously falling open.

 https://www.powernationtv.com/post/gm-recalls-323000-hd-trucks

Michelin rarely missteps, but they tested their tires wrong, and now have to recall a 1/2 million snow tires

Nearly 550,000 light truck Michelin tires have been recalled. The Agilis CrossClimate C-Metric tires with DOT numbers 0117 through 1423 have been affected. 

The affected tires feature the Alpine Symbol, marking them as snow tires—however, these do not fit the classification for the symbol. The company clarifies that “the Alpine Symbol is depicted by a snowflake inside a three peaked mountain outline.”

The reason why is due to initial tire testing done with the wrong tire pressure. Only after further testing was the issue revealed.

In their voluntary recall, Michelin states that the recalled products “do not meet the traction requirements for snow tires” and, thus, “fail to comply” with federal regulations.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also explains that “the tires are labeled as snow tires, but do not have sufficient traction to perform in all snow weather conditions.”

The tires are typically found on Ford Transit, RAM ProMaster, Volkswagen Crafter, Nissan NV200, Chevrolet City Express and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicles.

All Michelin recalls can be found at https://www.michelinman.com/auto/why-michelin/michelin-safety-recalls

https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/michelin-snow-tire-recall/

https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/recall-alert/michelin-recalls-tires-that-dont-have-enough-snow-traction-for-us-safety-standards/3017696/

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2023/RMISC-23T002-8710.pdf

disturbing news, Ford Motor Company is recalling 2023 Ford Edge crossovers and 2023 Lincoln Nautlilus over insufficient child seat tether wire welds... would you believe that the kids seat welds weren't EXTRA important to the engineering teams design specs?

https://fordauthority.com/2023/03/2023-ford-edge-recalled-over-insufficient-welds

https://fordauthority.com/2023/03/one-2023-lincoln-nautilus-recalled-over-insufficient-welds/

Only now, with at least 8 people dead and 69 more injured, and one cover up by Goodyear, in incidents involving Goodyear G159 tires, has the manufacturer recalled them. The company has not marketed G159 tires in 19 years

The Heagar family had a blow out in 2003, sued Goodyear, but wasn't given full disclosure on an article about Goodyear’s G159 tires, which indicated that Goodyear had done specific testing on those tires.

So, Goodyear had information in its possession, that the family had asked, and it was legally required to present at trial, to settlement, and yet never provided it to the family. 

 Back to court the two parties went.

 The family asked that Goodyear be punished for allegedly committing fraud by refusing to disclose the testing information in discovery. The judge agreed. 

Goodyear appealed; an appeals court agreed with the original ruling. Goodyear appealed again to the U.S. Supreme Court, which remanded the case back to the lower court, which awarded $520,000 for the cover-up.

The tires in question were originally designed for use on local delivery trucks, and then expanded to motorhome use. Consumer groups and lawsuits allege that the tires might be great for stop-and-go delivery trucks. Fitting them on motorhomes and turning them out onto interstates was a recipe for disaster. When the tires got hot on the highway, they were more likely to separate with disastrous consequences.

NHTSA had the authority to order a recall, but for reasons not revealed, waited until Goodyear voluntarily recalled the tires itself. In a news release, the feds said they “pressured” Goodyear to file the recall. Why the long delay? In a statement released by Goodyear, the company says, “This tire hasn’t been made since 2003, it consistently met Goodyear’s demanding safety standards, and we have not received an injury claim related to the tire’s use on a Class A motorhome in more than 14 years.”

How many of the original 173,000 G159 tires are still “out there” is a complete unknown. Goodyear’s recall move will mean if you have any, you can get new replacement tires for your rig.

https://www.rvtravel.com/dead-69-hurt-goodyear-finally-recalls-g159-tires-1056b/

NHTSA first opened an investigation in December 2017 and then formally asked Goodyear to issue a recall in February, arguing G159 tires had higher failure rates that "occurred relatively early in the service life."

NHTSA in February said it appeared Goodyear was aware of a safety defect "as early 2002 while the tires were in production but did not file a recall."

https://www.autoblog.com/2022/06/11/goodyear-nhtsa-tire-recall-fight/

Mercedes-Benz is recalling almost 1 million older vehicles worldwide over concerns about their braking systems. Owners of affected vehicles have been told not to drive their cars

"We have found that in some of those vehicles, the function of the brake booster could be affected by advanced corrosion in the joint area of the housing," Mercedes said in a statement on Saturday.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61701235
https://fortune.com/2022/06/06/does-your-mercedes-have-a-recall-almost-1-million-cars-recalled-over-faulty-breaks

Yes, Fortune.com misspelled Brakes. Too much reliance on spell check

Good news, there is now a class action lawsuit to force Hyundai to deal with the bad engines they installed on 2009 - 2021 vehicles that burn up a RIDICULOUS amount of oil (thanks Marc for letting me know!)

Engines included in the suit are Hyundai/Kia’s Nu, Gamma, Theta, Lambda and Kappa engines. This affects nearly every new or current Hyundai/Kia model that has gone on sale in the last decade:

The lawsuit also claims that Hyundai should have issued a recall over the consumption issues, something I’m just now realizing was never done.

Santa Barbara-based law firm Nye, Stirling, Hale & Miller LLP,  https://www.nshmlaw.com/

Sauder Schelkopf LLC, and Walsh, PLLC.  https://www.sauderschelkopf.com/

 https://jalopnik.com/hyundai-owners-file-class-action-over-excessive-engine-1848797045

https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2022/hyundai-oil-consumption-lawsuit.shtml

https://www.noln.net/articles/6152-hyundai-owners-file-class-action-lawsuit

May 2021

A federal judge in California has put one class-action lawsuit in peril and approved a settlement in another alleging defects in Hyundai and Kia engines. The Korean automaker’s billion-dollar-plus legal liability is on top of the largest civil penalty the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ever levied against an automaker. 

On May 11,2021 U.S. District Judge Staton approved a $1.3 billion settlement that consolidated several 2017 and 2018 nationwide class action lawsuits, alleging that Hyundai Kia refused to recall vehicles with the Theta II GDI engine, even though the automaker knew the engine was defective. 

Representing 3.9 million owners of Hyundai and Kia vehicles, roughly in the 2011 to 2019 model years, the plaintiffs charged that the Theta II GDI was prone to catastrophic failures and non-collision fires, which exposed vehicle owners to safety hazards and economic losses.

This ruling comes on the heels of Judge Staton’s dismissal last week, with leave to amend, of another California class action lawsuit alleging that Hyundai/Kia vehicles were defective dur to excessive oil consumption.

Judge Staton ruled that this complaint, filed in August 2020, failed to assign a cause other than poor manufacturing quality.

https://www.safetyresearch.net/hyundai-kias-billion-dollar-engine-problem-that-broke-the-nhtsa-civil-penalty-barrier/

did you hear about GM's latest complete screw up at the factory? They put 17inch spares on exactly 626 2019-2021 trucks that had 18, 20, and 22 inch rims. Face palm smack of stupid moves, lack of QC, and fundamental logic award!

2019, 2020 and 2021 model-year Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks that were shipped with the incorrect factory spare tire.

GM recall number: N212346510 NHTSA campaign number: 21V985000

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2022/01/chevy-silverado-and-gmc-sierra-recalled-in-the-u-s-for-incorrect-spare-tire/

Mercedes had to recall its EQS EV and recent S-Class sedans, because drivers could watch tv on the 56 inch instrument and entertainment panel, while driving

 

Mercedes-Benz has issued a server-side update to fix an oversight that had allowed owners of its EQS EV and recent S-Class sedans to watch video content on the 56-inch MBUX Hyperscreen displays found in those cars while they were in motion

It estimates nearly 227 cars were affected by the oversight. And while Mercedes is not aware of any crashes, it’s moving forward with a recall.

https://www.engadget.com/mercedes-benz-mbux-server-side-configuration-error-224912962.html

https://www.thedrive.com/tech/43464/mercedes-eqs-recalled-after-56-inch-display-allowed-tv-while-driving

Hyundai and Kia have issued a recall for over 500,000 vehicles for a software problem that could cause the turn signal to activate in the opposite direction of what the driver intended, leading to a higher risk of crash

Hyundai says the problem, which comes from a software issue, has caused no crashes that they’re aware of, and will tell vehicle owners that they can get the problem fixed at a dealership, but won’t be sending letters informing them until mid-November.

The recall affects several versions of a midsize car and a minivan: the 2015 through 2017 Hyundai Sonata, standard and plug-in versions of the 2016 and 2017 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and the 2015 through 2017 Kia Sedona.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/graisondangor/2021/09/30/hyundai-and-kia-are-recalling-550000-vehicles-for-flashing-the-wrong-turn-signal/?sh=222c868362ab

Honda confirms 19th U.S. death due to the recalled Takata airbags... Honda had made more than 100 attempts to reach the car's owners, but the repair was never done

The vehicle involved in the fatal crash had been under recall since April 2011.

Honda said it made more than 100 attempts to reach owners of this vehicle including mailed notices, phone calls, emails and in-person canvassing visits

https://www.autoblog.com/2021/04/22/takata-airbag-recall-death-south-carolina/

everyone has recalls, but Ford recalls dropped into my email a lot this week Ford recalls about 2.5 million vehicles including Focus, Fusion for door latch problem, brake fluid leaks

Problems with rearview cameras caused Ford to announce a recall of 700,000 cars, trucks and SUVs in the United States, Canada and Mexico on Wednesday. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article246123720.html

and automatic transmissions were made with brake pedal brackets that could fracture on the new Mustangs https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a34191403/2020-ford-mustang-brake-recall/

and select 2020 Ford Explorer vehicles over an issue with the front seatbacks that could result in an injury during a crash  https://fordauthority.com/2020/09/2020-ford-explorer-recalled-over-safety-issue-with-front-seatbacks/

and Ford recalls about 2.5 million vehicles including Focus, Fusion for door latch problem, brake fluid leaks https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2020/06/10/ford-recalls-2-5-m-vehicles-latch-brake-troubles/5338286002  when the brakes leak, they don't work very well, and people crash. Not good

So is it any wonder most people skip domestic car makers and look at Hondas and Toyotas instead? 

Volvo has issued a recall of every single 2019 and 2020 vehicle built to date.

It's because of a software incompatibility issue which could cause the automatic emergency braking system to function improperly. Every single S60, V60, S90, V90, XC40, XC60, and XC90 sold in the U.S. is potentially affected, all 121,605 vehicles on the road today.

According to the automaker, the software currently in the vehicles is incompatible with the new hardware used in the model year update. This means the system “may not detect obstacles and engage as intended”.

https://www.powernationtv.com/post/volvo-recalling-every-single-2019-and-2020-vehicle-currently-on-the-road

62 Challengers and 111 Chargers, all 2019 models - were built with the wrong front wheels and tires, Dodge is issuing a recall.

The NHTSA reports that the issue is that the insides of the tires currently on the vehicles are at risk of rubbing up against the suspension steering knuckle.

“This wheel and brake package combination should not have been an available option,” according to the NHTSA notes.

The fix will include Dodge’s “Mid Gloss Black Wheel” (part number 5LD37RXFAA) being replaced (free of charge) with a semi-gloss black twelve-spoke rim (part number 5RN84MALAC). AND they will replace all four wheels so they match, if you were wondering. Front tires and alignment will be inspected and replaced or adjusted, if needed.

https://www.powernationtv.com/post/dodge-recalling-challengers-chargers-after-putting-wrong-wheels-on