Manufacturer recalls for November 2017

Here is a list of vehicles and related products that were recalled in the past month.

A million vehicles from North America are being recalled by BMW due to two different fire risks. The first recall involves 670,000 2006-2011 3-Series models which are fitted with faulty wiring for the air conditioning and heating system that can overheat and lead to a fire. The second recall prevails over 740,000 2001-2011 vehicles which are found to have a defective valve heater fitted into them. This valve heater can rust over time and lead to a fire. The fire issue got traction after a number of news outlets highlighted BMW cars catching fire without reason. The vehicles affected by this recall are 128i, 3-Series, 5-Series, X3, X5 and Z4 vehicles. BMW dealers will inspect the cars and replace the wiring harness and valve heater in the latter and former recalls, respectively.

All the BMW i3 vehicles ever sold in the US are being called back home due to a crash-test result that was not up to the mark. NHTSA has found out that if a 5-foot-tall, 110-pound female sits in the driver’s seat during a crash, she will experience “marginally” higher risk of a neck injury if she does not wear the seat belt. Owners will be intimated in January about the recall and till then, BMW has said that it’s safe for them to drive their cars as long as they wear the seat belt. The i3 is not officially sold in the GCC, but a few private imports exist.

Honda’s Odyssey vans manufactured from 2007-2011 are being recalled to rectify an issue with the second row of seats. It will affect 807,000 of these vehicles and a stop-sale order has also been passed for the vans from these model years. The second-row outboard seats of the affected vehicles are found to improperly latch while they are installed in one of the positions. This can lead the seat to tilt forward under braking, putting the occupant at risk. Honda is working on a solution for this issue and the owners are being notified via email.

Ford announced a recall on more than 200,000 Ford F-150 trucks and Explorer SUVs built between 2016 January and April. A bolt in the front power adjustable seats can allow the cushion to shift during a crash. This stops the seat from restraining the occupant properly, leading to an injury. The affected vehicles will be inspected by Ford dealer’s to estimate the bolt’s usability. If it is found to be faulty, they’ll remove the bolt, apply more thread lock and screw it in with proper torque. This is a temporary fix and Ford is working on a permanent solution which can eliminate the problem entirely.

Ford said it will offer a limited-time-only free repair for about 1.4 million SUVs after numerous reports of carbon monoxide leaks in current-gen Ford Explorers. Previously, the carmaker denied there was a problem, even while offering free repairs only on police versions to seal extra holes unused by police equipment. Drivers in the U.S. have reported nausea, headaches, and even loss of consciousness. However, Ford still claims the Explorer is safe, and has been backed up by an investigation by the U.S. NHTSA government agency which found that CO levels were higher, but nowhere high enough to cause an issue, and there is no link to any crashes. Owners of 2011-2017 Explorer in the United States, Canada and Mexico have to take their cars to the dealer before December 31 this year, where they will reprogram the a/c, replace the liftgate drain valves, and inspect the sealing at the rear of the vehicles. The reference number for the service is “17N03”, but it does not look like the fix will be offered in the GCC for the time being. We have received a few reports of this problem directly from owners since the debut of the 2011 Explorer.

Ford has also acknowledged that early versions of the 2.3-litre Ecoboost engine in the 2016-2017 Focus RS can develop an issue with 10,000 km that causes them to consume coolant fluid, producing white exhaust smoke as they burn coolant during cold running. Ford has already replaced several affected engines with all-new units built to the latest specification under warranty. While it is speculated that the problem is related to the head gasket and the engine block, there is no official reason given for the issue. The Ford Focus RS was never offered in the GCC officially, but a few private imports exist.

United Technologies Corp’s Kidde unit, a safety product manufacturer is currently recalling more than 40 million fire extinguishers that it sold for cars in US and Canada. In 2014, one of the units failed to function properly and caused a death. The fire extinguishers are found to become clogged and in need of excessive force to open. The recall involves 134 models of Kidde plastic handle fire extinguishers built between 1973 and August 2017. It also includes Kidde’s push-button fire extinguishers made between 1995 and September 2017.

Contact your local dealer for more information on the above recalls.