Manufacturer recalls for December 2017

Here is a list of recalls that were initiated in December 2017.

Ford has announced a recall that spans over 200,000 2016 Ford F-150 trucks and Explorer SUVs to inspect and repair a defective bolt in the front power-adjustable seats. This bolt can come loose, which may not let the seats restrain the occupant properly. This can prove dangerous in the event of an accident. The recall affects the examples that were built between January and April of 2016. The dealers will be removed and new thread lock will be applied after which they’ll be re-installed with proper torque. If the bolt is deemed unfit for long usage, the part will be replaced with new units.

Bugatti is sending out “Flying Doctors” to inspect all the Bugatti Chirons around the world to spot improper welds for the seat brackets. Bugatti suspects only 1 percent of all the Chirons sold is affected. Mathematically, this should mean that less than half a car is affected. Not sure how that works out. Anyway, if Bugatti spots a defect, the car will be loaded on to a truck and taken to the nearest Bugatti service center where it will be repaired free of cost.

More than half a million Hyundai and Kia cars are being recalled to address an issue with the tail lamp. A faulty polymer stopper pad between the brake pedal and light switch is found to deteriorate over time which can cause the light to glow continuously. The dealers will replace the faulty pads. Cars affected include 390,000 Hyundai Elantras and 134,000 Kia Fortes (known as Cerato here). It is unclear if the recall applies in the GCC.

FCA has issued a recall that affects 1.8 million vehicles due to an issue regarding the transmission. In these vehicles, the interlock system responsible for keeping the transmission from shifting out of park if the brake pedal is not depressed and if the key is not in the ignition is prone to fail if exposed to high temperatures for long periods. This can cause the vehicle to roll away even if it’s slotted into park. The affected vehicles mostly include heavy-duty RAM trucks that have steering mounted shifters. Vehicles with floor mounted or rotary shifters are excluded. FCA recommends that the users of these trucks to use the parking brakes and not to leave children alone in these cars until Dodge responds with a recall intimation.

That’s all for the final month of 2017. As always, if your car appears on this list, grab a phone and ring your dealer to know what’s what.