It's been the kind of year when the total number of recalls almost seemed to match auto industry production figures.
In August, Ford Motor Co. announced it was recalling 3.6 million vehicles, mostly trucks from the 1990s, to fix a speed control deactivation switch.

Last spring, Volkswagen started recalling more than 1,000,000 new VW Beetles from model years 2001 to 2007 to repair a brake light problem.

Even Toyota recalled 533,124 units of its 2004-2007 Sequoia and its 2004-2006 Tundra, citing problems with the lower ball joint on the vehicles' front suspension.

1. Volkswagen New Beetle
Model year(s): 2001- 2007
Potential number of vehicles: 1,002,000

Reason: Repair a brake light switch that may malfunction if installed incorrectly.

2. Toyota Tundra & Sequoia
Model year(s): 2004-2007 Sequoia; 2004-2006 Tundra
Potential number of vehicles: 533,124

Reason: Replace front suspension lower ball joint, which could wear prematurely and loosen.

3. Dodge Nitro & Jeep Wrangler
Model year(s): 2006-2007
Potential number of vehicles: 297,000

Reason: Reprogram electronic brake control module to solve a momentary delay in braking while driving uphill.

4. Honda Civic
Model year(s): 2006-2007
Potential number of vehicles: 180,000

Reason: Wheel sensors may not have been properly installed and may not fully seal hub assembly, creating risk that wheels may corrode and fall off.

5. Jeep Liberty
Model year(s): 2006-2007
Potential number of vehicles: 149,605

Reason: Replace heating and air-conditioning blower to prevent overheating.

6. Nissan Altima
Model year(s): 2007
Potential number of vehicles: 140,582

Reason: Replace air filter, which may ignite if it comes into contact with hot object.

7. Hyundai Tucson
Model year(s): 2006-2007
Potential number of units: 128,300

Reason: Replace driver air bag module to improve protection for individuals of small stature.

8. Jeep Wrangler & Dodge Nitro
Model year(s): 2007
Potential number of vehicles: 80,894

Reason: Reprogram power module software to reduce possibility of stalling.

9. Suzuki Forenza & Reno
Model year(s): 2006-2007
Potential number of vehicles: 75,697

Reason: Replace driver and front passenger seat belt buckles to reduce possibility of latch disconnecting.

10. Volkswagen Passat & Passat Wagon
Model year(s): 2006-2007
Potential number of vehicles: 58,000

 

Ooooh, new technology. Pre-combustion, internal combustion engine.

 

How is a paper air filter going to contact something hot enough to set it off? It is INSIDE a plastic housing and separated by tubes and distance from the hot parts of the engine like exhaust manifold and pipes.

 

Its rare but a hot cigerette butt or hot debris can cause it.

 

The Wrangler's issue is nothing.. went to the dealer and it took 30 seconds to fix.

 

In other words, if some jerk tosses a glowing cigarette or cigar butt out of the window (I see this myself quite often) and somehow it gets sucked down the hood scoop and air tubes of the Nissan behind it?

OK...I'll buy that. That, of course, is not likely, but possible.

 

...........and then the average Wrangler, in 30 MORE seconds, will need something else.

(I'm exaggerating, of course, and being humorous and facetious, but the Wrangler, in general, is not known for good reliability, despite its excellent off-road capability and its popularity with the drive-in-the-boonies crowd).

 

hahahahaha.

I find that funny, and yet most of the people I know have wranglers with 100-200k+ on theirs. the 4.0 was a stout block and ran well. Chrysler as a whole had some problems, but with the new ownership I don't think we are going to see that as much anymore.

 

I think it might be more likely that you think. On a few occasions when I changed my air filter on previous cars, under the air filter at the bottom of the air box I've found some leaves as well as old cigarette buts. The only way for it to get there is to be sucked up the air duct somehow. Once I can buy it as a fluke, but I found at them at least 3-4 times since I've been changing them myself.

 

Auto Recalls Up 25%
But many problems in '07 were with older models, indicating that newer vehicles are more reliable.
David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- The number of vehicles recalled increased more than 25 percent in 2007, but the biggest recalls were largely limited to older models, suggesting that automakers are building more reliable cars and trucks.

Overall, 14.2 million vehicles were recalled this year, up from 11.2 million in 2006, but still far below the 30.8 million recalled in 2004, according to preliminary figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The increase is mainly due to a big jump at Ford Motor Co., which recalled 5.5 million vehicles this year, with about 4.8 million from 2004 and earlier model years. Most were recalled for a nagging problem with a cruise control deactivation switch the Dearborn-based automaker has been dealing with for years.

The other top five automakers saw their recall numbers decline, with General Motors Corp. seeing the biggest improvement. GM recalled 537,992 vehicles as of Dec. 21, a 61 percent drop from 1.37 million in 2006. Honda Motor Co. saw a 54 percent decline to 547,215 vehicles, from 1.19 million in 2006. Chrysler LLC and Toyota Motor Corp. also recalled fewer vehicles than last year, although the improvement was less dramatic.

Another contributor to the overall increase this year is Volkswagen of America, which recalled 1.5 million vehicles, mostly by expanding recalls of parts that are used in multiple vehicles.

Final recall figures won't be available until early next month. NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson declined to address the reasons behind the drop for most automakers.

Recalls include vehicles from all model years with the reported defect. So while some 2007 recalls include recent models, problems with newer vehicles often aren't showing up until later because vehicles generally are built better than in previous years.

"It can take several years for defects to show up," said Sean Kane, president of Safety Research and Strategy Inc., a vehicle safety analysis and advocacy group based in Massachusetts. "Cars are lasting longer. Twenty years ago, you were lucky if a car made it to 100,000 miles. Today, that's the expectation."

Additionally, Detroit's automakers have significantly improved the quality and reliability of their products, so they're not being recalled as often.

"The vast majority of vehicles recalled were older models introduced a decade ago or even earlier," Ford spokesman Dan Jarvis said. "They really are a world apart from the vehicles we've made in the last three to four years."

In August, Ford recalled 3.6 million vehicles that were built between 1992 and 2004 because of a cruise control switch that's been linked to engine fires. Since 1999, Ford has recalled 10.4 million vehicles with the switch, the largest U.S. recall ever for a single defective part.

Jarvis said it was important to note that Ford's quality ratings have improved in recent years.

Forty-one of Ford's 44 vehicle nameplates rate among the highest for reliability by Consumer Reports.

Most major automakers saw declines in total vehicles recalled this year, but not in the number of recall campaigns.

Automakers say one reason is that with a congressionally mandated early warning system in place to track complaints, repairs and warranty claims, they are finding problems faster.

GM had 18 recall campaigns in 2007 covering 537,992 vehicles in all, compared with 17 campaigns and 1.37 million vehicles recalled last year. In 2004, the company recalled 10.7 million vehicles.

"We've seen a three-year trend of fewer safety recalls, and this is confirmation that the products we're designing have the best quality we've ever made," GM spokesman Alan Adler said.

Chrysler reported its recalls dropped from 28 campaigns and 2.4 million vehicles in 2006 to about 2.1 million vehicles this year in 27 campaigns. Chrysler spokeswoman Katie Hepler said the company is working to more quickly identify problems.
VW gets hit hard

Volkswagen of America has had a major jump in recalls in the last two years, largely because of a single defective part across many vehicles. After recalling 81,000 vehicles in 2005, VW recalled 950,000 in 2006 and 1.5 million in 2007.

The recalls this year included 790,000 vehicles recalled over a faulty brake-light switch, extending an existing campaign.

The part, used in several vehicles, was from a single supplier and shows how extensive a recall from a single faulty part can be, VW spokesman Keith Price said. "It's the ripple effect of the pebble in the pond."

Asian automakers reported lower numbers.

"We've done a lot to improve quality not only at the factory but throughout the dealer network and internal service operations to track problems," Honda spokesman Chris Martin said.

Nissan North America saw its recalls drop slightly, from 1.3 million vehicles to 1.2 million. Last month, the company recalled 696,600 Altima and Sentra sedans that had a faulty engine part that could overheat and cause the engine to stall.

But perhaps the biggest news among Asian automakers was the problems Toyota Motor Corp. had with reliability and recalls. Though down to 573,554 recalled vehicles from 657,308 in 2006, the Japanese company this month recalled about 10 percent of its Tundra pickups and earlier this year recalled more than 500,000 of its Sequoia SUVs. That's significant because Toyota has been pushing hard to break into the highly profitable large vehicle market.

In October, Consumer Reports demoted Toyota to third from first in its vehicle reliability rankings, dropping the Camry, Tundra and Lexus GS from its list of recommended vehicles. The magazine said it would no longer automatically recommend Toyota vehicles that had been redesigned.

"This is a big issue for us," Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong said, noting that the 2005 recall total, 2.37 million vehicles, was "really glaring."

Kwong said Toyota CEO Katsuaki Watanabe has made it his highest priority to restore quality. The first vehicle to go through the more rigorous "Customer First" process is the Toyota Highlander SUV, with no recalls to date. Kwong said the company has hired more engineers and built more prototypes before launching vehicles.

 

The 4.0 was actually an old AMC straight-six cast-iron block that dates back some 40 years...to the late 60's-early 70's (I remember it on some of the old AMC products I grew up with back then). It was fairly durable, but not as durable as the Chrysler 3.7L slant-six, which was remarkable.

The reliability record of the Wrangler is interesting. On paper, it had never ranked high (Consumer Reports has varied it back and forth between average and much worse than average), but like you, I've seen some with a couple of hundred thousand miles on them. By then, they are usually rusted out and full of holes. Basically, it is as you note.....a good engine with a second-rate body and interior, although the hard-core Rubicon model comes with underpinnings like a tank.