spwolf

just checked Sonata forums... lots of blown transmissions at 10k. Yikes.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

That's what I'm thinking too. Rushing to be competitive is good for the short term but it'll catch up to you as can be seen by that. 10k and a blown tranny. That's appalling

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

NHTSA investigating 2013 Infiniti JX over e-brake concern

An investigation has been opened by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration into the 2013 Infiniti JX over possible issues with the emergency brake.
Specifically, the probe is looking at improper application of the e-brake, according to a Reuters report. While the investigation of 8,000 new Infiniti crossovers is not a recall, it could eventually trigger one if the government agency doesn't like what it finds.

The probe was launched after a pair of owners reported to NHTSA that "the intelligent brake assist system inappropriately activated emergency braking autonomously bringing the vehicle to an immediate and complete stop." One can see the potential danger in a vehicle that stops unintentionally and without warning.

No word yet on what might have caused the issue, but we'll keep our eyes peeled for more information.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/31/n...brake-concern/

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Toyota recalling 778,000 RAV4, HS 250h units for loose suspension fasteners

Toyota has announced that it will recall a total of 778,000 units that may have been manufactured with improperly-tightened nuts on the rear suspension. The manufacturer says around 760,000 2006-2011 Toyota RAV4 models and 18,000 2010 Lexus HS 250h units may have fasteners that were not torqued to the correct specification during alignment.

If that's the case, excess wear could occur and pave the way for rust and separation, which in turn could cause an accident. Toyota says the company is currently working on a solution. Once available, the manufacturer will notify owners and ask them to make an appointment to bring the vehicle by the closest dealer for a free repair.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced earlier this month that it was investigating RAV4 models for this very issue after receiving complaints of tie rod failures due to rust

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/01/t...ose-suspensio/

ydooby

^Interesting.. Are RAV4 and HS250h assembled on the same production line and or do they share rear suspension parts? Hope they'll find a solution soon. This is definitely not good for their reputation.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Oops!Already posted even though todays date.


Report Date : August 6, 2012 at 10:32 AM NHTSA Campaign ID number : 12V373000

Vehicle Make / Model: Model Year(s): LEXUS / HS 250 HYBRID 2010
TOYOTA / RAV4 2006-2011

spwolf

they should have been more clear to begin with... Vehicles themselves dont have any issues. They come out of the factory just fine.

Problem is that service books have wrong info on what is the torque specification of some bolts after alignment. Hence if someone did alignment, some bolts might have tightened to wrong specification, if they were tightened to the specifications published in the service books.

I didnt realize this initially, but European recall has this specified clearly.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

GM recalling 36,413 Impala police cars over fracturing control arms

Just a day after General Motors issued a recall for 1,713 Chevrolet Impala Police Sedans in Canada, it has issued the same recall for 36,413 Impala cruisers in America. The issue concerns the front lower control arms on 2008-2012 model year patrol cars, which can fracture and separate from their mounts.

GM says that no accidents of any kind have been attributed to the problem, but that it will begin sending notices to owners later this month and dealers will replace both front lower control arms. In an email, Chevrolet spokesman Alan Adler informed Autoblog that "There is no recall or any field action on non-police (civilian) Impalas now or in the works." Why is that? According to Adler, "Analysis was done to understand the durability in non-police Impalas and showed the control arms used in the base Impalas will exceed GM Engineering durability requirements."

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/09/g...ing-control-a/

ydooby

Thanks for the clarification. That's a huge PR disaster in the US if it's indeed just a service book typo. Can't believe Toyota didn't make sure to word the recall correctly so that the public can easily tell it's a service book typo not a manufacturing issue, although Toyota of course still has to be responsible for any damage done by improperly tightened bolts. Autoblog and so many other news publications are making the recall sound like a manufacturing issue, really making Toyota look bad.

Autoblog: "Toyota has announced that it will recall a total of 778,000 units that may have been manufactured with improperly-tightened nuts on the rear suspension. "

Do you have a link to the European RAV4 recall PR?

spwolf

it is in US PR too

spwolf

In Europe, it is 4-5 different models... here is better statement from the UAE distributor>

ydooby

Thanks. Yeah I did read the US PR and now the UAE PR, but nowhere do they explicitly point out that it's the service manual that has the wrong spec/procedure for the car service person to follow. No wonder it's been widely interpreted and reported as a manufacturing issue. All the PR is saying is what happens if the alignment service is not done to "spec", but never mention that it's the "spec" that's wrong in the first place. They need to be more explicit on what exactly is wrong.

spwolf

in any case, it is not factory issue... Autoblog (as usual) just made that up.. it is after alignment is done on the rear wheels...

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Mitsubishi i-MiEV recalled for air bag safety issue

A minor but important problem with the sensors in the self-diagnostic software used by the Safety Restraint System (SRS) system in some Mitsubishi i-MiEV models has led to a recall notice from Transport Canada and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall affects 49 vehicles in Canada and 261 in the States. According to NHTSA, "incompatibility between the air bag sensors and the self-diagnostic software may deactivate the frontal and side airbag system."

As a result, "the side and curtain air bags may not deploy in a crash for which those air bags were intended to deploy, increasing the risk of personal injury to the vehicle occupants." And that's a bad thing.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/10/m...-safety-issue/

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Ford recalling Transit Connect for faulty wipers

Ford is recalling 16,330 of its trusty Transit Connect work vans due to faulty windshield wiper arms. All of the affected models are from the 2011 and 2012 model years.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the wiper arms on these Transit Connect models may not have been properly riveted, resulting in "incomplete or inconsistent clearing of the windshield and possible detachment of the wiper arm." NHTSA points out that if the wiper becomes detached, a driver's visibility can be reduced, which can of course lead to a crash.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/10/f...faulty-wipers/