Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Jaguar XF

If you have a 2009 Jaguar XF, you should hop down to your dealer to have the rear safety belt assembly looked at. Jaguar is recalling 7,900 of the '09 cars because in an accident the rear occupants might not be properly restrained. To find out more you can call Jaguar at 1-800-452-4827, or make an appointment at your local Jaguar dealer.


[Source: Carscoop]

Some 2008-model Hyundai Elantras are being recalled due to fuel pumps that could lose pressure and decreasing engine performance. In Elantras with the 2.0-liter Beta engine, gasoline with ethanol added creates a buildup of film on the pump's electrical contacts. This can cause the engine to hesitate during starting or while running. The recall is voluntary, and if you have one of the affected cars, don't hesitate to contact your dealer.

[Source: Freep]

Up to 34,000 Honda Fits from 2007 and 2008 are being recalled for a faulty sensor that detects child seats or out-of-position passengers. In states that use road salt, the salt-infused water from melting snow on the driver's shoes can leak beneath the carpet and corrode the wires for the Occupant Detection System (ODS). Severing that connection means that the passenger's front and side airbags will go off even if a child is in the front seat. The recall is in effect now for cars sold or registered in these states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

[Source: Carscoop]

Problems with older vehicles have helped recalls jump 25% from 2006 to 2007, with over 14 million owners receiving the dreaded notice this year. Topping this year's list with 5.5 million recalls is Ford Motor Company, due mostly to a cruise control problem. Volkswagen also saw a rise in recalls, with over 1.5 million notices. That number looks much larger when considering the relatively small U.S. sales numbers for the German automaker.

The silver lining in the up-tick in recalls is that most of the vehicles effected were older models, meaning newer vehicles are for now staying somewhat out of the headlines. Ford spokesman Dan Jarvis pointed out to the Detroit News that most of its 3.6 million cruise control switch recalls were for vehicles over 10 years old. GM, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and Chrysler all saw a drop in recalls in 2007, though the Pentastar still had a hefty 2.1 million notices spanning 21 campaigns.

[Source: Detroit News]

The NHTSA has announced a recall of nearly 30,000 2006 and 2007 X5, 5-Series, and 6-Series models equipped with the 4.8L V8 engine due to a stalling issue. The reason for the recall is that low temperatures coupled with dry conditions can create a static discharge in the fuel line, which interrupts fuel delivery. The fix for the problem is both free and easy, as a BMW dealer will install grounding cables to your engine at no charge. BMW may create the ultimate driving machines, but if you've got a vehicle that meets the description above, we'd suggest hitting the dealer for a fix before the cold weather puts a shock in your fun.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Speaking of recalls... It's one thing for a full-line automaker like General Motors or Ford to announce a recall, as those companies produce thousands of vehicles a day. It's quite another for a manufacturer like Bentley, which still primarily builds its entire lineup by hand, to announce a recall. The company from Crewe is reportedly recalling 520 examples of its ultra expensive Arnage that were built over the last 18 months due to incorrect bolts being used to attach the wheels, which could come loose as a result.

Bentley has reportedly already contacted owners of the affected vehicles, who no doubt include a number of wealthy and famous people who were bothered to discover their $221,000 sedan has issues. One of the reasons for paying that much for a car is so you don't have to deal with recalls like the rest of us schlubs. But we'll give Bentley a break, as anyone can have a bad day... for 18 months.

[Source: Scotsman.com via KickingTires]

BusinessWeek has trolled the NHTSA files to find out which automakers have had to recall their brand new 2007 models the most, and the winner is Volkswagen thanks to a recall of just over 1 milion 2007 New Beetles because of potentially faulty brake light switches. Of course, Ford announced a major recall of 3.6 million vehicles earlier this month for defective cruise control switches, but none of the vehicles affected were 2007 models and so don't count for this list.

We've complied the rest of the data for you in a handy list after the jump, because we hate having to click through BusinessWeek's 15-part slideshow, and we suspect you might, too.

[Source: BusinessWeek]

Forbes' Dan Lienert studied the NHTSA's recall numbers for 2006 models and compiled a list of the most recalled vehicles sold in the U.S. The worst? The 2006 Dodge Ram with a total of seven recalls. It was recalled for a bad brake control unit, a defective front suspension, potentially faulty airbags and transfer cases, possibly bad seatbelts, defective rearview mirrors and missing exterior lighting. We're not sure that includes the Ram recall we told you about last month. Second place also went to Dodge, with the Durango scoring six recalls.

Accompanying the Dodges is another DaimlerChrysler product, a Chevrolet truck, a Hyundai, two Range Rovers and, uh oh, a Honda. That's right. The much-beloved Honda Civic coupe and sedan had four collective recalls of the 2006 model. The Civic had bad airbags, loose gas pedals, back glass that was installed improperly and incorrect NHTSA information in the owner's manual.

In case you're curious (and what Autoblog reader isn't?), the 2006 Camry was recalled only once. It's offense? A misprinted spare tire guide which could, potentially, lead to an accident if improper equipment was installed.

[Source: Forbes]

In the face of increasing quality problems, Jim Press, president of Toyota North America, revealed at the recent Chicago Auto Show that no discussions have taken place within Toyota about increasing its new or used vehicle warranty coverage. Speaking about the topic to Automotive News, Press said, "It's something you need as a solution to a problem." Hmm... a problem like this, this, or this? AN reports that the company has recalled 3.4 million vehicles since 2005, 2.2 million of which occurred in 2005 alone.

It's perfectly valid to wonder if Toyota should increase its warranty coverage and follow the lead of General Motors and Ford, both of which have increased their warranty coverage recently. We don't dispute Press's claim that such increases are meant to solve a problem, but in the case of these two domestics, it's not because of increasing recalls and rising warranty claims. Rather, the domestics are seeking a solution to their image problem. GM and Ford have both been dogged with poor reputations for quality despite steadily improving the durability and build quality of their cars. Neither is admitting they have quality problems by increasing their warranties, rather they're both showing customers that they're willing to put up or shut up about their increased quality. Frankly, if Press believes that his company doesn't have "reliability issues that go beyond our normal warranty," as he says, then what's the harm in extending the warranty to prove it?

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

We've noticed a few more posts about recalls have been going up the last couple of days, so one reader wanted us to know that, in fact, there were a lot fewer recalls last year in the U.S. than there were in 2005. Overall, the whole of the U.S. auto industry recalled 10.6 million vehicles in 2006, down some 38% from the 17.1 million vehicles that were recalled in 2005. Let's look at which automakers had a good year for recalls last year and which didn't.

General Motors: -73% at 1.4 million recalls (2005: 5 million)
Ford Motor Company: -71% at 1.7 million recalls (2005: 6 million)
Chrysler Group: 200% at 2.3 million recalls (2005: 765,777)
Nissan North America: 83% at 1.3 million recalls (2005: 709,838)

The article also talked about Toyota and Honda, but didn't provide enough recall info on either to include in our list above (and have you ever tried to search the NHTSA website for such information? Good luck). Both automakers, however, had a good year for recalls. Toyota, for instance, finished 2006 with 814,507 recalls, far fewer than the over 2 million that were issued in 2005. Honda, meanwhile, issues recalls affecting 1.2 million vehicles, the bulk of which was to replace owners manuals that were printed the incorrect telephone number for the NHTSA that led callers to a phone sex service. Without the printing fuax pas include, Honda recalled only 1,397 vehicles in the U.S. for actual mechanical troubles that adversely affected the safety of its vehicles.

Thanks for the tip, logiste!

[Source: American Society for Quality]