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Recall

Bermaz Auto Alliance Sdn Bhd (BAASB), the authorised aftersales provider of Citroen/DS models in Malaysia, has issued a recall and a “Stop Drive Statement” for Citroen/DS vehicles in regard to the faulty Takata airbags.

The models affected by the recall are the following models produced between 2009 and 2017 which are the Citroen C3, Citroen C4, DS3, DS4, and DS5. Owners of these cars are strongly advised to adhere to the recall and “Stop Drive Statement” to ensure their safety and the safety of others on the road.

The recall campaign initiated in 2020 for various phases globally targets vehicles equipped with potentially hazardous Takata airbag inflators. These inflators may deteriorate over time, particularly in hot and humid climates, presenting a rupture risk upon deployment. This rupture can result in dangerous debris scatter, posing a severe threat of injury or fatality.

If you own any of the mentioned models and haven’t received a notification, you can take proactive steps. Contact the company’s customer relationship management helpline at 03-7627 8818 and provide your vehicle’s VIN number for verification. Alternatively, you can reach out via email at customersupport@baasb.com.my to ensure your vehicle’s status regarding the recall and necessary repairs. Your vigilance in this matter is crucial for your safety and the proper resolution of the recall.

We all remember the incident that got people questioning the quality of the X90. People thought the mild hybrid 48-volt battery was the cause of the fire. However, Proton has just released a statement.

Following a comprehensive investigation led by a team of product experts from Proton and Geely, an issue concerning the grounding connection to the X90’s body has been identified. This issue has the potential to cause overheating in the connecting area when a continuous large current flows through it, which, due to its proximity to soundproofing materials, could lead to a thermal incident.

To prioritise safety, Proton will be reaching out to all Proton X90 owners through its network of 3S/4S dealerships. Owners will be contacted individually to arrange for their vehicles to undergo inspection. If necessary, the service centres will take remedial action to address any potential thermal risks.

Owners have the option to contact the nearest 3S/4S service center to schedule an inspection or get more information by reaching out to Proton’s helpline at 1-800-88-8398.

Furthermore, Proton and its suppliers are implementing additional measures to enhance process control and incoming inspections on the Proton X90 production line.

It’s essential to note that the incident is not related to the mild hybrid (48v) battery used in the Proton X90. Proton emphasises its unwavering commitment to product quality and customer safety as its top priorities.

Although Chevrolet sales in Malaysia stopped in 2018 after Naza Quest ended its association with the brand, there is still an obligation to provide certain aftersales support where safety is concerned. In the case of Chevrolet, there is an urgent need to replace the Takata airbag inflator module which can break up when inflating and cause serious injuries or even death to the front occupants of the vehicle.

GM, as with many other carmakers, has been announcing recalls of vehicles globally for this matter. Even though the Takata issue surfaced some 20 years ago, there are still millions of vehicles around the world which have not had their inflator modules replaced.

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The Takata airbag-related recalls have been ongoing since the early 2000s and millions of vehicles of numerous brands have had their airbag inflator modules replaced. The replacement was urgent as there were many cases where the inflator module broke up during inflation of the airbag. With the broken metal pieces shooting at the driver (or front passenger) at up to 200 km/h, serious injuries and deaths occurred in the vehicles.

The dangerous inflator modules were installed in the early 2000s and though it is now over 20 years later, there are still many vehicles in use which may not have had the module replaced. As it is quite a long period of time, the vehicles may also have changed ownership so the authorised distributors (who are primarily responsible for handling recalls) may be unable to inform the actual owners of the vehicle at present as they may not have contact information.

In this case, those who own affected vehicles should contact the authorised distributor of the brand for assistance if they are aware of a recall. Representatives of brands in Malaysia would be obliged to assist in such critical matters.

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The locally-assembled Honda City Hybrid (model year 2021) and Civic Sedan (model year 2022) are being recalled by Honda Malaysia to rectify two issues. While these issues have not caused any injuries or accidents, the company is being proactive as a precautionary safety measure.

Honda Malaysia apologises for the inconvenience caused to owners of the affected and reassures that other current production and selling models are not affected in this product recall. The company believes this product recall is necessary as customer safety is Honda Malaysia’s top priority.

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Some people may regard vehicle recalls to fix manufacturing defects in a negative way, perceiving them as evidence that the brand’s products are unreliable or poorly made. However, in mass production where millions of parts and vehicles are made, there are likely to be some times when something is wrongly done or made. Nevertheless, over the years, manufacturers and their suppliers have cut down these defects to very tiny percentages.

When a manufacturer does detect a defect, it has the responsibility to its customers, especially if it concerns something that concerns safety. A responsible manufacturer will therefore conduct a recall of the affected vehicles, and provide the necessary replacements at no cost to the customer. So customers should be happy when their manufacturer does that – although frequent recalls would be another matter…

Honda Malaysia has done recalls from time to time, its most massive exercise being to replace the Takata airbag inflator module. That was a crucial recall as there was a very high risk of people being seriously injured or even dying if the module broke up.

Now comes another recall (two different ones actually) which the company says is proactive, meaning it is a precautionary safety measure as no incidents have been reported. In the first one, technicians will inspect the nut torque on the Alternating Current Generator (ACG) to determine if it is correctly tightened on the ACG terminal of the engine harness. If not, there may be poor contact and a battery malfunction which may lead to engine stoppage while driving or being unable to start the engine after the car stops. The models affected are 1,068 units of the City (2021) and City Hatchback (2022)

The second issue requires inspection of the bolt earth grounding tightness, also to check if the tightening of bolt earth grounding is correct otherwise the wire harness will be loose. This may cause poor contact terminal and may result in engine stoppage while driving or being unable to start the engine after the car stops. The models affected are 343 units of the HR-V (2020) and 116 units of the BR-V (2021). All the models affected were assembled at the Honda plant in Melaka.

Honda Malaysia apologises for the inconvenience caused to the affected customers and assures the public that all current production and selling models are not affected in this recall. The company believes this product recall is necessary as customer safety is Honda Malaysia’s top priority, and will continue to uphold transparency and stringent controls.

Owners of the affected vehicles will be informed via notification letters which will include details of the recall. Honda Malaysia urges those with affected vehicles to contact any authorised Honda dealer in Malaysia to make an appointment upon receipt of the notification. They can then bring their vehicles for inspection and necessary action (subject to parts availability). The inspection, repair and replacement of affected parts are free of charge and all costs related to this recall activity will be borne by Honda Malaysia.

In the event that you are not the original owner (whose records will be with Honda Malaysia) but want to check if your vehicle is affected and obtain the necessary support, call Honda Malaysia’s toll-free number at 1-800-88-2020.

77,708 Honda vehicles added to recall list for fuel pump replacement

The Nissan X-Trail Hybrid, which has been on sale for some years now, is being recalled by Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn. Bhd. (ETCM) to enhance its Engine Bay Harness – Hybrid Power Line. It is understood that the Hybrid Power Line could be damaged due to interference with the edge of engine or  transmission control module bracket.

The affected units of the model, coded ‘T32’, were manufactured between June 2018 and May 2021. Units produced from June 2021 onwards have already had the fix, so they are not affected by this recall.

X-Trail Hybrids manufactured from June 2021 are not affected by the recall.

If you are not original owner
ETCM will contact owners of the affected SUVs based on contact details registered with them. The notification requesting them to bring their vehicles in will come from Tan Chong Ekspres Auto Servis Sdn. Bhd. (TCEAS) in the form of a letter or by SMS/Whatsapp. It is possible that vehicle ownership may have changed over the years and the current owner may not receive such a notification. In this case, contact a TCEAS outlet for assistance and to make an appointment as well.

As always with such recalls, all labour and enhancement parts for this campaign will be at no cost to owners.

Certain TCEAS outlets have extended operation hours and are open 365 days a  year. This will make it easier for vehicle owners to service their vehicles on weekends and public  holidays.

To locate a TCEAS outlet, call the Nissan Customer Care Centre Hotline at 1800-88- 3838. Or visit www.tceas.com/servicecentre.

Nissan recognises top performance of aftersales services by Tan Chong in Malaysia

The Takata airbag issue started some 7 years ago, and millions of vehicles have been recalled over the years to have their airbag systems replaced. The urgency of the recall was because a dangerous condition in the system’s inflator module could cause the pressure to become too high and break up the module, sending metal pieces towards the driver (and front passenger) at 300 km/h. In some cases, people died as a result of severe injuries.

Takata supplied the airbag systems to many different carmakers so all of them had to make a recall and some companies, like Honda Malaysia, put in a really serious and costly effort to get owners to bring their vehicles in. However, because vehicles change owners over time, recall notices did not reach everyone and there are probably many vehicles still with the dangerous airbag systems.

Inside a steering wheel with an airbag system.

The manufacturers continue to try to make the replacements as much as possible and Mercedes-Benz Malaysia is conducting a safety recall of potentially affected Takata airbag modules from specific models in compliance with the European type approval. This is after gaining a deeper understanding of the condition of airbags modules in the vehicle after a prolonged period. This can be particularly in certain climatic conditions in high humidity countries with high temperatures.

Models poduced between 2004 and 2016 affected
In fact, in mid-2019, the carmaker made a worldwide recall of affected models of its passenger cars, vans and trucks. Locally, the models affected include the models 169 (A-Class), 203, 204 (C-Class), X204 (GLK), 207 (E-Coupe/ Convertible), 212 (E-Class), 164 (ML and GL-Class), 251 (R-Class), 171 (SLK), and 197 (SLS AMG) which were produced between 2004 – 2016.

The largest number of cars being recalled in Malaysia would be from the C-Class (above) and E-Class (below) produced between 2004 and 2016.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia and Daimler AG reassures its customers that all its presently produced passenger car models are no longer equipped with Takata (or other manufacturers’) airbags which have ammonium nitrate as the primary propellant. This element was a key factor in the cause of the problem.

Notifications sent out
Mercedes-Benz owners can check their vehicle VIN on the Mercedes-Benz microsite mb4.me/airbagrecall or by calling the Malaysian Customer Care Centre on 1-800-88-1133 to confirm if their vehicle has been identified for this voluntary program. Mercedes-Benz Malaysia urges all affected customers to contact authorized Mercedes-Benz dealers, the Customer Care Centre or use our online booking facility upon the receipt of the notification to replace the airbag, subject to parts availability. The replacement airbag will be provided free of charge if there is a need for it to be changed.

In the event that you are not the original owner, you might not receive any notification as the contact details with MBM may not be updated to yours. You will still be entitled to the replacement (if needed) so contact their Customer Care Centre for assistance.

The explosion that saves lives instead of kills…

Vaccination does not make you immune to COVID-19 infection. You can still get infected and although you may not show symptoms, you can spread the coronavirus to others. Do not stop taking protective measures such as wearing a facemask, washing hands frequently and social distancing.

A number of models are being recalled by Honda Malaysia to replace a fuel pump as a precautionary measure. This follows an announcement last year in connection with a global recall by the carmaker, with 55,354 units of Honda vehicles assembled in Malaysia in 2018 and 2019 being affected. Now, Honda Malaysia says that an additional 77,708 vehicles have also been added to the recall list. The latest models currently on sale are not affected.

The affected models added to the recall list are shown below:

Honda Fuel Pump Recall
The earlier recall list issued in June 2020.

No incidents reported so far
Honda Malaysia believes this recall is necessary as a preventive measure to address the possibility of difficulty in starting the engine, loss of engine power or vehicle stalling. So far, there are no incidences of crashes or injuries caused by this issue reported in Malaysia. However, as customer safety is Honda Malaysia’s top priority, the company will continue to uphold transparency and stringent controls for all its customers.

Owners of affected vehicles will be informed via notification letters which will include details of the recall. Owners can also check if their vehicle is affected in the fuel pump recall using the HondaTouch application or visit www.honda.com.my/productrecall.honda.com.my.

If you are not the original owner
It is possible that some owners may not receive notification letters as they are not the original owners whose details are on Honda Malaysia’s database. In this case, they can obtain assistance from an authorised Honda dealer to check on the status of their vehicle, or call Honda Malaysia’s Toll-Free number at 1-800-88-2020.

Honda Malaysia urges all affected owners to contact any authorised Honda dealer to make an appointment upon receipt of the notification to replace the fuel pump, subject to parts availability. The replacement of the affected fuel pump is free of charge and all costs related to this activity will be borne by Honda Malaysia.

Over 55,000 Honda vehicles assembled in Malaysia recalled for fuel pump replacement

No matter how much effort a manufacturer puts into quality control, there will be some occasions when some parts which are not perfectly made slip through the system and get into the market. When that happens, responsible manufacturers will quickly identify where the faulty parts are and take remedial measures to replace them.

In the case of manufacturers like Toyota, recalls to replace or rectify faulty parts are not common but do happen. And because of concern for customers’ safety, the carmaker acts quickly to recall affected vehicles by having a Special Service Campaign in collaboration with its distributor; in the case of Malaysia, that would be UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT).

Visit www.bhpetrol.com.my for more information.

Special Service Campaign
The distributor of Toyota and Lexus vehicles in Malaysia has announced a Special Service Campaign (SSC) for the Toyota Avanza MPV to replace the fuel pump. This  SSC is an expansion of an earlier campaign.

Based on the information received from Toyota Motor Corporation, there are 3,923 units affected  and they were manufactured from October 2017 to June 2019, and distributed nationwide.

Faulty fuel pump
The fault in the fuel pump may stop it operating and if this were to occur, warning lights and messages may be displayed on the instrument panel. This may be accompanied by engine power hesitation which could result in the vehicle stalling and being unable to restart.

UMWT will officially notify all its affected vehicle owners to being their vehicle to an authorised service centre to replace the fuel pump unit. The owner will not have to pay anything for all costs related to the exercise.

If you are not the original owner
It is possible that some of the units may have owners who were not the ones who originally purchased the vehicles. In this case, they might not receive the notification as the contact details UMWT would have in its database might only be for the original owner. Nevertheless, if the vehicle is among those being recalled, the current owner can still get the support at no charge.

For further information, Avanza owners  may contact any authorised Toyota Service  Centre or call the Toyota Freephone at 1800-8-TOYOTA (869682).

12,997 units of Toyota Hilux and Fortuner recalled for brake booster issue

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