Voluntary Recall Archives

Ford Focus RS is experiencing engine problems

Ford’s hothatch, the Focus RS, may not be as perfect as we hoped it would. According to a recent article by Autocar UK, several owners if the latest car have reported seeing white smoke from the exhaust. This is a result of coolant being burnt during cold running. A remedy has yet to be established but Ford has stated that a fix will be rolled out to all customers, even ones not affected by the issue.

Several affected owners have already had their engines replaced with ones that are of the latest specification. Whether or not Ford resorts to swapping all these engines with newer ones, remains to be seen but there are several theories as to why the problem occurred in the first place. Some are saying that the issue could be related to the engine head gasket failing to maintain a seal, while others say it’s something worse.

The problem could also be due to the engine block itself getting distorted over the course of several heat cycles. It may not be as tolerant as Ford had hoped with coping with the demands of enthusiastic owners. Whatever the case, Ford could be looking at a major campaign to rectify the issue and help pacify disgruntled owners who yet to even to break-in their new cars.

Coincidentally, the Ford Mustang uses the same engine as the Focus RS but may not inherit the problem. Autocar UK‘s article states that the material used for the Mustang’s block differs from that used for the Focus. Stay tuned and we will keep you updated as the story unfolds.

Source: Autocar UK

Bugatti Chiron recalled due to faulty welds

No car, no matter how special, is free of imperfections. Case in point is the Bugatti Chiron. Regarded as one of the most expensive and powerful cars on earth, the Chiron is considered the epitome of automotive greatness. Today however, that image has been tainted in the form of a recall.

According to an article by Bloomberg, Bugatti Automobiles SAS has informed U.S. auto regulators that it is recalling models of the car due to faulty welds on the front seat recliner bracket. And unlike regular manufacturers, the French automaker isn’t content with notifying customers of the problem via email or calls, instead, they have taken it one step further.

A team of Bugatti personnel will travel to each Chiron owner’s location to pick it up personally. The team will then haul the vehicle in an enclosed truck to one of 12 Bugatti dealers in the U.S. for inspections. There are about 12 of such vehicles in the US, but 47 in total, globally, are affected by this issue.

There’s no word yet on how Bugatti aims to deal with customers outside the US, but we assume that its method, will probably be similar in nature to that executed in the US. At $2.99 million (RM12.20 Million) a pop, owners of the Chiron shouldn’t have to expect anything other than 6 Star level of treatment.

The Chiron is the follow-up model to the mind-bending Veyron, which claimed and held the record for the fastest production car in the world for several years. It is powered by an 8.0-litre W16 quad-turbo engine that produces 1,479bhp and 1,600Nm of torque. The car was the talk of the town until it was recently upstaged by Koniegsegg’s Agera RS with its 0-400-0 km/h feat.

Source: Bloomberg

BMW may issue a recall of i3 in the USA

Due to certain safety concerns, BMW may be on the verge of organising a voluntary recall in the USA. According to a recent article by InsideEvs, the issue is with the BMW i3 regarding the less than acceptable data received by NHTSA based on its crash test results.

Apparently, during a crash, a ‘5th percentile female’, who isn’t wearing a seatbelt, can suffer neck injuries that are slightly above the acceptable limit. In this context, the 5th percentile female can be defined as a female driver, weighing 50kg or less and is about 5 feet tall.

This means that drivers who do not fall into this category have no cause for concern. This issue only effects a small portion of i3 drivers, but is still being treated as a serious matter. The article also states that a Stop-Sale order has been made that will effectively halt vehicle deliveries to customers until the problem has been rectified.

All BMW i3 cars since its launch in 2014, are effected by this issue, which equates to about 30,000 vehicles in total. There is no news yet on how the Bavarian automaker tends to tackle the problem but whatever it decides, this probably won’t be an easy fix.

So far, the problem seems to only affect the North American car but we shall have to wait and see if it stems from a manufacturing defect or a design flaw. If the latter is true, BMW may find themselves in a little bit of a pickle, especially if they want to continue selling these cars in markets with stringent safety laws.

The BMW i3 is a compact eco car that has been made available as a full-fledged electric vehicle or a hybrid/range extender. It’s a decent looking city car that helped change our perception on hybrid and EVs in general. We will let you know more as the i3 issue unfolds in the coming weeks.

Soource: InsideEVs

Porsche North America issues recall for Cayenne vehicles built between 2003-2006

Porsche North America has issued a statement regarding the recall of Cayenne vehicles built between 2003-2006. The reason for the recall is due to an issue pertaining to the fuel pump filter. The automaker has found that, overtime and extended usage, hairline cracks could develop on the flange of the fuel pump filter of affected vehicles.

If this does happen, a ‘very small quantity’ of fuel could seep through these cracks, which can cause a noticeable fuel odour. Though the automaker is playing down the issue, when problems regarding fuel seepage arises, they shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Porsche’s remedy for the problem is to have an authorized dealer replace the fuel pump filter flange at no cost to owners. The procedure should take approximately one and a half hours to complete, which means that inconvenience to Cayenne customers should be kept at a minimum.

So far, the German automaker has identified that 50,145 Cayenne vehicles are affected by the recall in North America. It is treating the rectification process as a ‘voluntary recall’, meaning that the issue isn’t of immediate concern to Cayenne owners.

That said, this problem seems to be isolated to the North American market. As for now, vehicles sold in other parts of the world don’t seem to have inherited this defect. Vehicles built in that part of the world, rarely share similar parts or suppliers with identical models sold in other markets.

Though many consider it as a point against Porsche’s Quality Control procedures, this goes to show that customer satisfaction is a priority for Porsche. Unlike some automakers, the company isn’t fully focused on sales profit, instead, it is still concerned with the safety of customers who have older models and are content with keeping them.

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