BMW Recalling 7-Series for Rollaway Threat and for Doors that May Open by Themselves

Bad news for several thousand owners of BMW's previous flagship model, the E65 and E66 7-Series sedan, which is the one featuring the pronounced boot(ie) that came to be known sarcastically as the "Bangle Butt."

The Bavarian carmaker filed two separate recalls on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, the first concerning a transmission flaw that could cause the car to roll away, and the other, because of a faulty software concerning the door latches.

Read more »

GM to Upgrade Software on 4,000 Chevrolet Volts to Fix Stalling Electric Motor Problem

When Chevrolet Volt owner and gm-volt.com forum member "1RiverMan1" came home on October 19, he heard a phone message from his Volt advisor (sic) informing him about a potential problem with some of GM’s 2013 MY extended-range hybrids.

The issue was that on some cars, the electric motor for no apparent reason at all, stopped working while on the move. The advisor said that the steering and brakes of the Volt still worked, but added that if it were to occur, the driver must coast to a stop, power the car off, wait for 2-5 minutes and then power it up again.

Read more »

Recalled 2010 Camaro Burns Down, Owner Asks GM to Help Him Finance a New ZL1

Back in May of 2009, General Motors issued the first ever recall for its then new, fifth generation Camaro that was sold as a 2010 model, only a few weeks after launch.

The recall affected 1,243 Camaro SS coupes equipped with a V8 engine because of a short-circuit risk that could lead to a fire. The culprit was a positive battery cable that could rub against the starter motor housing causing wear on the cable insulation.

In all recall cases, the automaker directly or through one of its dealers, contacts owners of the affected models to inform them about the problem and how and when it will be fixed (which is stated in GM's Recall Bulletin that you can find below).

Read more »

Side Air-Bag Glitch Leads to the Recall of 262,000 Ford Fiestas from the 2011-2013MY

Ford plans to recall certain model year 2011-2013 Fiesta vehicles, built from November 3, 2009 through September 21, 2012, to reprogram the passenger side, curtain air bags.

The recall affects around 262,000 cars sold in North and South America, including 154,604 Fiesta sub-compacts in the United States.

Read more »

Consumer Reports Discovers a Problem with Lexus ES and GS Emergency Trunk Release System

At some point in life, kids want to learn more about their daddy’s work, so they begin to ask questions. If said person works as an editor for an automotive publication or website, it’s quite natural that they will get to be around, and inside, quite a lot of vehicles.

Consumer Reports has a reputation for discovering malfunctions that others have failed to spot. Unlike what some manufacturers who were slammed by CR may believe, its editors are normal human beings, with families and all.

Director of testing Jake Fisher, for example, has two sons aged four and eight. Fisher says that they “already want to be car testers” and they “love exploring every new car I bring home and enjoy trying to fit into every small opening possible”.

Read more »

Toyota Issues Massive Global Recall For 7.4 Million Vehicles Over Faulty Power Window Glitch

After the 10 million-vehicle recall in 2009 and 2010 over the infamous unintended acceleration problems, Toyota has once again been hit by a massive recall that concerns a lofty 7.43 million vehicles.

This time, the issue on hand is a faulty power window switch in 14 different models, which may malfunction and offer a “notchy” or sticky feel during operation. The use of a commercial lubricant, instead of the special fluorine grease used by the factory, may result in the melting of the switch and the emission of smoke.

Read more »

Power-Window Related Fire Risk Prompts Honda to Recall 489,000 CR-Vs in the U.S., Europe and Africa

Usually, water puts out a fire but when it comes to the Honda CR-V from the 2002 to 2006 model years, rain can eventually lead to a fire risk.

To explain, Honda discovered that if rainwater or other spilled liquids enter through an open driver's window and reach the master-power window switch, over time, it could cause electrical resistance. If that were to happen, the switch could overheat smoke, and cause a fire.

Read more »