Holden Volt, Citroen C4 Picasso recalled
BY TIM ROBSON | 30th Apr 2015
A recall notice issued on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) website today has revealed that 28 Volts sold in Australia in 2013 can potentially be left running on petrol power until the tank runs dry, if the vehicle’s owner fails to properly switch off the vehicle when exiting.
“If the driver forgets to turn the vehicle off when exiting and does not heed the associated warning beeps, the battery may deplete to a level sufficient for the internal combustion engine to start up in order to maintain charge in the electrical system,” the recall notice said.
“The engine may continue to run until the vehicle runs out of fuel.” This increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if the Volt is parked in an enclosed space.
The Volt defers drive to its electric motor if battery reserves are sufficient most vehicles will be stopped and parked when the petrol engine is switched off. The car not only emits an in-cabin beep when the door is opened if the engine is left on, but an externally audible beep sounds as well.
“We’ve had no reports of instances in Australia,” Holden’s senior manager of product communications Kate Lonsdale told GoAuto. “It’s something that’s been raised from the US, and they’ve asked us to follow suit.” The recall affects 28 vehicles, and Holden will update each car’s software to limit the time the car can remain on after it has stopped moving.
As GoAuto reported earlier this week, Holden has confirmed that the first-generation Volt will be the only version sold in Australia following General Motors’ decision not to build the new-generation model in right-hand-drive configuration.
Just 248 Volts have been sold in Australia since 2012 and all have been sold.
This is the sixth recall for Holden in 2015, and the fourth for April alone, after two were announced for Captiva (ignition barrel fault and fuel pump flow control module short) and one for Colorado/Colorado7 (alternator wire short issue).
Meanwhile, Citroen has recalled 284 Citroen C4 Picasso people-movers to rectify a fault discovered in the vehicle’s front suspension.
The recall notice issued by the ACCC said bolts holding the front wishbones together may not be of the correct grade. A failure of the bolt will cause the front wheels to skew, which will affect both steering and braking.
Both the Picasso and Grand Picasso are affected.
Citroen Australia communications manager Tyson Bowen told GoAuto that no incidents have been reported, and the issue was discovered as part of the company’s internal long-term monitoring program, where dealers monitor particular vehicles over its lifespan and report back into the company.
It is Citroen’s first recall since September 2014.
