Recall round-up

NISSAN will recall almost 25,000 examples of its Y61 Patrol off-roader in Australia, with Holden, Mitsubishi and Honda also issuing recall notices for some of their top-selling models over the past week.

The Patrol recall was issued after the Japanese car-maker identified a fault with the accelerator that could cause a sudden loss of power, potentially posing a hazard to occupants or other road users.

A release from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said that Nissan has identified that “due to lateral load on the accelerator pedal, the contact pressure of the sensor brush to a terminal on the circuit board of the subject sensor may deteriorate”.

“As a result, the engine Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) will illuminate, and the vehicle could go into the fail-safe mode, which would cause the accelerator operation control to limit vehicle acceleration,” the statement said.

“In extreme cases when the engine is idling or the vehicle is coming to a halt, air intake may become insufficient and the engine may stop running.”

From top: Holden Cruze Dodge Nitro Jeep Cherokee Mitsubishi Triton and Challenger Honda MDX.

This can result in a sudden loss or reduction of power that could pose a hazard to other road users, or occupants of the Patrol.

The recall affects 24,657 Patrol models built between June 1, 2006 and July 30, 2013 and Nissan said customers will be advised to contact their dealer to arrange a replacement of the accelerator pedal. Diesel-powered versions the Y61 Patrol continue to sell alongside the sixth-generation Y62 petrol Patrol that went on sale earlier this year.

Holden has issued a recall notice for model year 2013/2014 1.8-litre manual versions of its popular Cruze small sedan and hatch range, after identifying a fault that could cause the right-hand tubular driveshaft may fracture.

The recall notice on the ACCC website confirms that “if the driveshaft fractures and then separates without warning, the vehicle may endure a sudden loss of drive. This may pose a hazard to the driver and/or other road users.”

Affected Cruze customers are being advised to contact their nearest Holden dealer to arrange an inspection.

Mitsubishi’s recall relates to 2467 Triton GLS and GLX-R all-wheel drive double cab utes built between 2007 and 2013 and a further 1180 Challenger 4WD XLS diesel automatic SUVs built between 2010 and 2012.

This recall relates to the power seat reclining lever that could stick in the operating position, allowing constant current flow to the reclining motor. The ACCC notice says this could result in the “motor, seat cushion and surrounding parts melting or in the worst case burning”.

A spokesperson from Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited confirmed there had been two recorded incidents in Australia, with no injuries reported.

The Fiat Chrysler Group has recalled two models from its stable of US-built cars, with issues relating to the head restraints in 2011 to 2012 Dodge Nitro and 2011 to 2013 KK Jeep Cherokee.

The notice refers to “electrical over-stress of a resistor in the occupant restraint module may lead to the non-deployment of the active head restraints during a rear impact collision”.

This could result in an increased risk of injury if the active head restraints don’t deploy in the event of a crash.

Fiat Chrysler has not advised the number of vehicles being recalled, but said it has sent a letter to affected customers.

Finally, Japanese car-maker Honda has issued a recall notice for 1598 examples of its MDX SUV built in 2003, with issues relating to the SRS electronic control units producing excessive noise. This could potentially damage the SRS ECU unit, resulting in an airbag deployment signal being issued, without a crash.

“If an airbag deploys inadvertently while driving, it may distract the driver, increasing the risk of an accident,” it said in the notice.

A spokesperson from Honda Australia confirmed there have been no reported cases in Australia. The fix involves the dealership adding a noise suppressor to the vehicle and it should take approximately one hour.

People wanting further information about any of the aforementioned recalls are advised to check the ACCC recalls website or contact their local dealer.