Jeep feels pinch over salt

DAIMLERCHRYSLER has announced a recall to replace and relocate the airbag control module in Jeep Cherokees built between 1997 and 1999.

The recall applies to 474,000 Cherokees worldwide, according to a Chrysler Jeep Australia statement.

The recall was prompted by five cases in the US where salt used to de-ice roads had caused the control module to corrode, resulting in the airbag being inadvertently deployed.

None of these incidents resulted in collisions or injuries and no instances of this problem have occurred outside the US, according to the manufacturer.

As a precautionary measure, Chrysler Jeep Australia is compiling a list of the affected vehicles and will contact owners by mail in order to arrange a replacement and relocation of modules in their vehicles.

Parts for the recall have been shipped from the US and will arrive in Australia in two to three weeks.

Owners will be notified that their vehicle should be presented to their Chrysler Jeep Dealer for the free rectification which should take around one hour.

Meanwhile, Land Rover said on Monday it would recall some Discovery and Defender models for modifications.

Recently acquired from BMW by Ford, the off-roader manufacturer said it was recalling about 10,000 Discovery and Defender Td5 vehicles to replace engine flywheels on manual transmission models.

It also planned to inspect these vehicles' clutch parts for signs of wear, saying new tests had shown that "high energy inputs" into the clutch and flywheel system could lead to failure of the flywheel assembly in some cases.

It was also recalling about 1300 Discovery Series 2 V8 models to upgrade the engine idler pulley.