31,495 vehicles recalled this month by eight brands

JULY has been a busy month thus far in terms of recalls with Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Mitsubishi, Mercedes-AMG, BMW, Bentley and SsangYong recalling a combined 31,495 vehicles as of July 24.

Honda accounts for the bulk of the notices with 22,366 affected vehicles across eight nameplates being recalled due to a potentially faulty fuel pump.

The affected models include the MY18 Accord (66), MY19 City (390), MY18 Civic (5210), MY18-19 CR-V (7361), MY18 HR-V (6438), MY19 Jazz (2790), MY18 Civic Type R (110) and MY19 NSX (1) with the fault traced to a swelling component within the fuel pump.

Honda says that if the component swells too much it could cause the pump itself to stop working and subsequently starving the engine of fuel.

If this happens, the car will either stall or fail to start, the former obviously posing serious safety risks if the vehicle is moving.

Affected owners are being encouraged to contact their nearest or preferred dealer and arrange a free inspection and subsequent replacement if needed.

Mercedes-Benz along with its Vans and AMG sub-brands account for the second biggest share, having recalled 62 examples of its MY19 GLE300d SUV, 5279 MY18-20 Sprinter vans and 361 MY18-19 G63s.

In the GLE300d’s case, concerns have arisen over a potentially lethal situation in which the rear seat could sever or damage a wiring harness used to transmit signals to the curtain airbags and seatbelt warning.

If this does happen, that particular airbag may fail to inflate in a crash while the driver may not be alerted to the rear seatbelt being undone.

In the Sprinter, the brake lines may be coming into contact with the rear wheelarch and chaffing, thereby potentially causing a brake fluid leak.

“If the brake fluid warning lamp is ignored, the braking distance increases as a result of brake fluid loss,” the recall notice reads.

“This increases the risk of an accident or serious injury or death to vehicle occupants and other road users.”

As for the G63, the embossed lock symbol on the operating lever for the child safety lock may show the wrong locking status, meaning the doors could be opened from the inside when showing the locked simple and vice versa.

Either way Mercedes says this could “result in a risk of injury and/or an increased risk of injury for the occupants in the rear seats”.

In all three cases, the premium German brand is encouraging affected owners to contact their preferred dealership for a free inspection and repair while G63 owners will also receive a letter in the mail.

Mitsubishi’s recall centres around an incorrectly assembled rear seatbelt shoulder anchorage point in 1948 MY20 Outlander PHEVs.

“If the occupant is not properly restrained, there is an increased risk of serious injury or death in the event of an accident,” the recall notice reads.

“Mitsubishi Motors Australia will contact all known owners by mail, advising them to present their vehicle to their preferred Mitsubishi dealer for inspection and repair, free of charge.”

BMW’s recall of 1269 MY18-19 X3 Ms, X4 Ms, 3 Series’ and Z4s meanwhile relates to potentially damaged steering track rods, with the damage being caused by “high temperatures and vibrational loads”.

If the track rods are damaged or break, it could result in severely impacted steering and significantly increase the chances of a crash.

BMW says it will be contacting all affected owners but in the meantime, is encouraging customers to contact a BMW Service centre or the BMW Group Customer Interaction Centre to arrange an inspection and a repair.

As for the 108 MY18-20 Bentayga V8s being recalled by Bentley, a potential fault has been identified in the ‘quick connector’ on the fuel supply line which could result in a fuel leak within the engine bay.

Given the extreme heat usually found in and around an internal combustion engine, the leak significantly increases the chance of a vehicle fire being ignited, potentially seriously injuring people and damaging property.

“A letter will be sent to affected owners advising them of the recall and that parts are not expected to be available until the end of July 2020,” Bentley said.

“Consumers may book their vehicles in for a free-of-charge repair after the parts are available.

“Until your workshop appointment, if you smell fuel coming from your vehicle, park it safely and immediately contact your nearest official Bentley dealer by phone.”

The final new recalled issued this month belongs to SsangYong, which is recalling 108 of its MY01-07 Chairman luxury sedans to rectify a possible steering lock failure.

According to SsangYong, a crack developing in the steering lock housing could cause the steering wheel to lock into the straight-ahead position when the key is turned.

This would rectify the car effectively immobile and greatly increase the chances of “serious injury or death of vehicle occupants and other road users” if it were attempted to be driven.

“Consumers must present the vehicle to the nearest SsangYong Dealer for repair by replacing the steering lock housing assembly,” the brand said.