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Toyota recalling 342k Tacomas due to faulty seatbelt pretensioners

Filed under: Truck, Recalls, Safety, Toyota

2008 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab front three-quarter

Toyota is voluntarily recalling 342,000 Tacoma Access Cab pickups, produced between 2004 and 2011. The wide-ranging recall is due to faults in the screws that attach the belt pre-tensioner to the belt retractor. There are concerns that the screws can loosen themselves over time, especially if the access door is opened and closed with too much force. It’s important to note that the recall only covers the driver and front passenger seat, and is limited to just the Access Cab trucks. Other body styles aren’t affected.

If the screws come loose, the pre-tensioner and retractor spring could separate from the belt entirely, which would be bad news in a crash. There’s no mention of injuries or accidents due to the faulty pre-tensioners. Owners affected by the recall will be notified soon, and asked to come in for recall service.

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Toyota recalling 342k Tacomas due to faulty seatbelt pretensioners originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Aug 2013 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Mercedes under investigation by feds over faulty, possibly flaming taillights

Filed under: Sedan, Safety, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport

According to The Detroit News, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedans over the possibility of faulty taillamps that, in some situations, may even catch fire. Some 218,000 C-Class vehicles are being investigated, all of which are from the 2008 and 2009 model years.

NHTSA has reportedly received 21 statements from owners citing the brake lights or turn signals dimming or failing to light. In some cases, drivers reported a burning smell, a few noting that some of the vehicle’s electrical parts had melted. What’s even more alarming is that some drivers reported smelling smoke or seeing burn marks in the trunk. One driver even reportedly saw small flames coming from the rear lamp connector when the trunk was open.

Scary stuff, to be sure, though NHTSA says that this problem hasn’t caused any injuries. Still, the government agency will investigate the problem further to see if this actually warrants a recall.

Mercedes under investigation by feds over faulty, possibly flaming taillights originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Jul 2013 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota recalls 2007-11 Tundra for faulty tire pressure monitors

Filed under: Truck, Recalls, Toyota

2011 toyota tundra

2011 Toyota Tundra – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s important to make sure your tires are adequately filled, but for some Toyota Tundra owners, that may be a problem. A recall notice has been issued for some 2007-2011 Tundras because they may be afflicted with faulty tire pressure monitoring systems. Approximately 1,629 pickups are affected by this recall, as it is limited to vehicles handled by Southeast Toyota Distributors.

The TPMS were incorrectly calibrated, which means the warning lamp will not light up despite a tire being under-inflated. Owners of potentially affected trucks are being notified, and dealers will recalibrate the systems free of charge.

Continue reading Toyota recalls 2007-11 Tundra for faulty tire pressure monitors

Toyota recalls 2007-11 Tundra for faulty tire pressure monitors originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 May 2011 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: 10,000 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac SRX models face faulty defroster recall

Filed under: Sedan, Recalls, Safety, Crossover, Buick, Cadillac, GM

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and General Motors have announced the recall of 10,000 vehicles. According to The Detroit News, certain 2011 Cadillac SRX and 2011 Buick Lacrosse models may have been built with a defect that can prevent the vehicle’s defroster from effectively clearing the windshield. NHTSA is concerned that the reduced visibility could lead to an accident.

The problem was discovered to during a production trial, in which one in 50 vehicles exhibited the defect.

At the moment, no crashes or incidents have been reported as a result of the programming error, though it’s worth noting that only a third of the 10,179 vehicles covered by the recall actually belong to customers. The rest are either unsold or are awaiting delivery.

GM dealers will reprogram the HVAC software to fix the bug free of charge.

Gallery: 2011 Cadillac SRX

2011 Cadillac SRX

Gallery: 2011 Buick LaCrosse

[Source: The Detroit News]

Report: 10,000 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac SRX models face faulty defroster recall originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feds find no evidence of faulty electronics in Toyota models

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Toyota

Toyota car emblem with dealer sign

The ongoing saga of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles has taken another turn today as Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood released a statement indicating that no evidence of electronic problems in runaway Toyotas has been found.

“The jury is back. The verdict is in. There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas. Period.” said LaHood in a prepared statement. This finding comes at the end of a 10-month investigation carried out jointly by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NASA that was requested by Congress.

Over 280,000 separate lines of code embedded in the electronics of potentially affected Toyota vehicles were examined by NASA, none of which contained any flaws capable of causing runaway acceleration, says the report.

This isn’t to say that the government has found that Toyota is not at fault in any way. LaHood added, “Our conclusion – that Toyota’s problems were mechanical, not electrical – come after one of the most exhaustive, thorough and intensive research efforts ever undertaken.”

Those mechanical problems, namely sticky accelerator pedals and pedals that got trapped under faulty floor mats, “remain the only known causes for these kind of unsafe unintended acceleration incidents,” says NHTSA. It should prove interesting to see how the courts – both of public opinion and of law – react to these findings.

[Source: The Detroit News | Image: Ramin Talaie/Getty]

Feds find no evidence of faulty electronics in Toyota models originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM recalls 2009-2010 Chevrolet Impala over faulty seat belts

Filed under: Sedan, Recalls, Chevrolet, GM

2009 Chevrolet Impala SS

General Motors has issued a recall for 392,409 2009 and 2010 Chevrolet Impalas. The issue at hand lies with front seatbelt anchors. A number of Impalas may have front belts that were not properly secured to the anchor pretensioner mounted nearest to the door. In a crash, this could cause the seatbelt anchor to separate and not act very much like a safety feature.

There have been no reported injuries to date and GM is ready to fix this free of charge at your nearest Chevy dealer. Both front anchors will be inspected and, if need be, replaced. Impala owners will be notified of this recall by mail, on or around October 25th, 2010. For more information, take a look at the press release after the jump.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading GM recalls 2009-2010 Chevrolet Impala over faulty seat belts

GM recalls 2009-2010 Chevrolet Impala over faulty seat belts originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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