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Report: Toyota settles lawsuit tied to crash that triggered recalls

Filed under: Government/Legal

Toyota floormat/pedal entrapment

For a recap of the various Toyota recalls, visit our comprehensive guide

Toyota owners had been contacting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about unintended acceleration issues for years, but one tragedy put the spotlight on Toyota’s problems. Last August, California police officer Mark Saylor and three family members died when the family’s 2009 Lexus ES 350 rental flipped and caught fire after a trapped floor mat reportedly caused the vehicle to speed out of control. A month later Toyota, officially recalled 3.8 million vehicles for floor mat issues and by February 2010 over eight million vehicles were recalled for unintended acceleration issues worldwide.

Automotive News now reports that Toyota has settled with the family of Mark Saylor for an undisclosed financial sum just over a year after the accident. Toyota reportedly declined to offer any insight into the agreement, and there’s a good chance we’ll never know how much money the company paid to settle the case out of court. Toyota is likely years away from putting all of its legal troubles in the rearview mirror, though. The spate of recalls generated numerous other lawsuits and several previously decided court cases were re-opened after the automaker’s troubles became front-page headlines.

[Source: Automotive News sub. req.]

Report: Toyota settles lawsuit tied to crash that triggered recalls originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 19 Sep 2010 08:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Suzuki recalls SX4, Grand Vitara and Equator for overheating Garmin sat-nav units

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Technology, Suzuki

Suzuki SX4 Sport with Garmin navigation system – Click above for high-res image gallery

When Garmin issued a recall on its Nuvi portable navigation system a couple of weeks ago, Japanese automaker Suzuki informed us that it would need to issue a follow-up recall for a few vehicles in its lineup. After all, Suzuki offers dashboard-mounted Garmin GPS units in its Equator, Grand Vitara and SX4 models, and unfortunately, the Nuvi navis supplied to Suzuki are among the ones that need repair.

Approximately 20,692 Suzuki vehicles are affected by this recall – specifically the 2008-2010 SX4, 2010 Grand Vitara and 2009-2010 Equator equipped with Garmin Nuvi 750, 760 and 765 navigation systems. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that the batteries in these nav units can potentially overheat which could result in a fire.

Garmin technicians will replace the existing batteries free of charge and owners will be notified within the next few weeks. The official recall notice from NHTSA is available after the jump.

Gallery: Review: 2008 Suzuki SX4 Sport with TRIP

[Source: NHTSA]

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Suzuki recalls SX4, Grand Vitara and Equator for overheating Garmin sat-nav units originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia Motors chairman resigns over recalls?

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Kia, South Korea

Jeong Sung Eun, the vice chairman of Kia Motor Corporation, has reportedly resigned on the heels of a large recall by the automaker. According to Automotive News, Eun stepped down on September 3 after a global recall sent a total of 85,900 Kia vehicles back to the factory due to faulty wiring. In the U.S., around 35,000 Soul and Sorento models were impacted by the fault, which could cause a short that can result in a vehicle fire. The company is also recalling 18,147 Sorento, Borego and Soul models in China for bad circuit boards.

Before becoming the vice chairman of Kia, Jeong served as a president of the company’s production division. As of right now, it’s unclear who will take over Jeong’s duties within the company or what the former vice chairman will do now that he’s stepped down.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Kia Motors chairman resigns over recalls? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Toyota’s Daihatsu recalls over 500,000 minicars over… fading taillamps?

Filed under: Budget, Japan, Recalls, Hatchback, Toyota, Daihatsu

Daihatsu Mira Daihatsu has announced plans to recalling over 500,000 vehicles in Japan due to taillight lenses that can fade over time. The lenses, originally orange, will bleach white with exposure to the sun, leading to a potential safety risk. As a result, Daihatsu is recalling a total of 435,423 Move hatchbacks built between 1995 and 2000, as well as 145,769 Mira models manufactured from 1998 to 2000. Both vehicles fall into Japans micro-car category and are powered by fuel-thrifty .66-liter engines.

The company plans to fix the issue by installing orange bulbs in the vehicles instead of the white ones that came from the factory.

Daihatsu is owned by Toyota, and the company produces a number of small vehicles for the manufacturing giant. While not as crippling as some of the other issues Toyota has had this year, the Daihatsu does add to the 11 million recalled Toyota and Lexus vehicles recalled since fall of last year.

[Source: Automotive News]

Report: Toyota’s Daihatsu recalls over 500,000 minicars over… fading taillamps? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes-Benz recalls 3,500 G-Class SUVs over turn signals

Filed under: SUV, Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz G-Class – Click above for high-res image gallery

The 2002 through 2010 Mercedes-Benz G-Class is equipped with covers for the front turn signals – added for style as much as protection. Undoubtedly, many owners of the blocky SUV have never given the covers a thought, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has and it’s been deemed unworthy of Federal Standard 108.

If you’re wondering, that’s the standard that covers “lamps, reflective devices and associated equipment.” In this case, NHTSA claims that the cover could “impact over time the signal’s ability to meet the minimum requirements of FMVSS 108.” In other words, the cover could inhibit the visibility of the signal.

If you’re one of the 3,522 G-Class owners affected by this recall, you’ll be notified to bring your $100,000 off-roader to a Mercedes dealer, where they’ll install a new turn light unit that works better with the grill cover. Hit the jump to read over the NHTSA press release.

Gallery: Review: 2009 Mercedes-Benz G550

[Source: NHTSA]

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Mercedes-Benz recalls 3,500 G-Class SUVs over turn signals originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan recalls 46,000 2009-10 Cube models over fuel system integrity

Filed under: Budget, Recalls, Safety, Hatchback, Nissan

2009 Nissan Cube – Click above for high-res image gallery

Last month, the Lexus HS250h was the subject of a serious recall involving fuel leakage resulting from rear-end collisions. Now, Nissan faces a similar predicament involving 2009 and 2010 model year Cube hatchbacks, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a full recall, covering 46,000 Cubes built between January 30, 2009 and July 30, 2010.

Much like the HS hybrid, NHSTA cites that the amount of fuel leakage following a rear-moving barrier crash “exceeds the allowable limits,” and that this could result in a fire. While a fuel leak is bad news, it’s important to note that this NHTSA test isn’t simply a case of a simple crash test and resultant fuel leak – the government agency’s methodology includes striking the vehicle from the rear with a deformable barrier at 50 mph with a 70 percent overlap. Post-impact, the vehicle is then spun on its longitudinal axis degree-by-degree for a total of 90 degrees, somewhere along which a fuel leak was detected. While any fuel spillage is a bad thing, we suspect you can put any images of the massively overblown Ford Pinto debacle out of your head right now.

In any case, the full recall is expected to start on or before August 30. To fix the problem, dealers will install a special protector to the gasoline recirculation tube where it meets with the filler neck connector. Naturally, the service will be performed free of charge at any authorized Nissan dealer. The full details are available in NHTSA’s press release after the jump.

Gallery: Review: 2009 Nissan Cube (U.S.-spec)

[Source: NHTSA]

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Nissan recalls 46,000 2009-10 Cube models over fuel system integrity originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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