Safety Recalls
Recalls of cars, motorcycles, trucks, and other products are serious business. Manufacturers typically recall cars if they have a safety issue that could result in a car accident and / or personal injury to the user or another.
If you have received a recall notice, you should not ignore it. If you choose to ignore a recall and, subsequently, someone is injured, you may be liable for those injuries.
In an effort to help the motoring public be more aware of recalls, this page will be periodically updated with news of recent recalls. The information provided on this page is not intended to be all inclusive and you should not assume that your car is not being recalled simply because it is not on this page.
If you are curious about recalls, the Consumer Product Safety Commission website is a good place to turn to for information.
If you have been injured by a product that has been recalled, contact one of our Des Moines personal injury lawyers at Des Moines Injury Law.com for a free consultation. We can be reached at 515-493-4878 or via Email. If you would like more information about car accidents in Des Moines, click here.
November 10, 2015
Rolls – Royce 2015 Ghost: thorax air bags fitted to the front seats may fall short of the side impact performance requirements for front seat occupants. As a result, this car may not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 214 which deals with side impact protection.
November 10, 2015
Toyota Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Lexus ES 300h, ES 300 – 2013 – 2015: the manufacturer reports that the automated braking systems may malfunction thus increasing the risk of car accidents and personal injury in Des Moines and elsewhere.
November 12, 2015
Honda Fit LX – 2015 – 2016: Honda has recalled over 25,000 Fit LX as they have determined that the rear grab rail brackets in some of these cars do not meet Honda’s own specifications. It is believed that the rear grab rail brackets may interfere with the deployment of side curtain air bags in the event of a car accident in Des Moines, Iowa and elsewhere.
November 13, 2015
Nissan Altima and Pathfinder – 2013 – 2015; Sentra 2013 – 2014; Infinity JX35 2014 – 2015; Infiniti QX60 2014 – 2015; Infinity QX60 Hybrid.
The occupant classification system control (OCS) is the sensor that informs the car’s on-board computer whether seats are occupied or not. The cars involved in this recall may have a faulty OCS which would tell the car’s computer that a seat is not occupied when, in reality, it is. This problem may result in air bags not deploying in the event of a car accident which can result in personal injury or death in Des Moines, Iowa and elsewhere. Click here for more about car accidents, here for more about truck accidents, and here for more about wrongful death.
November 19, 2015
This entry deals not with a particular recall but, rather, a massive transportation bill that is currently being dealt with in Congress. After many years and many drafts, it seems as though the final version is currently being crafted. Unfortunately, several parts of the bill that would actually benefit consumers are being cut out of the bill due, in large part, to the lobbying efforts the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) on behalf of car dealers, manufacturers, and others.
One provision that appears destined for the trash heap is the requirement that used-car dealers repair recalled vehicles before selling them thus potentially putting unsafe cars on the road and the burden of repair on the individual consumer. This short sighted decision may lead to an increase in car accidents and personal injuries in Des Moines, Iowa and other locales. Perhaps more shocking is that the provision that would prevent car dealers from lending customers cars that are under recall seems destined for the garbage can as well. What makes this particularly troubling, if that provision is indeed eliminated, is the fact that a consumer can be held responsible for damages caused if they are the result of not having recall repairs done. However, it seems that big business isn’t going to be held to the same standards.
December 3, 2015
Maserati Gran Turismo – 2016 model year but produced between June 24, 2015 and September 2, 2015. The door latches of the Gran Turismo may have been improperly heat-treated which can result in the doors swinging open in the event of a car accident.
December 10, 2015
General Motors announced it will replace some engine parts to stop oil leaks that have been linked to more nearly fifteen-hundred fires and several recalls of older cars. However, the new parts are not yet available therefore General Motors recommends the cars be parked outside until they are repaired due to the continuing risk of fire. Dealers are told that the company will replace the front valve cover and gasket with improved parts. The recalls cover about 1.4 million cars with 3.8-liter V6 engines from 1997 through 2004 including the Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Intrigue, Pontiac Grand Prix and the Chevrolet Impala, Lumina and Monte Carlo.
December 14, 2015
Shift control problems has prompted Nissan and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall almost 34,000 Rogue crossovers. The vehicle could shift out of park without the brake pedal depressed as usually required which could make the vehicle easier to steal or allow the car to roll away.
The effected vehicles were made in Smyrna, TN, between February 10 and May 13 of 2015. Approximately seventy-thousand Rogues were made in the United States in that time frame meaning about one-half of them are being recalled.
The recall is to get under way later this month so owners will likely be hearing from Nissan soon.
January 6, 2016
General Motors has issued a recall for the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and the GMC Acadia for seat problems. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) notes that the issue with these vehicles is that the third row seats may have been improperly welded during the manufacturing process. As a result of the improper weld, the rear seats may shift or move in the event of a car accident which could result in injury.
The recall is limited to the above listed vehicles that were manufactured between November 6, 2015 and November 12, 2015.
January 8, 2016
Mercedes-Benz has issued a recall for the 2015 C300 and C400 4matic sedans.
Mercedes-Benz reports that it received two reports about the electric power steering deactivating in the above mentioned cars. Bosch, who supplied the at-issue parts, determined that the issue stemmed from a software problem within the buffer memory.
Several studies were completed to ensure the cause of the problem was correctly identified and those studies found that the buffer memory was too small under certain conditions.
The recall papers note, “If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required, especially at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.”
Attending to the recall should be fairly easy for consumers as it simply requires service technicians to update the power steering software.
January 20, 2016
Fiat – Chrysler has recalled approximately four hundred thousand Dodge and Jeep sport utility vehicles for at least the second time.
The Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokees (2011 – 2013) have already been recalled due to faulty wiring that could short-out and cause a fire. The company had previously indicated that the problem had been fixed but the fire risk issue remained.
Under this latest recall, the company intends to use a different type of adhesive to hold the offending wires in place which should prevent them from coming into contact with rough surfaces that could damage the wires and could ultimately lead to a fire or car accident.
January 26, 2016
More than 50 million cars and trucks were recalled for safety issues in 2015 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This number reflects the second consecutive annual record for the number of recalls.
According to the laws surrounding safety recalls, the work must be done at no cost to the consumer. Even at that, the NHTSA notes that approximately twenty-five percent of vehicles under recall are never repaired.
In hopes of helping consumers be more aware of recalls and prevent car accidents, the NHTSA has implemented a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) look up system that allows people to enter their VIN and see if their vehicle is under recall. However, the database only covers recalls from the last fifteen years and may not include recalls of small production number cars or exotic luxury cars.
The VIN searchable database can be found at https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/.
January 27, 2016
MASON CITY, Iowa – KIMT news reports that the North Central Iowa Volunteers for Child Passenger Safety are alerting people to an infant car seat recall. Britax has recalled B-Safe 35 and B-Safe 35 Elite car seats manufactured between October 1, 2014 and July 1, 2015. The company says they have received reports of cracks developing in and around the carrying grip with can lead to the handle breaking and the seat falling to the ground. Britax says it does have a repair kit for car seat owners that can address the problem.
The model numbers below are affected by this recall.
B-Safe 35
* E9LU65M
* E9LU65P
* E9LU63F
* E9LU66R
* E9LS63F
* EXLU65M
* E9LV15M
* E9LV15P
* E9LV13F
B-Safe 35 Elite
* E9LS55T
* E9LS56P
* E9LS55U
* E9LS66C
* E9LS65U
B-Safe 35 Travel System
* S914900
* S915400
* S915200
* S921900
* S01635200
* S914300
* S914700
* S914500
If you need any help in determining if your car seat has been recalled, contact Al Haubrich at 641-494-6602, Jeremy Ryal at 641-421-2716 and Jo Beck at 641-421-3640
Faulty car seats can lead to significant child injuries or death. If your child was injured due to a bad car seat or any other means, contact one of our Iowa personal injury attorneys now for a free consultation. We can be reached via email or at 515-493-4878.
January 28, 2016
Ford Motor Company has recalled nearly four-hundred thousand 2004 through 2006 Ranger trucks due to the driver’s side air bag inflators propensity to explode with excessive force which can result in a personal injury or wrongful death in the event of a car accident.
This recall comes on the heels of a report that a man in South Carolina died when an inflator in his truck exploded this past December. The force of the air bag explosion was so intense that a piece of metal was torn from the dashboard area of the truck and struck the man in the neck.
January 28, 2016
Suzuki has recalled nearly seventy thousand motorcycles across the United States due to an issue with the battery system which can cause the motorcycles to stall and result in a motorcycle accident.
The recall involves fifteen different models from 2008 through 2012 and includes: the 2008 to 2012 AN400, AN400A, DL1000 and GSX1300R motorcycles as well as the 2008 to 2009 GSF1250S and GSF1250SA. Also affected are the 2008 GSX1300BK and GSX1300BKA, the 2008 to 2010 GSX650F, GSX-R600, GSX-R750, VLR1800, VLR1800T, and the 2009 to 2010 SFV650 and VZ1500
Suzuki plans to notify owners and begin repairs in March of this year and the repairs will be done free of charge for the owners.
February 3, 2016
Helmet manufacturer GMAX has recalled nearly 3,000 of its GM78 full face helmets that were manufactured between January 1, 2012 and December 30, 2014.
It has been determined that, in the event of a motorcycle accident, the at-issue helmets might not protect a rider as planned. Therefore, said motorcycle helmets do not comply with number 218 (motorcycle helmets) of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.
GMAX has yet to determine how it is going to resolve this matter but owners of the affected helmets may contact the company directly at 208-376-8400.
February 17, 2016
Beginning March 4, 2016, Fiat Chrysler will recall some of their 2015 – 2016 Chrysler Town and Country minivans and 2014 – 2015 Dodge Grand Caravans as it has been discovered that their windshields may dislodge in the event of a car accident.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that the windshields at issue may have been secured with an expired urethane primer which can allow the windshield to be displaced upon impact which could increase the risk of injury to people in the car.
The vans at issue were manufactured from August 16, 2014 to December 5, 2015. Contact Fiat Chrysler at 800.853.1403 for further details.
February 23, 2016
Volvo is recalling nearly 60,000 cars including 2016 model years of the S60, S60 Cross Country, V60, V60 Cross Country, XC60, V70, XC70, and all of the five cylinder diesels.
This recall is based on a software issue that has caused some of the above listed car engines to stop then restart while being driven. Although Volvo reports that there have been no crashes as a result of the glitch, it could lead to a car accident under the proper circumstances.
February 29, 2016
Kawasaki Motor Corp, USA has recalled various motorcycles including models ZX1000RGFAL, ZX1000RGFL, ZX1000SGFAL and ZX1000SGFL, which were manufactured from October 28, 2015, to January 18, 2016.
The recall has been instituted because the steering damper bracket mounting bolts may break due to being over tightened. In that scenario, the steering damper bracket would detach and could interfere with steering the motorcycle thus increasing the risk of a motorcycle accident in Iowa or elsewhere.
Owners will be notified by Kawasaki and dealers will replace the steering damper bracket mounting bolts, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 29, 2016. Owners may contact Kawasaki customer service at 1-866-802-9381. Kawasaki’s number for this recall is MC16-03. Motorcycle owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to safercar.gov.
April 4, 2016
Ford motor company has announced that three of its models are being recalled for safety issues that can lead to car accidents or personal injuries. The recall includes the 2015 – 2016 Lincoln MKC, the 2016 Ford Explorers, and Transit Vans. The recall comes on the heels of reports that the block heaters in the MKC and Explorers can cause under hood fires. The Transit Van recall is response to improperly positioned airbags.
As of this writing, information indicates that all 2015 and 2016 Explorers and MKCs will be recalled for inspection and installation of a new block heater while the number of Transit Vans being recalled is uncertain.
May 16, 2016
Subaru has issued a recall of roughly 48,500 of its Legacy and Outback models due to a dangerous steering-system defect.
Subaru outlines the problem on its dedicated service campaign site: “The steering column in your vehicle may not have been manufactured to specification. An incorrect tool setting during the manufacturing process may have resulted in improper machining of one of the steering column shafts. If this condition exists, turning the steering wheel may have no effect on the direction of the wheels, increasing the risk of a crash.”
According to Subaru, this defect renders your vehicle unsafe to drive; the automaker urges you to contact your Subaru dealer immediately. Due to the risks involved, you’ll be able to have your Outback or Legacy towed to your dealership at no cost to you.
Subaru notes that dealerships in both the United States and Canada are capable of carrying out the recall.
June 29, 2016
KYMCO is recalling 2016 K-Pipe motorcycles that were manufactured from March 1, 2016 through May 25, 2016. In the models being recalled, the gear shift pattern was assembled in reverse sequence as compared to the standard setup. With this setup, the motorcycles do not comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 123 that is titled “Motorcycle Controls and Displays.”
If the motorcycle shifts opposite of other motorcycles, a driver may become confused and select the incorrect gear which could lead to a motorcycle accident.
The manufacturer is currently working to remedy the problem and notification schedule has not been completed but a report about the faulty motorcycles has been filed with the NHTSA. Owners of the affected bikes can call 1-888-235-3417 for additional details.
