With all the hoopla over Toyota’s safety recall for floor mats, some other “quality” brands continue to fly under the radar. Ever-popular German manufacturer Volkswagen is recalling certain 2006-2010 models of the Audi A3, Audi TT and Audi TT Roadster built between September 29, 2005 and August 26, 2009 for defect that could potentially cook the car’s passengers.
The U.S. NHTSA safety agency has alerted Lexus and Toyota owners about conditions that could cause the accelerator to get stuck in the pressed position under certain conditions. The agency “strongly recommends” taking out removable floor mats on the driver’s side in certain models and not to replace them with any other mat, either from Toyota or any other brand. After numerous reported “unintended acceleration” incidents, Toyota is now conducting a major recall on 3.8 million affected cars, but only in the United States.
Nissan’s American division is recalling certain 2009 and 2010 Altima and Maxima cars due to a mechanical defect. The upper front “strut insulators” in 26,000 cars may have been manufactured out of specification, resulting in a potential for the suspension’s “strut insulator” to crack.
The American governmental transport safety agency, NHTSA, has ordered the recall of all Volkswagen Touareg vehicles between the model-years 2007 and 2009 to address a factory defect. The fastening struts on the roof-edge spoiler can crack, causing the spoiler to become loose and possibly detach from the vehicle without warning, even though initially the spoiler may feel secure.
Cars in America get recalled for various safety issues, if enough complaints come in. The NHTSA, a U.S. government entity that oversees car safety, received numerous complaints about the 2007-2008 Mini Cooper S, and forced BMW to issue a recall on 28,450 of those cars. Apparently, the protruding central exhaust tips were burning owners’ legs when they were unloading stuff after a drive.
The United States and Europe have civilian governmental authorities to monitor dangerous defects in cars. Around here, we have the Dubai Police apparently. The police forensics lab found a defect that can cause fires in 2.0-litre Ford Mondeos, and are asking owners to head to the nearest dealer for free repairs.