November 2008 Recalls

Bentley is recalling 14 Bentley T2, Continental, Mulsanne, and Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II, Silver Wraith II, Corniche, Silver Spirit and Silver Spur vehicles. A fuel hose assembly, available as a replacement part, has been found to have a defect in the material specification of the rubber hose. The hose may degrade under certain operating conditions resulting in a fuel leak. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire. Dealers will replace the fuel hose assembly free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during December 2008. Owners may contact Bentley at 1-617-488-8500.

BMW is recalling 2,500 MY 2008-2009 M3 passenger vehicles with an optional double clutch transmission. The problem involves the double clutch gearbox. In a situation of rapid vehicle deceleration, the transmission software may perform a multistage downshift. In that situation, at low vehicle speeds, it is possible for the engine to stall increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will reprogram the engine and transmission electronic control unit with updated software free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during December 2008. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.

Chrysler is recalling 20,283 MY 2006-2009 Charger and Magnum vehicles built with the police package and equipped with a column shifter. The gearshift cable may become disengaged from the steering column mounting bracket and cause an incorrect transmission gearshift position display. This could allow the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction startling the driver, and cause a crash without warning. Dealers will add a redundant locking mechanism to the gearshift cable at the mounting bracket to ensure proper retention and shift linkage function. The recall began on November 10, 2008. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

GM is recalling 12,662 MY 2009 Cadillac CTS vehicles for failing to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." Under certain conditions, a software condition within the passenger sensing system may disable the front passenger air bag when it should be enabled or enable it when it should be disabled. In a vehicle crash, if the front passenger air bag does not operate as designed, increased personal injury could occur. Dealers will reprogram the passenger sensing system module free of charge. The recall began on November 18, 2008. Owners may contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339 or through the website at www.gmownercenter.com.

GM is recalling 16,667 MY 2009 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Saturn Outlook vehicles for failing to conform with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 209, 'Seat Belt Assemblies.' These vehicles may have been built with a safety belt buckle in the second or third row that is missing a rivet. In a vehicle crash, if the rivet is missing, the buckle may separate from the mounting strap, increasing the risk of injury to the passenger. Dealers will inspect the safety belt buckles in the second and third rows, and replace them if necessary. The recall began on November 26, 2008. Owners may contact Buick at 1-866-608-8080; Chevrolet at
1-800-630-2438; GMC at 1-866-996-9463; Saturn at 1-800-972-8876; or through the website at www.gmownercenter.com.

GM is recalling 2,149 MY 2009 Saturn Vue vehicles. Some of these vehicles may have been built with an incorrect right and/or left front steering knuckle. As a result of the incorrect knuckle and resulting inadequate clearance, the tie rod ball stud could pull out of, or fracture, the tie rod housing. This could cause the tie rod to separate from the knuckle. Although steering control of the vehicle could be maintained after a tie rod separation by the unaffected wheel on smooth roads or during light braking, with more significant suspension or braking inputs, the affected wheel could turn out and skid. If a vehicle built with two incorrect steering knuckles had both tie rods separate at the same time, steering control of the vehicle would be lost, increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will inspect the steering knuckles and, if necessary, replace the steering knuckle(s) and tie rod(s). The recall began on December 8, 2008. Owners may contact Saturn at 1-800-972-8876 or through the website at www.gmownercenter.com.

Harley-Davidson is recalling 349 MY 2009 FXDB, FXDC, FXDF, and FXDL motorcycles. These motorcycles have a fuel tank vent tube assembly, Part No. 27389-04A, which may have been produced with a questionable ultrasonic weld on the anti-slosh valve. If the valve separates and the bike is tipped over, it may leak fuel. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire. Dealers will inspect the fuel vent tube assembly and, if necessary, replace it. The recall is expected to begin during December 2008. Owners may contact Harley-Davidson at 1-414-343-4056.

Honda is recalling 3,940 MY 2001 Accord and Civic vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure. If an affected air bag deploys, the increased internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture. Metal fragments could pass through the air bag cushion material possibly causing injury to vehicle occupants. Dealers will replace the air bag inflator free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before December 22, 2008. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.

Jaguar is recalling 3,754 MY 2009 XF vehicles for instrument cluster speaker function problems. The speaker wires may fracture. As a result, the speaker will cease to operate. If the speaker fails, the following audible notifications are impacted: turn indicator, seat belt warning, lights 'on' warning, driver's door open with key in ignition, driver intervene (adaptive cruise control vehicles only) and seat memory. The audible seat belt warning is to remind drivers to wear their safety belt. If the audible warning is not present, drivers may neglect to wear their safety belt, thereby increasing the risk of injury or death in the event of a crash. Dealers will verify the instrument cluster speaker function and reconfigure the instrument cluster control module software. The recall is expected to begin during December 2008. Owners may contact Jaguar at 1-800-452-4827.

Kawasaki is recalling 4,628 MY 2008 ZG1400A8F/A8FL, and ZG1400B8F/B8FL motorcycles. Trapped road debris may interfere with free movement of the rear brake pedal, preventing full release of the rear brake which can lead to overheating damage and possible brake failure. Brake failure could result in a crash. Kawasaki has not yet provided a remedy plan for this recall. The recall is expected to begin during December 2008. Owners may contact Kawasaki at 1-949-770-0400.

Mercedes-Benz is recalling 1,515 MY 2007 S-Class vehicles. The radial knuckle of the front strut may fail. The radial knuckle flaw may occur after significant mileage accumulation combined with exposure to high continuous stress by driving on rough roads. If a radial knuckle fails, the steering control of the vehicle may be affected, increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will check the front strut for the production date. If the front strut falls in the affected production range, the struts will be replaced. The recall is expected to begin during December 2008. Owners may contact Mercedes-Benz at 1-800-367-6372.

Triumph is recalling 87 MY 2008-2009 Thruxton motorcycles. The installed front brake caliper bracket bolts may be too short, reducing thread engagement of the bolts into the brake caliper bracket. This could result in the loss of control of the motorcycle, increasing the risk of a crash. Triumph will replace these bolts. The recall is expected to begin during December 2008. Owners may contact Triumph at 1-678-539-8782.

VW is recalling 130 MY 2009 Passat, Passat wagon, and Passat CC vehicles. Some vehicles may have an electromechanical steering gear control unit that can malfunction due to a damaged capacitor. If this malfunction occurs, the driver's steering input is not properly processed by the system and the vehicle may not respond as the driver intends. This defect can only occur immediately after vehicle start-up when the steering wheel is moved for the first time and at speeds less than 5 mph. Driver attempts to overcome the system during malfunction will cause (1) vibrations in the steering wheel; (2) the steering system motor to turn off; (3) the red steering system malfunction indicator light to illuminate; and (4) audible warnings to chime. A malfunctioning steering system could lead to a crash without warning. Dealers will replace the steering gear in the affected vehicles. The recall is expected to begin during December 2008. Owners may contact VW at 1-800-4822-8987.

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