Recall Roundup, October 1-10

Touted as engineering masterpieces with zero flaws and top safety, cars are still designed and built by humans and their little robotic friends and as such, the likelihood of a faulty component in the final product is quite high. Early October has already had quite a significant number of recalls. Here are some of the most important.

First in line was Nissan who recalled some 2005-2006 Titan, Armada, and Infinity QX56 manufactured after March 17, 2005. Apparently, they are fitted with a Visteon air conditioning condenser fan motor, which is not properly sealed leading to overheating and ending in fire. Owners are to contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Another problematic Nissan model is the 1997 through 2001 Infiniti QX4 sold or registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District Of Columbia. The issue is caused by an insufficient amount of coating applied at the lower mounting bracket of the fuel filler tube assembly. Obviously, this can result in the perforation of the tube, which in turn, will lead to a possible fuel leakage. Owners should contact Nissan at the aforementioned telephone number.

Subaru is another Japanese manufacturer with faulty components, which by some nefarious coincidence can also lead to fire incidents. Owners of the 2007 through 2008 Legacy Sedan and Wagon, 2008 Impreza Sedan and Wagon, and 2009 Forester should return the vehicles to dealers and have the cylinder head side oil supply pipe and turbocharger side pipe replaced. Subaru mentioned that this component is improperly assembled and can lead to the cracking of the pipe, followed by leaking.

The recall is scheduled for November 2008 and owners should contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783.

The Japanese are not the only ones with problems as German BMW will also be recalling some models of the 2009 JCW (John Cooper Works) and JCW Clubman fitted with 16 inch diameter front brake discs rather than 17 inch discs. Under certain conditions, especially with intense brake usage, braking performance decreases and can cause crashes. The recall should begin in October 2008; owners should contact BMW/Mini at 1-866-275-6464 or by email at [email protected].

The last in this recall roundup is GM, who has problems with the 2009 Chevrolet Impala. Apparently, some units have a passenger side front air bag inflator that could fracture upon deployment, injuring occupants and reducing the cushion's inflation level. The recall is expected during mid October; owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or through mygmlink at http://www.gm.com/recall.