The auto industry has been no stranger to widespread recalls with both General Motors and Toyota hit hard in the last few years. This spring has been no exception for car and accessory makers with new recalls ranging from standard mechanical failures through faulty child car seats. Not even America’s most iconic motorcycle brand could steer clear of the fray this spring. Here are five major recalls from major auto industry brands in recent months.
Ram Trucks
As many as 1.25 million Ram trucks are currently under recall for a computer glitch that could prevent the trucks from deploying air bags after rolling over. Thus far at least two deaths have been linked to the fault and models include 2013-16 Ram 1500 and 2500 pickups and 2014-2016 Ram 3500 pickups. Currently Dodge is estimating that the recall will impact .02 million trucks in the U.S., roughly 216,007 in Canada, 21,668 in Mexico and 21,530 in other regions. According to Dodge the failure may occur when the underside of the truck is impacted, such as in rollover collisions.
Ford Pickup Trucks
Ford has announced a recall of about 2,500 F-150 pickup trucks for faulty welds in the rear portion of the drive seat frame. In a statement Ford revealed that the improper welds could prevent these trucks from meeting federal safety standards and could potentially fail to restrain a driver in the course of a collision. The welding recall is, in fact, the second recent recall for Ford trucks as they also recalled 550 F-150 and F-250 to F-550 trucks for faulty door handles. The handles have specifically been recalled because they could become unstable during an accident when paired with a common aftermarket accessory. When paired, the two could fail to meet safety standards.
Harley Davidson Motorcycles
Harley Davidson has announced a recall of 46,000 motorcycles due to a faulty clamp used to fix an engine coolant line to their bikes. The recalls will come on a range of models including the 2017 Electra Glide Ultra Classic, Police Electra Glide, Police Road King, Road King, Road King Special, Street Glide, Street Glide Special, Road Glide and Road Glide Special. All of the bikes in the recall were built between July 2, 2016 and May 9, 2017. According to Harley the clamps may have installed improperly and if loosened could created a safety hazard by releasing oil into the path of the rear tire.
Kia and Hyundai
Law makers in South Korea have ordered both Kia and Hyundai to recall roughly 240,000 cars after a whistle-blower from Hyundai raised safety concerns about twelve of their different models. In all the 26 year veteran of the company pointed authorities to 32 separate defects in the 12 models, and 5 of those defects are part of the recall. Both of the automakers initially refused to comply with the recall forcing the South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to impose the recall. Cars affected by the recall include Hyundai’s Avante compact, i30 hatchback, Sonata midsize sedan and Sante Fe crossover as well as the luxury Genesis G80 and EQ900 sedans, and Kia’s Mohave, Sorento SUVs and the Carnival minivan. Various problems are addressed in the recall including faulty vacuum pipes, fuel hoses and parking brake light problems.
Graco Car Seats
Popular car seat manufacturer Graco has announced a voluntary recall of over 25,000 car seats spanning eight different models. The recall centers around a fault in the products that may fail to actually restrain a child during a high speed crash. The seat are largely part of the Graco My Ride convertible car seat line and the recall comes after the manufacturer discovered the seats were not meeting Federal safety standards. According to Graco they were first made aware of the possible issue in March of 2016 follow testing failures in 2015.