Remember, resolve issues: Aston Martin

Aston Martin has reviewed great quality control and is confident that problems can be resolved in connection with a potentially defective car part, a Senior Executive from the CNBC's luxury automaker said on Wednesday.

UK-based Aston Martin said last week it was more than 17,000 cars due to a possibly defective part after a discovery be remembered that a Chinese suppliers was used allegedly fake plastic material, in which the gas pedal.

"We have great quality control tests, noticed that some problems and problems, and we resolve that any customers are really affected by her", said Marek Reichman, Director of design for Aston Martin, CNBC Asia squawk box.

"We will fix the problem, bring the production back in a controllable State in the UK," he added.

The news about the recall has raised some concerns about the procurement of major auto parts from global automotive manufacturer from China without appropriate quality control procedures.

There were no reports of any accidents involving potentially defective parts according to UK-based Aston Martin.

Read more: Aston Martin recalls 17.590 cars through fake parts

Talk about Aston Martin advance in other areas who said luxury retail, Reichman, that this was related to the lifestyle associated with have an Aston Martin - a car that is presented in a series of James Bond films.

"Part of the Aston Martin-lifestyle," Reichman said.

"Design of the product and a sports car is important, but it is we have taken the lifestyle around the stroller, what typically is a British sports car and produced a luxury brand," he added. "So we have the selection of jewelry, bicycles, we have other things to support the brand and its values."

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Subaru recalls 200,000 cars for braking issue

Reuters – 4 days

Subaru is recalling about 200,000 Legacy and Outback sedans and wagons from model years 2005-2009 to check for corroded brake lines.

Subaru said the vehicles were sold in 20 "salt belt" states, mainly in the Northeast and Midwest, and most were built at its U.S. assembly plant in Lafayette, Indiana.

An official recall notice released Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that "salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines."

NHTSA said corrosion could cause brake fluid leakage, which could result in longer vehicle stopping distances, increasing the risk of a crash.

Subaru on Tuesday said "no reports, accidents, injuries or incidents of failure have occurred." It said the problem was discovered by its Japanese parent during an internal testing program.

Subaru in its NHTSA recall filing said vehicle brake lines could be perforated after exposure to salt over seven or more winter seasons.

Owners can take their cars to Subaru dealers for a free inspection. Dealers will rustproof the affected area with anti-corrosion wax and, if necessary, replace the brake lines.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

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Chrysler recalls over 900,000 Jeeps for airbag issue

Paul A. Eisenstein, TheDetroitBureau.com

Chrysler is recalling over 919,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty SUVs worldwide due to a potential defect that can cause their airbags to unexpectedly inflate while the vehicles are being driven.

A total of 775,000 older versions of the two Jeep models will be impacted in the U.S., along with 49,000 sold in Canada, 22,000 in Mexico and the rest distributed to other global markets. While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the problem has not led to any accidents there have been a number of minor injuries caused by the inadvertent airbag deployments.

The latest recall adds to the growing tally of safety actions related to airbag safety defects. Ford, Honda and Hyundai are among the list of other makers who have been affected in recent years.

NHTSA reports that the Jeep problem involves Grand Cherokees produced in the 2002 through 2004 model-years, and Liberty SUVs produced in 2002 and 2003. According to the safety agency, the problem has been linked to a defective part in the computer used to control the airbags.

Under normal circumstances, airbags rely on a network of sensors that indicate when and where a collision has occurred – and on more recent models, sensors also detect the severity of a crash and where occupants are sitting in the vehicle. The Jeeps involved in the recall may see their front or side-impact airbags inflate even if they aren’t involved in a collision. Pre-tensioning seatbelts may also be triggered.

A Chrysler spokesman noted that the problem has occurred in less than three-hundreths of a percent of the Jeep Liberty and Grand Cherokee models on the road.

Nonetheless, after completing a year-long investigation, NHTSA determined the problem occurred 215 times, causing 81 minor injuries – but while the inadvertent airbag deployments have not been linked to any crashes, the safety agency warns that drivers could be startled into losing control of their vehicles.

Chrysler says it plans to notify owners by January and repairs will be made to the electrical system at no charge to consumers.

Automotive manufacturers have seen a number of airbag issues pop up in recent years forcing them to recall large numbers of vehicles. In July, Hyundai recalled 220,000 Sonata sedans and Santa Fe SUVs from the 2007 to 2009 model-years because sensors designed to protect small children in an airbag deployment might not work. The maker also recalled nearly 23,000 late-model Sonatas for a separate airbag problem.

Ford announced the recall of 154,000 Fiesta models due to airbag problems last month, and the maker previously called back 1.5 million vehicles – including 1.2 million F-Series pickups – due to unexpected airbag deployments.

Honda, meanwhile, has recalled over 2.5 million vehicles sold through the Honda and Acura brands because they could deploy with too much force, sending deadly shrapnel into the passenger compartment. The problem was linked to at least two deaths.

Because of the potential dangers, NHTSA has put a high priority on discovering and fixing airbag problems.

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Toyota recalls 550,000 cars for steering issue

TOKYO — Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it is recalling about 550,000 vehicles worldwide — mostly in the United States — for problems that could make it harder to steer.

The recall affects 447,000 vehicles in North America, as well as 38,000 in Japan and another 25,000 in Australia and New Zealand, said Toyota spokesman Dion Corbett. In Europe some 14,000 vehicles are being recalled along with 10,000 in the Middle East and 14,000 in Asia outside Japan.

Toyota has received a total of 79 reports about the defect dating back to 2007, said Corbett. There have been no reports of accidents or injuries related to the problems, he said.

Toyota's reputation has taken a hit over the last two years due to a string of huge recalls that have ballooned to 14 million vehicles over that time, including millions recalled last year for acceleration problems. It faces damage lawsuits and lingering doubts in the U.S. about whether it had been transparent enough about the recall woes.

Japan's largest automaker has been trying to communicate better with customers and empower regional operations outside Japan to make safety decisions.

The news comes a day after Toyota said its July-September profit slid 18.5 percent to 80.4 billion yen ($1 billion) on plunging sales caused by parts shortages from the tsunami disaster in northeastern Japan.

It now faces such uncertainties from flooding in Thailand, where it has many suppliers and three assembly plants, that it declined to release an earnings forecast for the full year through March.

The latest recall is due to the possibility that the outer ring of the engine's crankshaft pulley may become misaligned with the inner ring, causing noise or a warning signal to light up, the company's U.S. sales unit said in a press release. If the problem isn't corrected, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley, making it suddenly more difficult to turn the steering wheel.

In the United States, the automaker is recalling 283,200 Toyota brand cars, including the 2004 and 2005 Camry, Highlander, Sienna and Solara, the 2004 Avalon and the 2006 Highlander HV. Its recall of 137,000 Lexus vehicles includes the 2004 and 2005 ES330 and RX330 and 2006 RX400h.

Those affected elsewhere include certain models of the Alphard, Highlander, Highlander hybrid and some Lexus models, Corbett said.

The recall notification process varies from country to country.

In the U.S., Toyota will mail owners a notification to make an appointment with an authorized dealer to have their car inspected once replacement parts have been produced in sufficient quantities.

If needed, parts will be replaced for no charge, the company's American sales unit said. Notifications will be mailed starting in January.

In the meantime, if an abnormal noise is heard coming from the engine compartment, the owner is asked to make an appointment with any Toyota or Lexus dealer to have the vehicle inspected for this condition, the release said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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GM recalling Corvettes over rear hatch issue

General Motors Co said it was recalling about 6,000 Chevrolet Corvette Coupes over a concern they may fail to meet a federal safety standard covering rear hinges.

GM said the condition could allow the rear hatch to separate from the vehicle in a crash.

The recall involves the 2011-2012 model years. Of the affected vehicles, the majority were sold in the United States as well as some in Canada.

GM said the issue was discovered in testing and that it knows of no crashes, injuries or customer complaints related to the issue. Dealers will replace both rear hatch hinges free of charge, according to the company.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters.

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