Honda has announced problems with two of their popular vehicle models, the 2012 Ridgeline and 2007-2011 Element, that will have owners bringing their vehicles to their nearest dealership for repairs.

According to Honda, certain Ridgeline trucks built on April 18, 2012, may have an incorrect passenger airbag status indicator. Without the proper indicator, the vehicle occupants may not be aware that the front passenger airbag is off and will not deploy in a crash. Honda will replace the incorrect indicator free of charge.

Honda will also be asking the owners of certain Elements to bring in their vehicles equipped with an accessory trailer hitch. The turn signal and brake light wiring may have been inadvertently switched during manufacturing giving inaccurate braking and turning signals when pulling a trailer.

Owners can expect to receive notices about the problems starting at the end of September or early October. For more information about the problem contact Honda Automobile Customer services at 1-800-999-1009

Fisker Automotive is alerting drivers of certain 2012 Fisker Karma vehicles, built between June 15, 2011 to July 9,2012, about an electrical problem in the low temperature cooling fan. According to Fisker, a short in the fan could ignite the fan housing, shroud and surrounding components, causing a vehicle fire. Owners will be asked to bring in their vehicles to the nearest Fisker dealership to replace both low temperature cooling fans with improved fans. Owners wanting more information about the problem can contact Fisker consumer affairs at 1-855-575-7577, option 2.

Suzuki is asking the owners of certain 2004-2006 Forenza and 2005-2006 Reno cars to bring in their vehicles to get a problem with the headlight wiring repaired. According to Suzuki certain vehicles may have poor contact between the terminals wires in the low/high beam headlamp system. The poor contact may generate heat that can melt the splice, resulting in total loss of headlamps. Suzuki will correct the problem by replacing the splice with two heat shrink crimps. Owners wanting more information on the problem can contact Suzuki at 1-714-996-7040.

General Motors (GM) and Isuzu will be alerting drivers of certain 2006-2007 sport utility vehicles (SUV) of a problem that could result in a fire starting inside the driver’s side door. The problem is being blamed on contaminants getting into the door and causing corrosion and a short circuit in the power door lock and power window switches. Drivers noticing a burning odor or the power door locks and power windows functioning intermittently or stop working completely, are asked to take their vehicles to the nearest dealership immediately. The problem affects certain GM and Isuzu vehicles originally sold or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. The vehicles included in the recall are:

For more information about the problem:

  • Buick owners may contact the Buick owner center at 1-800-521-7300
  • Chevrolet owners may contact the Chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546
  • GMC owners may contact the GMC owner center at 1-866-996-9463
  • Isuzu cowners may contact the Isuzu owner center at 1-800-255-6727
  • SAAB owners may contact the SAAB owner center at 1-855-880-0808

One of our clients had recently purchased a 2010 Chevrolet Traverse which developed several issues related to the rack and pinion steering, headlamps, and climate control system. The vehicle also started leaking oil. The dealer tried unsuccessfully to repair these concerns on at least nine (9) separate occasions totaling 56 days out of service. After many weeks of frustration and inconvenience, paying for insurance, and being without his car the client researched the California lemon law on the internet, and contacted us to ask us to help him get rid of the vehicle and have it repurchased by the manufacturer.

We sent a demand to the manufacturer based on the vehicle qualifying as a lemon under the California lemon law statute and within several weeks were able to negotiate a full repurchase of the vehicle. Our client was able to recover his down payment and almost two years of monthly payments, plus get the manufacturer to pay off the balance of his loan.

If you think you’re driving a new or used car which started having substantial problems while still under the manufacturer’s new car warranty, you should contact the Law Offices of Delsack & Assoc., P.C. at 888-395-3666 or go to calemonlaw.com to determine whether we can help you get rid of your car and get your money back.

BMW is recalling certain 2011 1-Series Active E an 2012 Z4 vehicle because drivers could experience sudden loss of power steering assist. Variations in electrical currents occurring within the power steering assist system could lead to sudden loss of power steering increasing the effort needed to maneuver the vehicle. Difficulty in steering could increase the chance of the driver getting into an accident. BMW will be notifying owners starting in July and will replace the steering assistance module free of charge. Owners wanting more information about the problem can contact BMW customer relations at 1-800-525-7417.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is expanding an investigation into defective power window switches in some Toyota and GM vehicles. Both investigation began in February after vehicle owners reported intermittent power windows, the smell of smoke, and in rare occasions fires. If the investigation leads to a recall, approximately 1.4 million Toyota and 342,000 GM vehicles could be involved. The vehicles under investigation includes:

  • 2007-2009 Toyota Camry
  • 2007-2009 Toyota Yaris
  • 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUVs
  • 2006-2007 Chevrolet TrailBlazer SUVs

The NHTSA said that it also will evaluate other GM vehicles with the same underpinnings. They include:

  • Buick Rainier
  • GMC Envoy
  • Isuzu Ascender
  • Saab 9-7X SUVs

A recent investigation into engine fires in some 2011 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles has been widened to include some 2012 models. The investigation was open last March after complaints of engine fires was reported in two 2011 Chevy Cruze vehicles, but additional reports of fires in some 2012 vehicles has lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to include the newer models. According to the investigation reports, the probe is focusing on electrical wiring and the transmission control module. If the probe leads to a recall, over 370,000 vehicles could be involved.