Tag Archives: manufacturing defect

2018 BMW 540D xDrive
Coolant Leak Could Result In Fire

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A small number of 2018 BMW 540d xDrive vehicles, equipped with Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) modules could experience an internal glycol coolant leak that may result in an engine fire.

BMW first became aware of the problem in October 2018 when they opened an investigation into reports of certain BMW vehicles experiencing engine fires. What they found was; that these vehicles were equipped with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) module with an integrated cooler that could leak coolant internally. The coolant mixed with diesel engine soot, combined with the high EGR temperatures could result in smoldering, fire, and a melted intake manifold.

During vehicle operation, the driver may be alerted there is a problem through:

  • A warning symbol in the instrument cluster displaying a loss of engine coolant.
  • A reduction in engine power.
  • An unpleasant exhaust odor.
  • Unusual noise from the engine compartment.
  • Smoke from the engine compartment.

NHTSA campaign number 18V-755 – BMW recalled 44,368 vehicles.

This recall campaign affected certain 2013-2018 BMW vehicles with the N47T and N57T diesel engines that were produced from September 12, 2012, to June 29, 2017.

The vehicles affected include:

2013-2018 328d
2013-2018 328d xDrive
2014-2018 328d Sports Wagon
2014-2018 328d xDrive Sports Wagon
2014-2016 535d
2014-2016 535d xDrive
2015 740Ld xDrive
2015-2017 X3 xDrive28d SAV
2014-2017 X5 xDrive35d SAV

NHTSA campaign number 21V-907 – BMW recalled 50,404 vehicles.

After continued field monitoring and review of field data, BMW determined that the EGR cooler may not be sufficiently durable to last the lifetime of the vehicle. They decided to issue a recall that would replace the EGR module on all potentially affected vehicles, with an improved cooler design. The intake manifold was inspected and replaced as necessary, and the EGR pipe connecting the cooler to the manifold was cleaned.

NHTSA campaign number 22V-614 – BMW is recalling 298 vehicles.

The vehicles subject to this recall have a different design and manufacturer of the EGR cooler than the vehicles previously recalled. After further monitoring and review of field data, it was found that the specific EGR cooler for certain 2018 BMW 540d xDrive vehicles may not be robust to last the vehicle’s lifetime. BMW has decided to perform a recall for these vehicles as well.

Owners receiving notices will be asked to return to their BMW dealer to have the EGR module replaced and the intake manifold inspected and replaced as necessary.

Cadillac, Chevy & GMC Seat Belt Buckle Assembled With Improper Rivets

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General Motors (GM) will be contacting the owners of certain 2021-2022 Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC SUVs equipped with third-row seating. These vehicles may have been manufactured with an improperly formed mounting bracket rivet that may not restrain an occupant during an accident.

The vehicles affected by this problem include:

2021-2022 Cadillac Escalade
2021-2022 Cadillac Escalade ESV
2021-2022 Chevrolet Suburban
2021-2022 Chevrolet Tahoe
2021-2022 GMC Yukon
2021-2022 GMC Yukon XL

In May 2022, a GM dealership received a customer complaint about the separation of the third row seat belt assemblies in their 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. The problem was submitted to GM’s Speak Up For Safety program and a formal investigation was opened. During this investigation, another seven additional field reports were found that could be related to this condition. Further investigation into the problem determined that operators at the seat belt buckle assembly supplier’s manufacturing plant may have not properly followed manufacturing processes and as a result, may have missed the rivet forming operation. In July, GM’s investigator met with the seat belt buckle assembly supplier to determine the scope of potentially affected parts. On August 4, 2022, GM’s Safety Field Action Decision Authority (SFADA) decided to conduct a safety recall.

According to the defect report, the rivet that retains the buckle to the mounting bracket in the left and/or right side third-row seat belt buckle assembly may not have been properly formed during the manufacturing process. If the assembly is not properly riveted, it will not restrain occupants during an accident and could result in increased injuries.

Owners receiving recall notices will be asked to return to their GM dealer to have the rivet head formation on both the left and right side third-row seat belt buckle assemblies inspected and replace seat belt buckle assemblies, as necessary. GM’s number for this recall is N222372380 and the NHTSA campaign number is 22V-617.

Chevy Bolt Battery Problem Update

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General Motors is still rolling out new batteries for the troubled Chevy Bolt electric vehicle, albeit very slowly. We are hearing from clients and potential clients that dealerships are putting them on “wait lists” for the new battery but are not hearing again from the dealership. The dealerships give the owner no times table for getting their new battery as well. Obviously, this is very frustrating for consumers who are tired of figuring out ways to safely charge their EV. To date, we have only heard of the new batteries actually being installed in the 2017 – 2019 year models, but not for any 2020-2021 models. The good news is that once the battery has been installed, consumers seem to be happy with the new battery giving them a longer range than the original. More importantly, we have not heard of any problems associated with the new battery. This is good news for consumers.

With that said, we are still accepting Chevy Bolt cases, regardless of whether the new battery has been installed, and we continue to achieve favorable settlements with General Motors. Many of our settlements are for cash, allowing the consumer to receive compensation while being allowed to keep the vehicle.

Please call us at 1-888-395-3666 for more details about this problem.

Chevrolet Bolt EV

Here is a summary of the defect.
General Motors recalled all of their Chevrolet Bolt EVs because there is a manufacturing defect affecting the battery cell. The problem is aggravated when the battery is charged to a full or nearly full state after it has been substantially depleted. The battery could overheat and catch fire, causing damage to the vehicle and structures around it. As a temporary solution, GM asked owners to reprogram their hybrid propulsion control module to limit a full charge.

The safety recall from the NHTSA states the following:
As an interim remedy, dealers will reprogram the hybrid propulsion control module to limit full charge to 90%. Until this interim is completed, customers should enable either “Hilltop Reserve” (for 2017-2018 model year vehicles) or “Target Charge Level” (for 2019 model year vehicles) using their vehicle’s infotainment center. These two features will limit the vehicle’s state of charge to 90% until the HPCM2 software re-calibration is applied. If customers are unable to successfully make these changes or do not feel comfortable making these changes, they will be advised to not park their car in their garage or carport until after they have visited their dealer.

Insufficient Welds In Ford Escape And Lincoln Corsair High Voltage Batteries

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The high voltage batteries in certain 2020 Ford Escape and 2021 Lincoln Corsair vehicles may have been manufactured with insufficient welds that could fail and cause a loss of drive power. These vehicles are equipped with 2.5L hybrid powertrains.

Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group first became aware of the problem in February 2022 when they were informed, by the supplier, that there was an issue with the weld penetration on the bus bars of certain high voltage batteries. A review of the manufacturers’ records showed that the suspect cause of the problem was damage to the laser cooling line caused by maintenance of the laser air knife. The damage to the laser cooling line resulted in an out-of-control weld process and insufficient welds. The suspect time period was between June 6, 2020, and June 12, 2020.

According to the safety report, insufficient weld penetration between the bus bar and cell terminal could result in a loss of electrical contact at the bus-bar weld joint inside the high voltage battery. Loss of electrical contact will result in a loss of motive power and an increased risk of an accident.

The vehicle warning display will illuminate a “Stop Safely Now” message, a wrench lamp, and an audible alert when the vehicle loses motive power.

Owners receiving notices will be asked to take their vehicle to their Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the High Voltage Battery replaced. The new High Voltage Battery LX68-10B759-R will have a bus bar that has proper weld penetration. The supplier repaired a damaged coolant line on June 27, 2020. High voltage batteries produced after June 27, 2020 were produced with sufficient bus bar weld penetration. Ford’s number for this recall is 22S33 and the NHTSA campaign number is 22V-331.

LGES High Voltage Automobile Battery Fire Investigation

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Automotive Defect Investigation

The NHTSA have a continuing investigation into certain LGES high voltage batteries used in electric and hybrid vehicles. The investigation was prompted by the number of fire recalls on the electric and hybrid vehicles listed below. The purpose of this investigation is to find other companies that might have purchased the same or similar equipment from LG and to notify them if this defect has shown up in any vehicles they manufactured.

Recall No. 20V-107
Date: February 2020
Mercedes Benz USA notified NHTSA of a safety-related defect in one 2019 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive vehicle.
Note: This vehicle received an LG Chem high voltage battery that may contain a defect allowing for an electrical arc, which can ignite inside the battery cells, increasing the risk of a fire.

Recall No. 20V-630
Date: October 2020
Hyundai Motor America notified NHTSA of a safety-related defect in certain 2019-2020 Kona Electric vehicles. Note: The high-voltage battery system in the subject vehicles, supplied by LG, may have been produced with internal damage to certain cells of the lithium-ion battery increasing the risk of an electrical short circuit, which could result in a fire.

Recall No. 20V-701 & 21V-650
Date: November 2020
General Motors notified NHTSA of a safety defect in all 2017-2018 and certain 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles.
Note: These vehicles were built with high voltage batteries, produced by LG, that may contain latent cell-level manufacturing defects posing a risk of fire when charged to full, or nearly full, capacity. In August 2021, GM expanded this recall to include certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV vehicles. GM stated, “the root cause of the failure is the simultaneous presence of two rare manufacturing defects in the same battery cell.”

Recall No. 21V-127
Date: March 2021
Hyundai notified NHTSA of a safety-related defect in certain 2019-2020 Kona Electric and 2020 Ioniq Electric vehicles .
Note: These vehicles are equipped with LG produced Lithium-ion battery cells where, if the Anode (Negative) tab is folded, the battery cell could allow the Lithium plating on the Anode tab to contact the Cathode resulting in an electrical short, thereby increasing the risk of a fire while parked, charging and/or driving.

Recall No. 22V-077
Date: February 2022
Chrysler notified NHTSA of a safety-related defect in certain 2017-2018 Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid Electric vehicles.
Note: These Pacifica vehicles contain hybrid battery packs produced by LG. FCA has not yet determined whether the battery packs were defective or the root cause of the fires.

Recall No. 22V-162
Date: March 2022
Volkswagen notified NHTSA of a safety-related defect in certain 2021 ID4 vehicles.
Note: The high voltage batteries used in the vehicles may contain insufficient soldering points and thus contain unreliable connections inside the high voltage battery. As a result of the unreliable connections, the vehicles may break down or stall while driving, leading to a crash.

Ford F-150 Transmission Shifts Into Neutral While Driving

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Some 2021 Ford F-150 trucks could unexpectedly shift into neutral while driving. The unexpected loss of engine power could increase the chance of an accident.

In February 2022, an issue was brought to Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG) about certain 2021 F-150 vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI, 2.7L, and 5.0L engines, along with the 10R80 transmission. These trucks were experiencing an increase in Transmission Fluid Pressure along with a Transmission Fluid Pressure Low Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) of P0868. This DTC would falsely activate and cause the transmission to shift into a neutral state while the truck was driven. Once the false activation occurs, the vehicle will coast to a stop and the electronic shifter will attempt to engage Park. Once the vehicle comes to a complete stop, the electronic shifter will automatically shift into Park.

According to the engineering investigation, one of the power-train diagnostic logic software branches was turned on in error when these vehicles were produced. Under certain conditions, this diagnostic logic could inadvertently activate the pump gear failure detection logic even though the hardware is still functioning properly. When this happens, the transmission on-board diagnostics will set the DTC P0868, turn on a Wrench Light telltale, and the vehicle’s transmission will shift into a neutral state. As the vehicle slows to a speed below 2 mph/3kph, the electronic shifter will attempt to engage the Park function and will automatically shift into Park when the vehicle comes to a complete stop. The transmission function can be restored by a key-off/key-on cycle.

Between October 2021 and February 2022 there have been 28 warranty claims and one Customer Contact Center report to Ford that potentially related to this concern.

Dealers will correct the problem by updating the Power-train Control Module (PCM) software. Ford’s number for this recall is 22S15 and the NHTSA campaign number is 22V-188.

Unreliable HV Battery Connection May Cause 2021 VW ID.4 To Stall & Not Start

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Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VW) will be asking a small number of 2021 VW ID.4 electric crossover SUV owners, to return to their dealerships because of a problem affecting the solder connections inside the HV battery of their vehicles. This defect could result in a stall and may increase the risk of an accident. A fix for this problem is still under development by the manufacturer.

VW became aware of the defect in January 2021 when the first known field case occurred outside the U.S. VW quality and safety departments began to monitor the field reports for the nature and frequency of the non-starting condition and found reports of similar problems in other brand vehicles using the same or similar battery systems. During a multi-brand clearing committee meeting, impacted brands shared information on the potential stall while driving cases and decided to conduct a recall. Volkswagen will be conducting a recall on 351, 2021 VW ID.4 vehicles in the U.S. that contain the potentially affected parts.

According to the defect report, a manufacturing problem with the high voltage (HV) battery may have caused incorrect soldering on specific points of the flexible printed circuit assembly (FPCA). The amount of solder contact points of the FPCA is not sufficient and the thickness of the solder layer is out of tolerance parameters. The result is an unreliable connection inside the HV battery that could lead to a breakdown or stalling while driving. If this issue is present in the vehicle, the driver will be alerted by a high voltage system warning message in the instrument panel.

Owner notification letters about the defect are expected to be mailed by May 13, 2022. Volkswagen’s number for this recall is 9302 and the NHTSA campaign number is 22V-1562.

Are you experiencing repeated problems with your hybrid or electric vehicle? Do you think it could be a lemon? If you have any questions about your rights and the California Lemon Law, please call our office at 888-395-3666 and get some great Lemon Law advice!

GM Extends Warranty On Chevy Express And GMC Savanna For EGR Cooler Failure

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Certain 2013-2014 model year Chevrolet Express and 2013-2014 model year GMC Savana HD vehicles equipped with 6.6L Duramax diesel engines (RPO LGH) could experience a malfunction indicator light (MIL) illumination because of a problem affecting the Exhaust Gas Re-circulation (EGR) cooler.

clogged EGR

EGR coolers can fail for a few different reasons. Coolant passageways become clogged and prevent exhaust gas from cooling, some EGR coolers may be susceptible to corrosion, and repeated cycling of extreme temperatures (thermal stress) can all cause your EGR to fail.

There are a few indications that your EGR is failing: the engine idles rough and stalls; there is an increase in fuel consumption and a decrease in performance; the engine management light is always on, and there is a smell of fuel in and around the vehicle.

General Motors is providing owners of certain 2013-2014 Chevrolet Express and 2013-2014 GMC Savana HD vehicles equipped with 6.6L Duramax diesel engines vehicles, with additional warranty protection. This special coverage covers the problem described above for a period of 10 years or 120,000 miles (193,000 km), whichever occurs first. The warranty covers the vehicles from the date the vehicle was originally placed in service, regardless of ownership.

** GM should notify customers if this special warranty coverage is on their vehicle.**

Repairs and adjustments qualifying under this special coverage must be performed by a General Motors dealer.

View the complete warranty document here: MC-10150564-9999.pdf