Volkswagen will be contacting the owners of certain 2013-2016 Audi A4, A5 & Q5 vehicles regarding a problem affecting the electrical connector to the auxiliary heater. According to the defect report, the connector is susceptible to contact corrosion which may cause the auxiliary heater to fail and/or cause the wires to overheat and melt. The problem could result in an electrical fire.

Owners receiving notices will be asked to return to their dealers to have the auxiliary heater replaced, as necessary. Owners wanting more information about the problem can contact Audi customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen’s numbers for this recall are 80C5 and 80C6 and the NHTSA campaign number is 17V-622.

General Motors has decided that certain 2014-2016 Chevrolet SS cars may have a defect affecting vehicle safety. According to the defect report, corrosion on the connector between the electric power steering (EPS) module and the torque sensor could result in loss of assisted steering. If power steering is lost, manual steering functionality will be retained, but an increased effort will be needed steer the vehicle. Drivers will also be alerted through a malfunction indicator light and warning chime.

Dealers will inspect the steering gear assembly and replace it as necessary. Owners wanting more information about the problem can contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM’s number for this recall is 17248 and the NHTSA campaign number is 17V-382.

Porsche will be contacting the owners of certain 2015 918 Spyder vehicles, regarding a problem that could increase the risk of a crash. An analysis of a single observation in the field revealed that the lower control arms of the front axle may contain a manufacturing error at the ball joint. Due to variations of the surface coating processes, components and some of the underlying material may have been left unprotected, potentially leading to cathodic stress corrosion cracking (SCC). The problem could affect vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.

Porsche will notify owners, and dealers will replace the lower control arms. Owners wanting more information about the problem are asked to contact Porsche customer service at 1-800-767-7243. Porsche’s number for this recall is AG09 and the NHTSA campaign number is 16V-885.

Mazda will be notifying owners of certain 2007-2014 CX-9 crossover SUV’s to return to their dealership for repairs to the suspension system. The affected vehicles have front suspension ball joints that may experience water intrusion into the fitting. The fitting could corrode and the front lower control arm could separate from the joint causing a loss of steering control and an increased risk of an accident. Continue reading

A manufacturing error affecting certain 2014-2015 Acura MDX and MDX AWD vehicles will have approximately 106,439 owners returning to their dealership for repairs.

According to reports, during manufacturing of the A/C compressor clutch drive bolts, certain lots failed to receive the proper dielectric topcoat. As a result, the bolts are more susceptible to corrosion and could break during operation. In addition, some bolt lots did not receive sufficient curing of the e-coat which could result in low torque values and low hardness. The bolts could loosen and fall off during operation. Continue reading

General Motors have identified a defect relating to motor vehicle safety in certain Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, and Saturn automobile. They will be notifying owners to return their vehicles to a manufacturer approved repair facility to replace the driver and passenger side airbag wiring harness with soldered connections. Continue reading

Volkswagen will be asking owners of certain 2013-2014 Jetta Hybrid cars to return their vehicles to the nearest VW dealership to have the gearbox oil replaced. Approximately 3,837 cars manufactured between October 2012 to October 2013, and equipped with a DQ- 200 direct shift gearboxes, could experience a sudden loss of power while driving because of this problem. Continue reading