Audi Q5, BMW X1, Range Rover Sport headline recent recalls

European manufacturers Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar Land Rover and Peugeot have all issued recent notices through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Product Safety recall website.

Out of the recalls the largest was for Audi’s first-generation Q5 mid-size SUV built between May 2010 and August 2016, with 9098 examples recalled for a potentially broken water drain area within the panoramic sunroof.

If the drain is not functioning correctly, water can seep into the car’s headliner, wetting the curtain airbag’s foam adjacent to its gas generator, which can cause the pressure cylinder of the airbag to burst.

The other Audi model to be recalled is the A3 small car manufactured between May 2008 to May 2009, 2191 of which are at risk of a fault in the earth connection of the car’s electronic stability control (ESC) unit due to strain on the components.

This can impact the ESC and anti-lock brake systems, compromising the car’s ability to handle safely, especially in situations involving oversteer, understeer and hard braking.

French manufacturer Peugeot has recalled 45 examples of its 508 large sedan and wagon sold between June and September 2016, due to a potential fire hazard caused by an electrical relay.

The internal component of a non-compliant electrical relay could disrupt the starter control, which can overheat the relay and cause a fire.

BMW has recalled 2318 examples of its second-generation X1 small SUV due to incorrect installation of the dashboard panel housing the passenger airbag.

Affecting vehicles built between June 2016 and April 2017, the fault is due to the milling of the deployment points in the dashboard not being carried out, meaning in the event of an accident the front passenger airbag may not be deployed.

Jaguar Land Rover has issued recalls for 132 of its Range Rover and 1718 of its Range Rover Sport SUVs, over incorrect function of the emergency locking retractor in the front passenger seatbelt.

In the event of a crash, the seatbelt may not tension as intended, potentially increasing the risk of severe injury for the front passenger.

And Mercedes-Benz has recalled 11 vehicles serviced or repaired between 3 and 5 December 2016, which may have had the incorrect software uploaded into its system.

This can affect various control units and systems including vehicle emissions and airbag deployment.

Owners of all affected vehicles will be contacted by mail to have their vehicles sent to their preferred dealer for repair, while concerned customers can get further details from the ACCC’s Product Safety website.

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