Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo issue safety recalls

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has issued another recall for its Range Rover Evoque compact SUV after the company discovered a previous recall had failed to properly fix the issue.

The original recall from December 2015 for some Evoque 2.0-litre diesel variants related to a defect with the routing of the engine harness which may not provide sufficient clearance, allowing contact with the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) casting bracket.

A release on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) product recall website says that under the previous recall, the Evoques received a modification that "has subsequently been determined as not durable for the life of the vehicle."

The engine harness contact with the EGR casting bracket could cause wires in the engine harness protective sleeve to wear through and expose the wires which could short circuit to the metal bracket that was added in the previous recall. 

The ACCC says this could result in a compromised engine harness, potentially leading to a number of vehicle failure modes, such as engine cut-out while driving. 

This could further result in a depletion of the brake vacuum reservoir if the engine cuts out, causing the SUV to lose brake power assistance – although foundation brakes will still operate – and potentially posing a safety risk to other road users or occupants.

JLR's latest recall for the Evoque – the fourth recall for the model this year – affects models built between November 1, 2015 and January 31, 2016 and impacted owners will be contacted by direct mail to book in for a fix. 

In other recall news, 640 examples of the current-gen Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan sold between April 1 and September 30, 2016 have been called in to fix an issue with the front seats.

The ACCC says the problem relates to the control unit for the seat occupancy recognition system which may have been installed incorrectly on the front passenger seat.

It could cause the pressure hose on the control unit of the front passenger seat to kink, resulting in the unit not recognising that someone is occupying the seat, which could then cause the front passenger airbag to be disabled.

Impacted owners are being contacted by Mercedes.

Finally, Volvo's current generation XC90 SUV and S90 and V90 Cross Country large cars are being called back to service centres to fix an issue with the curtain airbag.

The ACCC says that the bolts holding the inflatable curtain in place could be impacted by a manufacturing error, causing the head bolt to detach and not completely securing the inflatable curtain in place. This could lead to a decrease in functionality of the curtain.

Is your vehicle impacted by any of these recalls? Tell us in the comments below.