EDITOR’S NOTE
MARK SMYTH: From shrapnel to fires — recalls resemble a war zone
Mark Smyth looks at the vast number of vehicle safety recall notices that are issued
Vehicle safety recalls are making headlines with the Ford Kuga fires crisis. While Ford SA has clearly mishandled the situation, manufacturers issue recall or service campaigns daily. Due to it being the closest market to our own in that the vehicles are right-hand drive, we monitor the recall lists in the UK that are issued by the government’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency monthly. The latest is for December 2016 and it is one of the longest we have seen, with 46 safety recall notices issued for cars, commercial vehicles and motorbikes. Being a British list, some of the alerts are rather on the polite side. The alert for the 2014-15 Renault Trafic van states: "The rear axle bolts may not have been correctly tightened which may generate a noise from inside the wheel arch or cause friction on the tyre. If the concern is not addressed it is possible for the axle to become uncoupled from the body of the vehicle." Uncoupled? The rear axle might fall off your van! Most safety recal...
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