In the US last year there were over 28 million vehicles recalled across 445 models with 423 judged as high risk. This is the problems we know about so that does not mean there are no other existing problems the manufacturers are keeping quiet about.
This week the Ford Motor Company of South Africa added another 21 000 vehicles to their recall list and the worst part is they do not have the correct parts to change out the faulty ones. The replacement correct parts will be available some time in October so those that have defective vehicles need to wait. What happened to testing vehicles before they go into production?
I know what it is like to have a recall vehicle as I experienced issues with my Nissan Pathfinder some years back. I had taken it into the workshop as it was not running smoothly and the mechanics could find nothing wrong. With in a few days the problem deteriorated and sounded more like a tractor and was letting out heavy black smoke. I phoned the dealership and they sent out a team of mechanics who then realized the problem and my vehicle should have been recalled. Why they did not check the vin number through he system when it was on site a few days back is anyone's guess. A quick change of a certain part and the car was like new again and shows some recalls are quick fixes if the part is on hand.
My Ford experience has never been great as I had a Ford company car that I had collected and the air conditioning front pan was leaking so it went in for a fix. It turned out they also found a cracked axle and rust on the the back tailgate door which had to be replaced. This is a car that is less than a week old and I have never forgotten this. Imagine if this was not a company car and you had bought this personally because I would want an immediate refund. Once bitten twice shy is how I feel about Ford as the quality and workmanship is not present.
Added to the list of recalls this week are Nissan and Citroen with an airbag issue which also tells me they are coming out of the same plant in SA and using the same airbags.
From my understanding and know how on vehicles recalls used to be the odd occurrence and not something we expected to see and a regular occurrence. Ford has been in the spotlight of late or should I say the last decade and why I steer clear of them. The problem is that most manufacturers have them and Ford is just on another level.
When digging deeper you find there are vehicles with a whole host of issues dating back from 2014. another 7 manufacturers have recalled vehicles from 2014-2016 last month that have major faults. Jeep have an airbag issue that when inflated could blow up releasing metal fragments so this is more like a bomb and has been allowed to be on the road for 10 years. How much other stuff has been hidden from consumers who will only find out when they need the vehicle to perform to the specifications. Citroen has cars being called back from 2009 which is shocking as how many are still on the road. You tell me they had no idea beforehand and waited 16 years?
Mercedes has a model that has a problem with the braking system and the pipes rupture in hot climates causing a loss of brake fluid. How did they find that one out and I guess we can assume someone had an accident as these were 2020 models so 5 years old. Volvo had a battery with high voltage that when fully charged could cause a fire and again the consumer was the guinea pig with this being a 2022 model.
My thinking is swaying to the thought that these problems have always existed with motor vehicles and the consumers are the test market for any fixes that need to happen. There have bene so many cover ups by certain companies in the past because any recall is an expense on the behalf of the manufacture. What will be interesting to see is how many Chinese cars will be recalled as a percentage and will the Chinese let their consumers know or just keep quiet. My bet is they will keep quiet and we the public will find out the hard way.