Ateco issues recall notices for Great Wall, LDV

Ateco Automotive, the local distributor for Great Wall, has sent out recall notices to owners for a fuel filler production issue.

The recall applies to diesel V200 pick-ups in single and dual-cab form. According to the distributor, the defect is classified as a "plastic welding intensity production problem". This, over time, could result in a fracture of the plastic filler neck.

Ateco spokesman Daniel Cotterill has told motoring.com.au that the "random failure" occurs when owners repeatedly lean on the fuel pump nozzle while refuelling the vehicle. There is no fire risk, Cotterill says, but the distributor has decided to change the plastic neck for a metal replacement that will ensure diesel fumes do not escape into the atmosphere. It's a "half-hour job", says Cotterill, and while the recall nominally affects 10,217 vehicles, some have already had this work carried out during normal servicing.

Additionally, Ateco is contacting LDV owners to take their vehicles to the nearest dealer. The recall is not safety-related as such; an identification label on the locally-delivered vehicles doesn't specify the manufacturer's name, which "is non-compliant with the mandatory Administrator's Circular for Identification Labels". Ateco says the label was printed by a third-party supplier based in Australia. As few as 265 vehicles are affected.