Recall wrap: MINI Countryman faces fire risk

A recall notice for the MINI Countryman equipped with three-cylinder petrol engines (B36/B38) has been issued after it was discovered a missing part could result in a fire risk.

In total, 538 MINI Countryman wagons have been recalled, including vehicles built between December 30, 2016 and August 13, 2018.

According to the recall notice, a crash protection plate covering the high-pressure fuel pump was not installed. In a worst-case scenario such as a heavy frontal crash, "the fuel pump could become damaged causing a fuel leak and a fire".

Owners will be contacted by BMW/MINI to alert them to the issue and advise them to visit an official service department to install the missing part.

Meantime, recall notices for 782 BMW X5 vehicles have been issued by the ACCC after it was discovered that first-generation vehicles built between March 1, 2001 and February 28, 2002, are affected by an airbag issue.

According to the recall notice, "…a possible mismatch of software and hardware within the airbag control" can cause the front airbags to inflate, which can result in front occupant injuries.

Owners will be contacted by BMW to have the airbag control unit reprogrammed at a BMW dealership.

A variety of Mercedes-Benz vehicles -- 78 in total -- have been recalled after it was found that the airbag gas generator housing "may eject metal parts if the airbags are deployed".

The recall notice, which despite sounding very similar is unrelated to the compulsory Takata airbag recall, says the similar, says the deployment of the airbags "may result in small metal parts becoming dislodged from the airbag gas generator housing, which could injure the occupants of the vehicle".

The recall affects the Mercedes-Benz GLA and A-Class, AMG GT, C-Class, E-Class, B-Class and GLC. The vehicles were built in a two-month period between March 1, 2018 and April 30, 2018.

Owners are advised to call a Benz dealer to get their vehicles inspected and fixed.

A separate recall for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class has also been issued, affecting 45 of the luxury limousines built between November 1, 2017 and February 27, 2018.

According to the recall, "…two nuts for mounting busbars in the prefuse box located in the vehicle's trunk may not have been installed”.

Mercedes says the increased resistance between the busbars (electrical conductors) can increase the risk of fire hazard, and the "interruption of electrical contact of the busbars may lead to function failures".

This could then affect the running of the engine, belt functions and the instrument cluster could be among the components affected, which may increase the risk of an accident and also the risk of injury in the event of an accident.

As is standard practice, Mercedes-Benz will contact the owners of affected vehicles.