Recall wrap: More than 200,000 problems for Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi has issued four safety recall notices across three models – ASX, Outlander and Lancer – to fix a total of almost 230,000 separate vehicle faults.

In a big couple of weeks for safety recalls, Mitsubishi's biggest recall is for 105,064 Mitsubishi ASX (2011-2012), Lancer (2008-2012) and Outlander (2008-2012) vehicles whose engines have the potential to overheat and stall, according to the ACCC recall notice.

"The engine auto tensioner flange may crack under high load driving conditions, which may cause the drive-belt to fall off," said the recall notice.

If this happens, an engine warning light will blink on which could be followed by the loss of power steering assistance, the battery discharging and/or the engine getting too hot and stalling.

As with most car recalls, owners will be contacted by the manufacturer and urged to return their vehicle to an official dealership to have the problem fixed.

A total of 70,795 Mitsubishi ASX (2013-2013) and Outlander (2013-2016) SUVs are being recalled due to parking brakes that could fail, causing the cars to roll away. Due to a potentially defective seal in the park brake calliper, water can corrode the mechanism causing the brake shaft to stick and potentially fail.

Another 53,911 Mitsubishi ASX (2011-2015) vehicles need inspecting to make sure their windscreen wiper ball joints don't corrode, although Mitsubishi Australia stresses that no incidents have been recorded locally as a result of either potential corrosion issue.

Finally, 4000 Mitsubishi Lancer (2008-2010) and Outlander (2007-2010) vehicles fitted with sunroofs could drop onto the heads of occupants. The sunroof frame adhesive can weaken, potentially allowing the glass to detach and fall.

Mitsubishi says these four issues will be addressed by a range of actions, including everything from a half-hour inspection for corrosion to two hours to fix park brake calliper seals, and that some vehicles will require fixes for multiple problems.

Mercedes-Benz has issued recalls for crucial safety features on several of its most popular cars, including the C-Class, due to airbag and seatbelt concerns.

The seatbelt tensioners in Mercedes-Benz C-Class, GLC-Class, S-Class and E-Class Coupe vehicles built between August 2016 and February 2017 may not deploy due to potentially faulty propellant mix. This could result in an "increased risk of injury" in the event of an accident, according to the ACCC recall notice.

The airbag recall affects a wider range of Benz cars, including the A-, B-, C-, E-, GLA-, CLA- and GLC-Class vehicles. An electrostatic discharge in the steering column has the potential to trigger the driver airbag "without obvious cause".

The recall affects the above vehicles built between January 2012 and December 2013.

Jeep and Chrysler models -- Wrangler and 300/C respectively -- have a also been recalled recently due to a passenger airbag inflator fault, linked to the global Takata recall. Jeep Wrangler and Chrysler 300 and 300C models built in 2013 could fire shrapnel fragments into occupants, resulting in potential injury or death.

Lexus V8 models, including the GS F (Oct 2015 to Dec 2017), LC500 (Mar 2017 to Dec 2017) and RC F (Sep 2014 to Dec 17) are being recalled due to a potential fuel leak that could lead to the outbreak of fire.

A pair of high-pressure fuel pumps "could be damaged under specific operating conditions", says the ACCC recall notice, which doesn't specify what the operation conditions are but details how this can lead to "abnormal noise and vibration" that can lead to breakage. Fuel leakage and fire is possible in a worst-case scenario.