Recall wrap: Peugeot 4008 tailgate drops its load

The newly-appointed distributor for Peugeot cars and SUVs has announced a recall of over 4200 vehicles to fix a dodgy tailgate.

According to the recall notice, the gas struts supporting the tailgate of the Peugeot 4008 could fail, due to corrosion of the strut's end cap, due to the inadequate application of a corrosion inhibitor during the manufacturing process.

In the event the end cap fails, the tailgate could collapse from the raised position. It thus poses a danger to anyone standing underneath it.

The 4008 is essentially a badge-engineered Mitsubishi ASX built by Mitsubishi for Peugeot and the vehicles affected were sold in Australia between April 2, 2012 and December 31, 2015. Owners will be contacted by mail and are advised to contact an authorised servicing dealer to have the vehicle inspected and new parts fitted.

Mitsubishi has issued a recall notice for the Outlander PHEV (plug-in hybrid). According to the importer, a combination of spark plug specification and two different software packages (for engine and electric drivetrain, respectively) could result in the petrol engine shutting down without warning – and fail to restart.

This would leave drivers no option but to complete the journey in EV mode, which may not be possible if the journey is longer than the battery range. The vehicles subject to the notice were sold between September 19, 2013 and March 2, 2017. Mitsubishi will contact owners by mail and recommend the affected vehicles are brought to the nearest servicing dealer for replacement of the spark plugs and downloads of new software.

The Mercedes-Benz SLK sold here between May 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016 is being recalled for a software fault associated with the stability control program. If a driver-assistance system like the car’s active cruise control applies the brakes, the pads may remain in light contact with the disc rotors, which could result in overheating and impaired braking function. The importer claims that instances of the fault occurring have been “rare”.

Owners will be contacted by mail and are advised to arrange for a servicing dealer to upgrade the software.

CLA and GLA models sold in Australia between October 1, 2016 and November 5, 2016 are also being recalled by Mercedes-Benz, which advises that the affected cars may be fitted with defective window airbags on the left side of each vehicle. If the airbag fails to deploy during a crash there is a higher risk of injury for the front passenger.

Mercedes-Benz recommends the owners arrange a vehicle inspection at the nearest servicing dealer at the earliest convenience and will also contact each owner by mail.

Finally, owners of Holden Colorado, Colorado 7 and TrailBlazer are being contacted by Holden in connection with jacks that may be missing the Australian Standards label detailing the correct procedure for lifting the car to change a wheel. If the jack should be used incorrectly, it may result in injury to the user.

Holden advises that the jack is sold through Holden Service Parts Organisation (HSPO) and vehicle owners should approach the nearest Holden dealer for a label to be fixed to the jack.