Recall wrap: Subaru Impreza reversing camera freezes

Subaru Australia is recalling its MY2017 Impreza to fix a faulty reversing camera display that can 'freeze' when reverse gear is selected.

The Japanese brand is contacting 4313 owners around the country to arrange for the affected vehicles to be brought to an authorised dealership where a software patch will be uploaded to rectify the problem.

Meantime, Mercedes-Benz has issued a safety recall notice for 640 E-Class cars sold locally, due to a faulty control unit in the front passenger seat, which recognises whether the seat is occupied, to determine whether to fire the frontal airbag or not.

According to the importer, incorrect installation at the factory could result in a kink in the pressure hose. This in turn could lead to the unit disabling the frontal airbag, despite the seat being occupied.

Benz is also planning to recall 650 cars split between C-Class, GLC and E-Class, plus the MFA-based CLA and GLA models. These cars are part of a broader global recall of a million cars – including over 300,000 in the USA.

The defect that has led to the recall is a 'current limiter' in the starter motor, which can overheat after repeated starting attempts, possibly resulting in fire. There have been no local instances of a Mercedes-Benz vehicle catching fire due to this defect, a spokesman told motoring.com.au.

Skoda will recall more than 500 units of the Octavia in MY08 and MY09 specification. A thermal overload in the ABS (anti-lock braking system) control unit can interrupt current to the control unit, resulting in a fault warning light and malfunctioning ABS that could pose a risk in critical situations.

Fiat Chrysler Australia is asking owners of the Fiat Ducato powered by a 2.3-litre 'Multijet' diesel to see the servicing dealer as soon as they receive mailed notification from the distributor. A defective camshaft may crack while the vehicle is in operation.

Vehicles subject to the local recall were built between December 19, 2016 and January 10, 2017, and the distributor claims that just 56 vehicles are subject to the recall.

Jaguar Land Rover Australia has issued a second recall for the MY2016 Range Rover Evoque, after determining that a previous fix for the car's engine wiring harness is not "durable for the life of the vehicle". Vehicles affected are the 2.0-litre diesel variants in the VIN range from SALVA2AN4GH07910 to SALVA2BNXGH099325.

The engine wiring harness may chafe, should it come into contact with the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) casting bracket, the importer advises. This could lead to short-circuiting and the engine may cease to run, in which case the vehicle will lose power assistance for the braking system. Upon receipt of a letter from JLR Australia, owners should take the vehicle to an authorised servicing dealer and have the vehicle inspected, and the wiring harness re-routed if necessary.

Both the Jaguar F-TYPE and XE are being recalled also. Models affected are MY17/18 F-TYPE and MY2017 XE. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) range from SAJWA6AT4H8K41657 to SAJXJ6DL1HMK46354 for the F-TYPE, and between SAJAB4AN7HA960925 and SAJAB4AGHL995575 for the XE. The nature of the fault, according to JLR Australia, is a potentially malfunctioning front seat-belt pretensioner, due to "a deviation in the seatbelt initiator generant mix ratio in some initiators".

Should the pretensioner fail to deploy in the event of a collision, injuries to the seat occupant may be worsened. Owners are asked to take the affected vehicles to the nearest authorised JLR dealer after receiving notification, in order for the dealer to undertake an inspection and replacement, if the latter should be required.

A select few Audi models – 39 cars sold in Australia – are being recalled for the same fault. The vehicles affected are A4, A4 Avant, A4 Allroad, A6, A7 and A8 (MY17).

Another Euro prestige brand, Volvo, is recalling MY2017 S90, V90 Cross Country and XC90 models for a manufacturing defect that could lead to bolt heads detaching and leaving the side curtains to hang loose from the mounting points.

Vehicles affected are in VIN blocks ranging from 011536 to 017772 (S90), 000098 to 005222 (V90 Cross Country) and 150614 to 175024 (XC90). Volvo will contact vehicle owners by mail for the car to be inspected and repaired, as necessary.

Finally, Toyota is issuing a recall for the driver's side airbag inflator in ZZE122 and ZZE123 models of Corolla. This is part of the broader Takata airbag scandal. Vehicles affected were ZZE122 Corollas built between March 5, 2003 and July 15, 2005, and ZZE123 Corollas built between March 5, 2003 and October 20, 2005.