In Australia, it’s a bit less dramatic but still worrying. My guess is that by Christmas about 300,000 cars will have been recalled, including everything from sub-$20,000 runabouts to Ferraris, Rolls Royces and Lambos. Yup, that’s right: Ferraris are catching fire too.
But the sad truth is, generally if you have a dud car in Australia you’re fudged. Recalls here are voluntary, meaning the manufacturer is the one that notifies the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (that name’s as bad as calling your kid Moxie Crimefighter – Penn Jillette’s daughter) and initiates the recall process themselves.
Too soft, too slow
People have criticised the government and DITRCA for being too soft and too slow, especially during big-ticket issues like Takata airbags, when tens of thousands of affected cars remained on the road for years.
Bottom line: In the US, car recalls are often mandatory and backed by regulatory muscle. In Australia? Not so much.
Here, it’s up to the car companies to put their hands up. That means unless a manufacturer admits there’s a problem, the government can’t force a recall – not without a long, drawn-out process under consumer law. Great if you trust the companies. Not so great if you drive a time bomb on four wheels.
The reality is there are more recalls because cars are more complicated. Under the bonnet there’s a huge space jammed full of sensors, computers, batteries and overambitious ideas – and that complexity is catching up with manufacturers faster than a Chinese EV start-up on a former used car dealers lots.
Even million-dollar cars are braking bad
Take Bentley, for example. The $760,000 Bentayga SUV – beloved of oil barons, Instagram influencers and crypto bros – was recalled because it might go up in flames. Rolls-Royce has had to recall Cullinans and Ghosts over fuel line defects. Aston Martins might dump their engine oil. Lamborghini Uruses (Urusi?) could spray petrol on to hot turbos. Even the Ferrari SF90 Stradale – a $1.5m plug-in hybrid rocket – is on the recall list thanks to leaking turbo oil pipes.
And that’s just the boutique stuff.
At the other end of the spectrum, Ford has just recalled nearly 700,000 Bronco Sport and Escape SUVs in the US (plus tens of thousands more in Canada and likely some here too) over fuel injectors that might crack and start fires. You’ll know something’s wrong, they say, when you smell petrol or see flames licking the bonnet. Reassuring.
Meanwhile, Nissan is recalling nearly 450,000 cars over the possibility of complete engine failure, thanks to dodgy bearings in its clever-sounding VC-Turbo engines. Models affected include the Altima, Rogue and Infiniti QX50/QX55 – so not exactly obscure stuff.
And then there’s Tesla. Everyone’s favourite overvalued tech-stock-on-wheels is no stranger to recall headlines. In the US, the Model 3 has racked up eight recall actions, the Model S seven, and the X and Y are not far behind. Problems range from airbags not deploying to power steering going on strike.
Why so many duds?
Partly, it’s the sheer complexity of modern cars. More parts, more suppliers, more software, more things that can go wrong. Partly, it’s because regulators have got tougher (in theory), and consumers more litigious (in practice).
But here’s the kicker: even when cars are recalled, the fix doesn’t always get done. In the UK, the DVSA reckons 72 per cent of recalled cars stay on the road unrepaired. Australia’s figures aren’t much better.
Manufacturers do have a legal duty to notify you. But if you’ve moved house, changed numbers, or bought the car second-hand, that letter might never reach you. And if you’re driving something exotic like a 1980s Ferrari 328 – yes, even those are being recalled – the chance you’ll get the memo is roughly the same as Sauber winning an F1 championship next year.
So, what can you do?
In Australia, the best bet is to visit the Department of Infrastructure’s vehicle recalls website at www.vehiclerecalls.gov.au. Pop in your VIN (vehicle identification number) and it’ll tell you if you’re sitting on a mechanical time bomb. Or try vehicle-recall.co.uk if you want a broader view.
Here’s a real world example: A Reuters investigation shows Tesla blamed drivers for failures of parts it long knew were defective: “Wheels falling off cars at speed. Suspensions collapsing on brand-new vehicles. Axles breaking under acceleration. Tens of thousands of customers told Tesla about a host of part failures on low-mileage cars. The automaker sought to blame drivers for vehicle ‘abuse’, but Tesla documents show it had tracked the chronic ‘flaws’ and ‘failures’ for years.”
● Recalling parts in China – but not in the US.
● “There is no defect in the subject components and no associated safety risk,” a senior Tesla lawyer wrote to NHTSA, again blaming owners. “The root cause of the issue is driver abuse.”
● “It tried to kill me.” Jamie Minshall, describing a sudden power-steering outage in his Tesla Model Y.
● When NHTSA started its investigation into power steering in late July, it did so on the basis of complaints from 12 drivers. Tesla had known of more than 30 times that number of complaints since 2017 on models 3 and Y, its records show.
Big wheels are a wheelie big problem
Now these won’t cause recalls but they should. Jalopnik has just released its list of the 13 worst things about modern cars.
Our top picks are: Massive blind spots, no buttons just touch screens, advanced driver annoyance – cars now yell at you, take control of the steering, panic brake.
Some have more screens than an RSL, and have wheelie big wheels – and lack soul.
Waffle on the Belgium Grand Prix
After F1 took a break last weekend for the Mazda MX-5 Cup, yes that selfish Herring family took out all the spots on the podium despite no threat at all from your correspondent, the circus is back on Kayo tomorrow at the Spa track in Belgium.
I’m not the sort of person to make Belgian jokes like: This morning for breakfast I made a Belgian waffle. For lunch, I’m planning to make a Dutch person uncomfortable or: Why do the Dutch enjoy Belgian jokes so much? They’re cheap. But Max Verstappen has dominated this race with Hamo next best.
Red Bull arrive in Spa without Christian Horner for the first time in two decades. Ferrari are gaining momentum, Sauber have found form, and Oscar Piastri is second favourite for the win at his favourite track. Of course, the big questions are: Will Aston Martin passenger cars shift to Honda from Mercedes? Will Fred Alonso, the most senior citizen in F1, stay on the team with young Lance or join Hamo and The Pensioner (Nick Hulkenberg) in the Viagra sponsored Cadillac team?
And a huge thanks from me for the life of reader number two, Margery Smith, who died this week. As son-in-law Steve told me: “Despite having no interest whatsoever in cars or motoring, without fail, she read your weekly columns for their humour and (unbiased?) opinions. Even more unlikely she tended to concur with your views!”
A few months ago, Margery wrote to me saying: “I plan to have a photo of myself on my funeral thanksgiving when I was an adorable, innocent four-year-old hoping that the sight of this will enable any family or friends still able to attend may be inclined to forgive me any past transgressions.”
jc@jcp.com.au
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You probably didn’t notice, but while you were watching the Tour de France or yelling at the telly about Qantas, about two million cars quietly got recalled in the United States. That’s not including the 3.4 million Hyundais and Kias still parked outside in case they spontaneously combust.