Motor companies are recalling millions of vehicles around the world to repair manufacturing and design flaws. On SA’s roads, hundreds of thousands of vehicles may contain airbags that could explode in an accident, firing metal shards through the cabin. Owners are either unaware of the risk or too lazy to do anything about it.
A report in August revealed that, globally, more than 13-million cars have been recalled so far in 2020. Problems range from the mundane, such as loose interior brand badges and hard-to-reach seat belt straps, to the potentially lethal, such as disconnected steering wheels, passenger doors prone to flying open at high speed, and brake pedals that fall off.
What is also evident is that the rapid digitalisation of motoring, whether it’s the countless sensors monitoring every aspect of the vehicle’s performance or computerised management systems, has led to an outbreak of electronic failures.
Compared with major markets, the SA recall rate is relatively low — though it has its moments. The 2017 Ford Kuga debacle, in which dozens of imported vehicles self-immolated because of a faulty coolant system, proves that.
Cases are reported to bodies such as the Road Traffic Management Corporation and motor industry ombudsman. Official numbers are hard to come by but ombudsman Johan van Vreden says: “Safety-critical recalls are few and far between in SA.”
Tracking down recalled vehicles can be difficult, particularly if they are several years old and on their second or third owner, who isn’t known to the manufacturer or dealer.
John Thomson, Toyota SA’s vice-president responsible for technical issues and customer service, estimates that of 700,000 SA car owners who need their vehicle’s Takata airbag replaced, only about half have done anything about it.
An estimated 63-million Takata airbags, fitted to the vehicles of several manufacturers, have been recalled globally in recent years after it was discovered they absorb moisture, causing them to explode in a collision and shoot out metal fragments.
Thomson says continuing efforts to trace local customers include shopping centre displays. The industry has suggested that the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS), which collects data on vehicle licensing and registrations, should inform motorists of outstanding recalls on their vehicles when they renew licences.
Even that is no guarantee of action. Owners of new and old vehicles alike are often unwilling to take in their vehicles for repair — even for free. In Europe, it is estimated that 25% of owners of recalled vehicles ignore the offer. Thomson suspects a similar percentage here.
Perhaps it is because owners do not believe they will be let down by a piece of sophisticated machinery that, in some cases, cost more than their house. This confidence may be misplaced. No brand is immune from recalls.
Toyota
The report, by research house Finbold.com, shows that of 13,362,759 vehicles recalled by mid-July, Toyota led the way with 3.95-million, followed by Ford (2.9-million), Volvo (2.8-million), Fiat Chrysler (1.7-million) and Honda (1.4-million). Kia, Hyundai, Nissan, Mazda and Volkswagen rounded out the top 10.
They were in “good” company. Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Tesla were all on the list. Even McLaren had to recall more than 2,000 supercars.
In many cases, recalls are precautionary, to forestall a problem before it appears. At Mercedes-Benz, two of its European recalls in 2019 were to correct mistakes in car owner manuals.
But there are also plenty of potentially deadly issues. In the US since June 16, notices issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have alerted car owners to dangers including loose doors, fire risks, faulty brakes and airbags, loose headrests and badly fitted steering systems. It has also warned that electronic software that compensates for bad driving may actually do the opposite.
In Europe, identified potential problems in 2020 include loose brake pedals, unsecured tailgates, wrongly attached steering wheels, faulty suspensions, missing axle rods, weakened axle springs, loose wheels, damaged fuel lines and even holes in floors caused by faulty robotic welding.
Many of the affected vehicles are not sold in SA. Those that are — either imported or manufactured locally — are subject to stringent testing before going on sale. Van Vreden, however, would like standards raised even higher. Imported vehicles used to be fully tested by the SA Bureau of Standards. Now it accepts documentation from regulatory authorities where the vehicles are built. Van Vreden says: “I prefer the old system of checking everything here, including crash tests.”
Will the flood of recalls eventually undermine owner confidence in their vehicle brands? No, says Thomson. They welcome the fact that car companies are proactive about safety. “We are being ultra-cautious and customers understand that,” he says. “We are actually viewed positively for being honest and transparent.”
He also dismisses the idea that recall volumes mean quality standards are slipping. On-board software and diagnostics are identifying problems that would never have been picked up in the past. More important, most are found before they cost lives.
With about 30,000 parts in a typical car, some people argue that faults are inevitable. Van Vreden says: “It’s man-made so it will never be perfect.”
Thomson agrees: “There’s no such thing as zero defect.”
He says cars are built to the highest possible standard but if a defect is found, it must be acted on. “We will never compromise on quality or safety,” he says. “Recalls aren’t going to go away. They are a fact of life.”
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