Via NYTimes
Harley-Davidson is recalling about 9,100 motorcycles because they can unexpectedly run out of fuel and stall, while Jaguar is recalling almost 300 vehicles because “prolonged, aggressive driving” could cause rear suspension failure, according to reports posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.
The Harley-Davidson recall covers the 2013-14 FXSB Breakout and FXSBSE CVO Breakout models built from March 20, 2012, to March 10, 2014, according to the company’s report.
Harley-Davidson said it learned of the problem in January when an engineer ran out of fuel. It investigated and concluded that a suspension difference on the recalled models changed the angle of the fuel tank by “approximately three degrees,” causing an incorrect fuel-level reading. The company said it would update the software for the fuel-level sensor. There was no mention in the report of any accidents or injuries.
The Jaguar recall covers 2013-14 XJR, XFR-S and XKR-S GT models, according to the report the automaker filed with the safety agency.
The automaker told N.H.T.S.A. that during “road load data” testing it discovered that “in the event of prolonged, aggressive driving with frequent lateral and braking force inputs it is possible that the rear toe link will separate from the rear subframe.” The defect could cause the wheel to suddenly lean inward or outward. Jaguar says that because “vehicle stability will be compromised and the degree of directional control minimized, this significantly increases the risk of an accident.”
The automaker said it was not aware of any accidents, injuries or failures on customer vehicles related to what it called a “long-term durability concern.”
In other actions:
Mazda is recalling about 5,700 of its 2014 Mazda 3 and 2014-15 Mazda 6 cars because of a problem with the regenerative engine braking system. The company says that in heavy rain or deep puddles, the generator belt may get wet and slip, which can cause the power control module to conclude that there is a failure of the energy storage capacitor. In such a case, the charging system would be stopped. If the driver were to ignore the associated warning light, the battery would be drained, which “will likely result in loss of steering assist, windshield wiper operation and the engine will finally stop operating.”
The agency asked Mazda why it didn’t recall the vehicles sooner because it knew about the problem last summer. Mazda said in its response that no recall was needed because the defect was not “an unreasonable risk to safety” because a warning light was illuminated. But, the automaker said, it decided to issue a recall in the United States after government safety officials in Japan insisted on a recall in that country.
Jaguar is recalling about 1,600 XFs from the 2013-14 model years because of a stalling problem, according to a report the automaker filed with the agency. Jaguar said the charge air-cooler hose on models with the 2-liter GTDi engine could detach, causing the engine “to cut out without warning,” resulting in a loss of power assist for the steering and brakes.
Jaguar and Mazda each described their recalls as voluntary, but once a manufacturer is aware of a safety problem it must – within five business days – inform the agency of its plan for a recall or face a civil fine.
