I received the weekly National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation report and noticed an item I thought would be of interest to those glass technicians who replace the outside rearview mirror.

In this case, the driver-side rearview mirror is convex giving the driver a confusing view of the traffic behind them. The traffic seems closer than is normal and might confuse the driver.

Make sure that any driver-side rearview mirrors replaced on the models listed are proper for FMVSS111, which should be a normal 1:1 ratio-view mirror or flat-stock mirror.

Photo courtesy of bmwblog.com.

Photo courtesy of carblogindia.com.

Report Receipt Date: October 16, 2014
NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V648000
Component(s): Visibility
Potential Number of Units Affected: 53

Vehicle Make, Model, Model Year(s)

·        BMW X3 2015

·        BMW X4 2015
Manufacturer: BMW of North America LLC

SUMMARY:

BMW of North America LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2015 X3 and X4 Sports Activity Vehicles manufactured July 28, 2014 to July 29, 2014. The affected vehicles may have been produced with a driver’s side exterior rearview mirror that was designed to meet non-U.S. market requirements. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 111, “Rearview Mirrors.”

CONSEQUENCE:

The driver may not notice that vehicles viewed in the mirror are closer than they appear, increasing the risk of a crash.

REMEDY:

BMW will notify owners and dealers will replace the driver’s side exterior rearview mirror, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin November 1, 2014. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1/800-525-7417 or email CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com.

NOTES:

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Now let’s move onto the next recall. It’s of lesser importance but good to know. This one involves restraint system recalls. The Acura MDX recall calls for the replacement of the seatbelt tensioners and pretensioners at the nearest dealership. It should not take long and a friendly reminder is always appreciated.

We’ll also look at a GM recall, which is a simple programing change to make the airbags work properly. Evidently the wiring for the airbags are reversed and a simple reprograming is needed.

Photo courtesy otoreviews.com.

Photo courtesy of newcarreviewsusa.com.

Report Receipt Date: October 10, 2014
NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V639000
Component(s): Seat Belts
Potential Number of Units Affected: 43,481

Vehicle Make, Model, Model Year(s)

·        ACURA MDX 2014-2015

·        ACURA RLX 2014
Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

SUMMARY:

American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Acura MDX vehicles manufactured April 23, 2013, to August 25, 2014, and 2014 Acura RLX vehicles manufactured November 5, 2012, to November 25, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the driver and front passenger seat belt may not extend or retract in low temperatures.

CONSEQUENCE:

A seatbelt that does not function increases the risk of injury in a crash.

REMEDY:

Honda has notified owners and dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seat belts free of charge. The recall began in November 2014. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238. Honda’s number for this recall is JK7 for the MKX, and JK8 for the RLX.

NOTES:

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Photo courtesy of autoblog.com.

Photos courtesy of gmauthority.com.

Report Receipt Date: October 9, 2014
NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V645000
Component(s): Airbags
Potential Number of Units Affected: 2,283

Vehicle Make, Model, Model Year(s)

·        CHEVROLET COLORADO 2015

·        GMC CANYON 2015
Manufacturer: General Motors LLC

SUMMARY:

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 6, 2014, to October 1, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the driver airbag connections may have been wired incorrectly. This could reverse the deployment sequence and disrupt the deployment timing of the driver airbag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, “Occupant Crash Protection.”

CONSEQUENCE:

If the driver airbag does not deploy as designed, there is an increased risk of driver injury in the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment.

REMEDY:

GM will notify owners and dealers will reprogram the inflatable restraint sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) free of charge. The recall began on October 6, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet) or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM’s number for this recall is 14690.

NOTES:

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.