Recall wrap: McLaren Senna strikes wiring woes

Built and named to commemorate one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time, the McLaren Senna was an instant sell-out with all 500 examples spoken for after its launch in 2018, despite a base price of about $1.6 million before options.

Exact pricing and Australian allocations of the 588kW twin-turbo V8-powered supercar were never revealed, but at least 13 examples of the McLaren Senna have been recalled due to a potential wiring issue last week.

McLaren says part of the 2019 Senna’s engine harness may come in contact with the metal link pipe heatshield and chafe, causing damage to wires within the engine harness bundle.

Damage to the wiring could result in the engine stalling, misfiring or rupturing the exhaust system as well as causing a loss of power, increasing the risk of an accident and injury to vehicle occupants and other road users.

Affected vehicles were sold between September 10, 2018 and June 27, 2019 and their VINs are listed here.

Meantime this week, Audi has issued a second safety recall related to wheel-arch covers that may fall off certain Audi Q5 vehicles.

In August, the German car-maker recalled more than 2000 Audi Q5s covering model years 2017 to 2019. Now a second recall to remedy the same problem has been announced for MY2015 and 2016 vehicles, bringing the total number of affected SUVs to 5630.

Owners will be contacted by Audi Australia to have their vehicle inspected and repaired (each wheel-arch cover will be secured with an additional retainer and bolt). Check if your car is affected here.

Also coming in for a produce safety recall this week is the MY2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter VS30 Van sold between March and August this year.

According to recall notice, 875 MY19 Sprinters can suffer from malfunctioning rear lights due to a software fault when the rotary light switch is moved to a different position in less than 0.5 seconds.

“If the vehicle's rear external lights malfunction, the brightness of the rear lamps may be reduced significantly, or fail completely. The vehicle will be less visible, increasing the risk of an accident and injury to all road users,” said Mercedes-Benz Vans Australia/Pacific.

Once again affected owners will be contacted via mail, or they can see if their vehicle is involved here.