Recalls & faults: Holden VF Sportwagon (2013-17)

Recalls: Holden VF Sportwagon

Overview

Manufacturers, or importers, issue recalls for defects or faults which have the potential to cause injury. Generally, manufacturers will inform the original buyers if their vehicle is subject to a recall and of the steps required to remedy the defect or fault. Please note that the recalls below (if any) are for Australian-delivered vehicles only. Furthermore, the number of recalls should not be taken as an indication of a model’s reliability or its safety more generally.

Recalls: Holden VF Sportwagon

2013-14 Holden VF Sportwagon: pre-tensioner may not deploy

In May 2014, a recall was issued for Holden VF Sportwagon vehicles that were manufactured between 8 March 2013 and 22 May 2014. In these vehicles, the seatbelt pretensioner wiring harness may make contact with a bolt at the base of the seat belt buckle assembly, causing the wiring harness to wear prematurely. If this occurred, the airbag warning light may illuminate on the instrument cluster to warn the driver of a defect and the pretensioner may not deploy in the event of an accident. The recalled vehicles had VINs in the range 6G1 FL5E P6EL 900097 to 6G1 NN5E 48EL 987612 (PRA 2014/14127).

2013 Holden VF Sportwagon: wiper motor may fail

In June 2014, a recall was issued for Holden VF Sportwagon vehicles that were manufactured between 27 February 2013 and 31 October 2013. In these vehicles, the driven gear in the wiper motor may fail due to incorrect grease application. As a result, the windscreen wipers may not work and visibility could be reduced, thereby posing an accident hazard to the driver and other road users. The recalled vehicles had VINs in the range 6G1 EK8E49CL 711575 to 6G1 NP5E21EL 946263 (PRA 2014/14168).

2013-14 Holden VF Sportwagon LPG: restricted fuel supply

In July 2014, a recall was issued for Holden Sportwagon vehicles with LPG engines that were manufactured between 10 February 2011 and 19 June 2014. In these vehicles, the LPG excess flow valve may restrict fuel supply to the engine and reduce engine performance. If this occurred, the driver would not be able to increase engine speed, potentially posing an accident hazard to the driver and other road users. The recalled vehicles had VINs in the range 6G1 EK8E40CL 600008 to 6G1 NN5E48EL 987612 (PRA 2014/14189).

2013-14 Holden VF Sportwagon LPG: potential fuel leak

In July 2014, a recall was issued for Holden VF Sportwagon vehicles with LPG engines that were manufactured between 25 June 2013 and 8 April 2014. In these vehicles, the LPG fuel feed hose may develop a very slow leak – at the rate of 1 or 2 millilitres per minute – towards the end of the vehicle’s lifetime. If this occurred, the leak may pose a fire hazard. The recalled vehicles had VINs in the range 6G1 FA5E44EL 911515 to 6G1 FA5E41EL 976807 (PRA 2014/14190).

2013-14 Holden VF Sportwagon: incomplete seat weld

In July 2014, a recall was issued for Holden VF Sportwagon vehicles that were manufactured from 7 February 2013 to 22 May 2014. In these vehicles, there may have been an incomplete weld on the seat hook bracket assembly of either front seat. In the event of a crash, an incomplete weld could result in the hook separating from the seat track, increasing the risk of occupant injury. As part of the recall, Holden dealerships would inspect the weld and, if incomplete, replace the seat hook bracket assembly. The recalled VF Sportwagons had VINs in the range 6G1FL5EP6EL900097 to 6G1NP5E27EL986329 (PRA 2014/14226).

2014 Holden VF Sportwagon: seat position sensor where seat had been replaced

In October 2015, a recall was issued for Holden VF Sportwagon vehicles that were manufactured from 8 April 2014 to 17 September 2014. If the driver’s seat base had been replaced in these vehicles, the seat position sensor may be inoperative. If the driver’s seat were adjusted to a forward position and the vehicle was involved in an accident that required the front airbags to deploy, the airbags may deploy with marginally more force than intended – this increased the risk of injury to the occupant. The recalled VF Sportwagons had VINs in the range 6G3NT5E20EL902287 to 6G1FB5E35EL008990 (PRA 2015/14941).

2014 Holden VF Sportwagon: delayed or unintended airbag deployment

In February 2016, a recall was issued for Holden VF Sportwagon vehicles that were manufactured from 8 October 2015 to 13 October 2015. In these vehicles, the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) may not have been properly secured into the casing of the Airbag Control Module (also known as the Sensing and Diagnostics Module or SDM) – this may cause slightly delayed deployment of the side thorax and curtain airbags, or unintended airbag deployment, thereby increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants. The recalled VF Sportwagon vehicles had VINs in the range 6G1FA8E57GL202543 to 6G1NP5EW6GL204169 (PRA 2016/15220).

2013-15 Holden VF Sportwagon with LPG engine: potential fuel leak

In July 2017, a recall was issued for Holden VF Sportwagon vehicles that had LPG engines and were manufactured prior to 9 September 2015. If the LPG vaporizer had been serviced or replaced, there could be a loose electrical ground connection that could cause an electrical arc in the LPG fuel feed hose. If this occurred, there was a risk of a fuel hose leak or fire which posed a hazard to vehicle occupants and other road users. The recalled vehicles had VINs in the range 6G1EK4E40CL600020 to 6G1NP5E4XFL147410 (PRA 2017/16025).

2013-15 Holden VF Sportwagon: loss of power steering assistance

In December 2018, recall campaign A182193280 was issued for Holden VF Sportwagons that were manufactured prior to 30 April 2015. In these vehicles, increased electrical resistance in a component within the Electric Power Steering (EPS) system could result in a loss of power steering assistance. As such, power steering assistance may be lost while the vehicle was driven, increased steering effort would be required to turn the vehicle and this would reduce steering control – these factors increased the risk of a collision for vehicle occupants and other road users. For the VINs of the recalled vehicles, please see PRA 2018/17201.

Problems and faults: Holden VF Sportwagon

Overview

This section identifies potential problems, causes and fixes based on the experiences of owners and repairers, online sources and technical service bulletins. This information is provided solely for reference purposes and AustralianCar.Reviews recommends that only properly qualified persons carry out repairs or modifications. Furthermore, the number of items below should not be taken as an indicator of a model’s reliability or the frequency with which they may occur.

To report a problem or fault to the AustralianCar.Reviews team, please use the Contact Us form. Note that AustralianCar.Reviews does not offer advice on automotive problems or disputes; such enquiries will not receive a reply. For vehicles purchased from dealers after 1 January 2011, please see our Australian Consumer Law fact sheet.

Holden VF Sportwagon: Loss of Power Steering Assistance

In Holden VF Sportwagon vehicles, there have been reports of a loss of power steering assistance, which may or may not be preceded by a warning to service the power steering. Furthermore, power steering assistance may return when the vehicle is restarted.

In February 2015, Holden initiated a customer service campaign (Campaign No: A 140804-ZCS P) for the loss of power steering assistance. It is understood that the loss of steering assistance was caused by water damage to the electrical connector on the power steering motor. If water damage had occurred, the connector would be replaced. If not, the connector would be filled with conductive grease and re-connected to the power steering motor.

In March 2016, General Motors issued a recall for the US-delivered Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV) which was manufactured by Holden and had the same steering components. According to the recall notice, the Chevrolet Caprice PPV vehicles that were manufactured from 15 May 2013 to 3 March 2016 may experience a loss of power steering assistance due to corrosion of the connector between the electric power steering module and the toque sensor connector. Documents lodged by General Motors in connection with the US recall stated that:

As part of Chevrolet’s recall, the steering gear assembly was to be replaced at no cost to the owner. Furthermore, the replacement steering gears had gold-plated terminals that were resistant to fretting corrosion.

In December 2018, a recall was issued for Holden VF and HSV Gen-F vehicles that were manufactured prior to 30 April 2015; details of this recall are published above.

2015-17 Holden VF Sportwagon SS LS3 V8: faulty fuel injectors

For 2015-17 Holden VF Sportwagon SS vehicles powered by the 6.2-litre LS3 V8 engine, there have been widespread reports of fuel injector failure. Symptoms of fuel injector failure include rough running, illumination of the ESP light, the vehicle entering ‘limp home’ mode which restricts engine power and diagnostic trouble codes which indicate that the injectors are open circuit.

While Holden sought to attribute the faulty fuel injectors to ‘variable fuel quality’, the widespread nature of the problem indicates an inherent fault with the injectors rather than poor quality fuel (which would typically be isolated to a particular area). To fix, Holden dealers have been replacing the faulty fuel injectors under warranty if the vehicle is exhibiting symptoms of fuel injector failure.

2017 Holden VF Sportwagon SS LS3 V8: faulty rocker arms

Holden VF Sportwagon SS vehicles produced between July 2017 and October 2017 had faulty inlet rocker arms in the 6.2-litre LS3 V8 engine. Symptoms of faulty rocker arms included rough running, misfires and total engine failure from as little as 50 km. In December 2017, Holden started to replace all eight inlet rocker arms in vehicles that had not been delivered to customers. For vehicles that had been delivered to customers, Holden contacted owners to arrange for their replacement.

2013-15 Holden VF Sportwagon: front ball joints to be re-torqued

In March 2015, Holden initiated a service campaign for 2013-15 Holden VF Sportwagon vehicles to re-torque the lower control arm rear link ball joint nuts on the front suspension (on both sides of the vehicle). It is understood that loose ball joint nuts could cause a clunk or rattle type noise from the front suspension.

2015 Holden VF Sportwagon: clunk when shifting between drive and reverse

General Motors issued a service bulletin for 2015 Holden VF Sportwagon vehicles that had six-speed 6L45 MYA automatic transmissions. In these vehicles, a ‘clunk’ or ‘ping’ noise may be heard from the rear of the vehicle when the driver completed a ‘change of direction shift’ (i.e. drive to reverse or reverse to drive). The service bulletin attributed this noise to movement between the splines of the output shaft and the output flange. Furthermore, this noise could ‘propagate’ up the prop shaft and the transmission tunnel to the rear of the vehicle. To fix,

• The propeller shaft was to be removed;
• The transmission output nut and flange were to be removed, and the output shaft flange nut discarded. The transmission output flange was then to be removed from the transmission output shaft;
• The output flange and shaft were to be inspected for corrosion and, if present, that corrosion was to be removed with a wire brush. The parts were then to be cleaned with Prepsol, wiped thoroughly and allowed to fully dry;
• The output flange was to be re-installed with adhesive (GM part number 89021297) or Loctite 272 applied across the width of the flange splines. Once adhesive had been applied to every spline along its complete length, the output flange was to be installed over the shaft. Excessive adhesive was to be wiped off with a clean rag;
• The new output flange nut was to be cleaned (with Prepsol if required);
• The output flange nut was to be installed with adhesive across the thread of the new nut;
• The propeller shaft was to be re-installed; and,
• The vehicle was to be left for 24 hours so that the adhesive could cure.

Holden VF Sportwagon with six-speed auto: clunk noise on take-off

General Motors issued a service bulletin for Holden VF Sportwagon vehicles that had six-speed automatic transmissions. When accelerating from rest under light to medium throttle, the driver may notice a ‘thud’ or ‘clunk’ noise from the rear of the vehicle immediately after take-off. According to the service bulletin, the noise would only be heard when moving forward in Drive mode or Sports mode, but would not be experienced in Active Select (A/S) mode.

The clunk noise was attributed to the transmission making a clutch change while in first gear. Specifically, the transmission changed from a first locked (CBR1 clutch locked) to a first freewheel (CBR1 clutch released) state at 4 km/h. The driver does not usually feel the clutch transition of CBR1 releasing since the first gear ratio was maintained. However, the disengagement of the CBR1 clutch and the engagement of the one-way clutch caused a torque-spike that could produce a clunk noise at the driveline end of the vehicle.

According to the service bulletin, owners were to be informed that the noise was a ‘known, normal characteristic of the transmission’ and that it was ‘not detrimental to the life of the vehicle’.

2015-16 Holden VF Sportwagon: HVAC musty smell/odour after starting vehicle

In 2016, General Motors issued Service Bulletin #15-H-0041 for Holden VF Sportwagons. After starting the vehicle, the driver may notice a damp ‘musty’ smell or odour emanating from the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) vents. This smell was attributed to condensation accumulating on the evaporator core when the air conditioning was on and remaining in place after the engine was turned off. For affected vehicles, an afterblow function was to be turned on using GM’s Global Diagnostic System 2 (GDS2) – this software was implemented in production from the start of 2016 model year production.

Holden VF Sportagon with SIDI V6 engines: carbon deposits/build-up

Like the VE Sportwagon, the VF Sportwagon’s 3.0-litre LFW V6 and 3.6-litre LFX V6 direct injection (SIDI) engines are susceptible to accumulating carbon deposits (or build up) on the intake valves. In these direct injection engines, carbon deposits may accumulate on the stem and throat of the intake valve due to:

1. the vaporisation of oil which is not trapped by the oil separator; or
2. unburned fuel and exhaust gases that escape past the piston rings and ener the crankcase (‘blow-by’).

Since direct injection engines do not spray fuel on the backside of the intake valves, the detergent properties of the fuel cannot remove the carbon build up (as occurs in port injected engines). Symptoms of carbon deposits on the intake valve include difficulty starting the vehicle (hard starting), misfiring, misfire engine codes and reduced engine performance. Potentially, these deposits can result in damage to the catalytic converter if bits of the deposit break off and enter the exhaust system.

To remove the carbon deposits, the intake must be removed and the valves cleaned manually. To reduce the incidence of carbon deposits, a common aftermarket modification is the fitment of an oil vapor catch. The catch can receives dirty air from the crankcase via the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve, filters it and returns it to the intake manifold via the PCV port.

Holden VF Sportwagon: L77 and LS3 V8 engines

Overview

With the exception of the early 5.7-litre LS1 V8 engines, General Motors’ LS V8 engines are regarded as being generally reliable. However, they may experience the problems described below.

Hydraulic lifter failure

For GM’s LS V8 engines, the hydraulic lifters may fail due to:

• A failed plunger within the lifter itself. When the plunger fails, it cannot maintain oil pressure and remains in a collapsed state – the lifter therefore cannot take up valve lash such that a tapping noise is heard that increases in volume and frequency with engine speed;
• The spring mechanism jamming – this is more common in older engines;
• Inadequate lubrication of the lifter roller wheel surface causing friction on the lobe (this generally results in a squeaking noise);
• Softened valve springs which also require replacement; or,
• Worn lifter buckets.

A failed hydraulic lifter can bend the pushrods which can then fall out of the space between the rocker arm and the top of the lifter. Once a pushrod falls out of that space, it may cause broken rocker arms, broken valves, cracked heads, a damaged cam or total engine failure.

It is recommended that the lifters be replaced every 100,000 kilometres, though failure of the hydraulic lifters is more common in engines with high-lift camshafts because higher spring pressure are required to prevent valve float, putting extra pressure on the lifter. Replacing the lifters requires that the cylinder heads be removed such that new head gaskets and head bolts are required.

Hydraulic lifter noise

From cold start-up, the hydraulic lifters may make a tapping noise. The most common cause of hydraulic lifter noise is particles in the engine oil becoming jammed between the lifter plunger and the lifter body, causing the plunger to become stuck down. The clearances between the plunger and body of a hydraulic lifter can be as little as 3 microns (0.003 mm) such that any particle larger than this in the oil can jam the lifter plunger in its body.

Lifter noise may also be caused by aeration of engine oil in the lifter’s pressure chamber since this increases valve closing velocity. Aeration of engine oil may be caused by:

• air in the higher pressure chamber of the lifter affecting valvetrain lash;
• air that is ingested into the lifter during a cold start due to a suction side leak at the oil pump or oil pump pick-up tube O-ring; or,
• low oil levels and high engine speeds.

Once air gets into the high pressure chamber, it will be slowly expelled through the narrow clearance of the plunger and body.

Rocker bearing failure

The rocker bearings – which sit on top of the valve train and transfer energy from the pushrod to the valve – can develop a sideways slop which can damage the valve tops, the rocker or valve springs. Furthermore, the rocker bearings can split such that the needle bearings fall out and end up in the oil pan.

Trunion bearing upgrade kits can be installed in the factory rockers which reduce sideways movement and provide a better range of vertical movement. Alternatively, after-market roller rockers can be installed which have better geometry than the standard rockers and control the valve more precisely via the centre of the valve tip.

Valve spring failure

The LS engine has ‘beehive’, single valve-type valve springs (as opposed to a dual valve spring which has a smaller spring inside the primary spring) and, in rare cases, the valve spring may break at its top where the coils are tightly wound. If a single valve-type valve spring breaks, it is common for the valve to be dropped, causing significant engine damage; sometimes, however, the valve may be held up by the valve locks when the spring is breaks. Symptoms of broken valve spring include:

• Engine vibrations;
• Loss of power beyond 4000 rpm;
• Misfire under load; and,
• Constant misfire.

If the vehicle is driven with a broken valve spring, a valve may come into contact with the piston, causing the valve to be bent. Furthermore, if the valve head breaks off, the engine will seize. To fix a failed valve spring, the cylinder heads need to be removed so that a new valve, head gasket and head bolts can be fitted.

For durability, it is recommended that high rpm are avoided when the engine is cold.