Holden recalls nearly 14,000 vehicles over brake booster manufacturing defect

The Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications has issued recall notices to owners of 13,898 Holden ZB Commodore cars.

In a statement, the department said a manufacturing defect in the vehicle’s brake boosters could “increase the risk of a crash” and cause “serious injury or death.”

The vehicles in question were sold to drivers from 2018 to 2020.

“Due to a manufacturing defect, the brake booster may fail,” the department said in its statement.

“If this occurs, the stopping distance in the unboosted state would exceed the distance prescribed by Australian Design Rule (ADR) 31/03.”

The department said the vehicles did “not comply with Vehicle Standard (ADR) 31/03-Braking Systems for Passenger Cars”.

If the brake booster fails to operate as expected, the department said, “it could increase the risk of a crash causing serious injury or death to vehicle occupants and/or other road users.”

A complete list of the identification numbers of the affected vehicles has been provided by the ministry.

Affected owners are offered a free software update

The department said owners of the affected cars would be contacted by General Motors Australia and New Zealand.

Drivers were advised to contact their local dealer for a free Electronic Brake Control Module (EBCM) software update.

Although the update is free, it is up to vehicle owners to arrange a time to complete the task.

So if you’re concerned, contact your nearest Holden dealer to check availability.

ZB is the latest Holden model with the iconic Commodore badge

The German-born ZB was the last Holden model to carry Holden’s iconic Commodore name.

In late 2019, the automaker announced it would retire both the Holden model and brand in Australia and New Zealand in 2020.