Manufacturer Recalls for August 2021

The biggest recall story in the past month came from an electric vehicle, calling back one and every example of the model ever made.  Adding to these are both Toyota sports cars and a bunch of other models.

Chevy Bolt EV and EUV from the years 2017 to 2019 are under the recall radar for a while now. These EVs were recalled twice in the past couple of years due to a potential fire risk. This came from a fault battery pack. The first recall was to limit the charging capacity of the battery to 90%. This was a temporary fix until the second recall was announced. This included a software update which was thought to be a final fix.

But now, news of recalled Bolt EVs catching fire has come in, leading GM to announce yet another recall. Back in July 2021, NHTSA had already advised the owners of these cars to not charge their vehicles overnight. The fix GM is proposing is to replace the entire battery pack. Recalling all Bolt EVs ever produced has already cost GM about a billion dollars. More than the cost, there is another issue that may potentially delay this recall.

The 141,000 Chevy Bolt EVs and EUVs will now have to wait as GM has announced a delay. They say that they will not replace the battery packs unless they have full confidence in the battery maker. The batteries of Bolt EV and EUV are built by LG Chem. GM Spokesperson Dan Flores is quoted by the Detroit Press saying “Because we are not confident that LG has the capability to build defect-free products, we’ve put the repairs on hold and we are not building new Bolts. We’re not going to start recall repairs or start building new Bolts until we’re confident LG will build defect-free products.” So the owners of these cars will have to wait a while longer. The wait may be worth it, as reports suggest that the replaced batteries can bring in a range increase of more than 8 percent.

NHTSA advises some Ford F-150 users to stop driving their trucks until Ford recalls them for a fix. The issue that triggered this response is a seat belt webbing that was incorrectly done. Due to this, the seat belts may not be able to restrain the occupants properly during a crash. Only Supercab models are affected by this recall, amounting to approximately 16,340 units, built between Jan 2 through May 27, 2021. If you have a regular or Supercab model, you should be fine to drive the vehicle. Even if your F-150 is powered by a PowerBoost hybrid powertrain, it is also not included in the recall. Ford will notify the owners soon, and this notification will include a self-assessment procedure. If your seat belts fail this inspection, you should refrain from driving the truck till the repairs are done.

Toyotas have always been the byword for quality and reliability. But ever since the highly anticipated rebirth of the legendary Supra, the sports car has been recalled six times. Now, the new Supra is a part of yet another recall, along with many related BMW models. This recall is initiated due to an incompetent brake assist system that may not provide the required braking force.

This issue can be traced back to a fault in the engine management software, as per the NHTSA campaign number 21V598000. Due to this fault, in certain situations including pressing the start/stop button twice, or pressing the brake pedal for a very short duration while starting, etc, the oil/vacuum pump can get damaged. This kills the brake assist function.

Regular mechanical braking remains available, but you can experience longer stopping distances, increasing the risk of a crash. The vehicles included in this recall are Toyota Supra, BMW M340i, and M340i xDrive, X4 M40i, 745Le xDrive, X3 M40i, and Z4 M40i. The engine management software of these vehicles will be updated to get rid of this problem.

Almost nobody likes to travel in the trunk of a car but the emergency boot release of cars is important. Kia and Hyundai are recalling more than 600,000 cars worldwide to repair a faulty trunk latch. This latch can break after prolonged exposure to higher temperatures. Though we don’t see it happening every day, if someone has decided to travel inside the trunk and the latch fails, they can be trapped inside the trunk with no escape. The vehicles included in this recall are 2016 to 2018 Kia Cerato, 2018 to 2019 Kia Rio, a few Hyundai Sonatas from 2017 and 2018, 2016 to 2018 Sonata Hybrids,2018 to 2020 Hyundai Accents, and 2016-2017 Hyundai Azera. So, if you fancy a ride in the trunk of a car, you know the ones not to pick.

What would happen if you lost the only driven wheel of your car? A newly announced recall for Polaris Slingshot deals with such an issue, thanks to some improperly fastened wheel studs. These wheel studs are supposed to hold the rear axle in place but they can loosen the wheel while on the go. Though it may sound comical, losing the only rear wheel of your vehicle can have dangerous consequences. The recall involves a rather small number of 4,744 vehicles. The owners of these Slingshots will be notified by mid-October. These vehicles will be inspected and, if needed, will get an entirely new rear axle assembly.

Supra is not the only Toyota sports car on this list. The Toyota 86 is also getting recalled for an issue that has affected many Subaru vehicles as well. The culprit here is a low-pressure fuel pump located inside the fuel tank, which may not allow the engine to start at all. The vehicles in this recall include 2019-2020  Subaru Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, 2018-2020 Legacy, 2018-2020 Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, 2018-2019 WRX, and the 2018-2019 Toyota 86. A total of 165,000 vehicles are included in this recall.

More than 266,000 RAM pickup trucks are being recalled for a side-curtain airbag-related problem. Moisture could have seeped into the inflators during manufacturing, which can lead to a rupture of the inflator. This can eject debris into the cabin, hurting the occupants. This hazard can be eliminated only by replacing the side-curtain airbag module. The faulty inflators are manufactured by Joyson Safety Systems, the firm that bought Takata’s assets after they went bankrupt. The vehicles affected by this recall include the Ram 1500 Classic, 2500 and 3500 pickups, and chassis cabs.

This was a long list of recalls that happened in the past month. Stay tuned to this section for more recall news.