Manufacturer Recalls for November 2021

With Maserati and Teslas on the list, the last month was not very eventful in the arena of car recalls. Here is a list of all the vehicles which are being called back in in the last month.

Audi is in the process of recalling almost its entire 2022 lineup for an issue with its reverse camera system. The company’s recall notification says that 2022 Audi A3, S3, and A4 sedans, A5 and S5 Sportbacks, E-Tron GT, and RS6 Avant are being recalled along with Q3, Q5, Q5 Sportback, Q7, SQ7, Q8, SQ8, and RSQ8 SUVs. The list also includes some 2021 vehicles, including 2021 Audi A8 and S8. These vehicles may have the latest version of Audi’s Modular Infotainment Toolkit System, which can be a source of the issue. The infotainment systems in these vehicles may not display visuals from the backup camera. This can be fixed by a software update, which will be done at the dealerships in the following months.

Tesla is recalling their Model X, Model S, Model 3, and Model Y vehicles for an issue with their autonomous emergency braking. NHTSA reports that the autonomous emergency braking in these vehicles may activate unexpectedly due to a software communication error. If this kicks in, the vehicle can brake unexpectedly, opening the door for a rear-end collision. This recall applies to 11,704 Tesla EVs, all of which running a firmware release 2021.36.5.2 which was offered as an over-the-air (OTA) update to the owners on Oct 23.

Another Tesla recall on this list comes in with a smaller number of cars, 7,200 of them. All of the affected models are the larger Model X and Model S vehicles. In these cars, the driver airbag may get damaged during deployment, reducing its effectiveness. No remedy for this issue is revealed yet but Tesla says that they will have one ready by early next year.

VW announces a recall for its largest SUV, the 2020-2021 Teramont, or the Atlas, as it is called in the United States. In addition to this, this list includes the more stylish version of the Atlas, the Atlas Cross Sport. These SUVs are seen to be affected by an unexpected airbag deployment issue. VW points at faulty air conditioning drain tubes for this problem. Some of these tubes are not manufactured properly and these can get blocked. If they get blocked, water can leak out, and flow into the airbag control module. This can cause the airbag to deploy, in the worst-case scenario. VW will inspect and repair these tubes if necessary. If needed, they will also swap out the airbag control module.  VW will start notifying the owners from Jan. 14.

The latest large SUVs from FCA get a recall this month. More than 87,780 units of the 2021 Jeep Cherokee L and 11,475 units of 2022 Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are a part of this recall. The recall is voluntary by FCA, and it comes after 6 months of investigation. In these vehicles, a bunch of internal faults can disable proper airbag deployment or completely disable the knee airbags. The issue lies with the diagnostic functions of the airbag hence even if the airbags are faulty, the drivers may not be alerted about it through the airbag warning light. FCA will start sending notifications to the owners from the end of December.

A handful of the latest Maserati cars are part of a recall triggered by a problem that can cause a fuel leak. The numbers are quite low though, but it affects almost all the Maserati models on sale right now. A total of 409 cars are affected, including 274 units of Levante, 88 units of Ghibli, 43 units of the larger Quattroporte sedan, and even 4 units of the MC20 hypercar. These cars may have a fuel line sensor housing that may crack and leak. This can reduce the flow of fuel into the engine, reducing the performance. More critically, the leaked fuel can start a fire. The damaged part will be replaced in all the affected cars for free.

Another Italian manufacturer on the list is a more flamboyant one. Ferrari recalls a large bunch of 458 and 488 models for a potential brake failure. The number of cars recalled is pretty big for Ferrari at 10,000 units. This big list includes 2016-2019 488 GTB, 2010-2015 458 Italia, 2016-2019 488 Spider, 2014-2015 458 Speciale, 2015 458 Speciale A, and the 2012-2015 458 Spider. The vehicles may have a potential brake fluid leak, which can trigger a “low brake fluid” warning. This can also take away the braking efficiency. Ferrari does not have a fix for the issue as of now. They are yet to pinpoint the exact pain point causing this issue. Hence, they are recalling all examples with the specific brake assembly which is thought to be affected. This should explain the large number. So if your Ferrari pops this warning at you, pull over safely and contact the nearest Ferrari service center.

That is all for the last month. Stay tuned for more car recall news.