Manufacturer Recalls for December 2021

Here is the list of all recalls that happened in the last month of 2021.

The year ended with a list of recalls from Ford. The first one includes the latest 2021-2022 Ford Escape, and Bronco Sport crossovers. The vehicles may have an issue with the rear brake pads, leaving them unable to stop within the safe distance stipulated by the government. A manufacturing error at the supplier, Continental Automotive Mexicana, is blamed for the inept brake pads. A total of 114,996 units are recalled. Ford will start notifying owners from Jan 2022 and if their vehicle is found affected, the faulty part will be replaced for free.

Yet another Ford recall. This time it is their big truck, the Ford F-150, the most recent example of it, to be specific. 184,698 vehicles are included in this recall and they are being called back for an issue that can cause the driveshaft to fracture. “Inadequate adhesion” of heat and sound insulators on the underbody can cause them to come in contact with the driveshaft. This contact can wear out the driveshaft over time, causing it to fracture over time. Only the higher trims of the F-150 with the sound insulation are affected though. Owners of the lower trims can relax.

Ford also had to stop the sales of two more of their recently launched vehicles. Ford Maverick and Mustang Mach-E found restrictions on their production, due to a seat belt issue. These vehicles may have seat belts that may have decreased ability to restrain passengers during a crash. Some of these vehicles are already sold to the customers. For them, the procedure will be that of a regular recall.

Moving to a different manufacturer, Mercedes-Benz is under the radar for a glitch in the MBUX infotainment system of their flagship sedans, the S-Class and EQS. In these vehicles, the MBUX system allows the drivers to use some functions of the vehicle while driving. Needless to say, this is distracting and quite dangerous. Hence Mercedes-Benz has announced this recall. The update for the same will be done over the air so the owners need not spare time to visit the showroom.

A large recall from Honda sees more than 725,000 vehicles being recalled for a hood latch issue. In these vehicles, the hood leaves a larger than needed gap between the grill, after closing. This can lead to higher airflow, stressing the latch. The latch can possibly fail after a while, causing the hood to flip open. This is obviously a hazard and needs to be addressed. Honda will inspect these affected vehicles and replace all the damaged parts if any. The models included in this recall are 2017-2020 Honda Ridgeline,  2016-2019 Honda Pilot, and 2019 Honda Passport.

Jeep recently added the large Jeep Grand Cherokee L to their lineup. The burly SUV is already being recalled for a lighting issue. In the affected models, a smart lighting module (SLM) may house a software glitch. This can cause the failure of both the headlights, hence the recall. According to NHTSA, more than 37,000 Grand Cherokee Ls are included in this recall.

Rounding off this list is a recalls from Tesla. This is quite huge, with more than 500,000 vehicles being recalled. The issue that triggered this recall is a fault with the wiring harness in the trunk that handles the visuals from the rear-view camera. Due to this issue, opening and closing the trunk can cause the wiring harness to degrade and fail. The models affected include both their sedans, Model S and Model 3. These vehicles will be inspected and a guide will be fitted to protect the harness if no damage is done yet. If it is already damaged, the harness will be replaced.

That is all with the recall scene in the global automotive world. Stay tuned to this section for more recall news