Manufacturer Recalls for February 2022

The second month of 2022 starts off with multiple electric recalls from Tesla and another one from one of its rivals. The IC engine vehicles are not far behind as well. Here is the list of all recalls that happened in the past month.

The biggest contributor to this list is Tesla, with three large recalls. The largest of the three affects 817,000 vehicles. A Seat belt chime malfunction is pointed out as a reason for this recall. The chime that is supposed to ring if the driver has not worn his/her seatbelt does not work in these vehicles. The fix is quite simple, and it is dispersed to these customers as an over-the-air update to these owners. This recall affects 2021-2022 Model S and 2017-2022 Model 3 sedans, 2021-2022 Model X, and 2020-2022 Model Y SUVs.

The second recall from Tesla affects more than 578,607 vehicles for yet another warning sound-related issue. As per US regulations, electric vehicles are required to emit some warning noises while traveling under 30 km/hr. This is to warn pedestrians about the arrival of these cars. Tesla’s “Boombox”, a feature that allows the customers to play music externally, is found to obscure this mandatory sound. In 2020-2022 Model S, Model X, Model Y, and 2017-2022 Model 3, the Boombox feature will be disabled through an over-the-air update. The users cannot use this feature while in Drive, Neutral, and Reverse modes.

Another small recall from Tesla affects 27,000 vehicles, including 2021-2022 Model 3, Model S, Model X, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. The software code in these vehicles is found to have a glitch. This can unnecessarily open a valve in the heat pump of these vehicles. When this happens, refrigerant can get trapped inside the evaporator, leading to a decrease in the windscreen defrosting efficiency. This problem is likely to occur mostly in lower temperatures. This is also solved through an over-the-air software update.

This month, one of Tesla’s competitors also appears in this list. Lucid Air electric cars are being recalled due to improperly manufactured front strut dampers. In these dampers, the snap ring may be installed in the wrong way, leading to a drop in ground clearance, increased vibrations, and front brake line damage. Only 203 Air vehicles are affected as of now. All these cars will be inspected by Lucid Group and the part will be replaced if necessary.

Back to IC engine car news. A large recall from Kia affecting more than 128,000 Kia Soul vehicles from 2014 has surfaced now. This recall is triggered by an airbag issue. The control modules for the airbags in these vehicles can be faulty, hence prohibiting the deployment of the airbags. Both the left and right impact sensors can get damaged simultaneously during a severe crash before the Airbag Control Unit can trigger airbag deployment. Earlier this year, Kia had issued a similar recall for 2017-2019 Soul, Soul EV, 2017-2018 Cerato, 2017 Cerato Koup, and 2017-2019 Carnival models. But the cause for this recall was slightly different.

Yet another Kia recall is on the cards. More than 485,000 Kia and Hyundai models are being recalled for fire risk. The list includes 2014-2015 Hyundai Tucson, 2016-2018 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2017-2018 Santa Fe Sport, 2019 Santa Fe XL, 2014-2016 Kia Sportage, and 2016-2018 Kia K900. Though it is not confirmed, the fire risk is in the form of a problem in the anti-lock brake system. This problem creates a possibility of an electrical short circuit that can lead to a fire. To mitigate this risk, the dealers will install a new fuse for the hydraulic electronic control unit circuit board. Owners of these vehicles are advised to park their vehicles outdoors until the repairs are made.

More than 32,000 vehicles are being recalled by Audi and Porsche to address a rear axle alignment issue. This list includes almost all Audi models made in 2020 and 2021 except the R8, and the. It also contains a few 2019 RS5s as well. On the Porsche side, 2021-2022 Cayenne SUVs are the candidates for this recall. Only those examples that were included in a previous rear-suspension recall are affected by this new recall. As a part of this initial recall, suspension alignment was not done in these vehicles. This can lead to displacement in the wheel alignment. In these vehicles, the rear suspension will be aligned to avoid premature tyre wear.

That is all from the month of February 2022. Stay posted to this section for more recall news in the coming months.