#Recalls

Though it’s been several years since the first problems were reported, we’re still feeling the effects of the massive Takata airbag recall. B MW recently issued a “do not drive” warning to owners of its older vehicles over concerns about their airbags, adding to the list of automakers still recalling vehicles.

The Ford Motor Company is recalling a small number of Bronco and Ranger models built this year over what has to be one of the most straightforward defects we’ve seen in a while. Based on reports issued to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there’s a chance the driver-side lug nuts might not have been tightened sufficiently at the factory.

General Motors' self-driving arm, Cruise LLC is recalling 300 robo-taxis after one of its vehicles crashed into a San Francisco bus on March 23rd.

Recalls on much older vehicles aren’t the most common, but they happen. Honda recently issued one for the 2007-2011 CR-V, but only for owners living in salt-belt states. The nasty cold-weather road elixir can accumulate, causing the frame to corrode and potentially the rear trailing arm to detach. Automakers often issue long warranties against rust-through and other types of corrosion, but few stretch to this length and potential mileage.

Volkswagen recently recalled the Atlas for a potentially dangerous airbag sensor issue, but the serious-sounding announcements from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration aren’t over. The automaker issued a stop-sale order and a recall for the ID.4 over an issue with the door handles that could cause the door to open unexpectedly.

The worldwide wait for Tesla’s all-electric semi-trucks seemed unimaginably long due to the hype that had been built up around them. But Tesla ultimately made good on its promise by finally commending deliveries in December of 2022. Sadly, no manufacturer seems to be able to produce new models without a few hiccups these days and the company has issued a voluntary recall on the rigs.

Jeep has issued a recall encompassing roughly 58,000 examples of the 2020-2023 Wrangler. Problem vehicles described in the relevant NHTSA documents were reportedly constructed with a frame stud that's allegedly superfluous and that can cause fires in the event of a crash. It’s kind of a weird recall campaign, as they typically don’t involve a vehicle having too many parts but rather totally absent or poorly implemented ones. 

Lucid makes some of the most impressive and powerful EVs, but they aren’t immune to recalls. In fact, the automaker has racked up four such actions on its debut sedan, the Air. The latest has to do with the electric motor contactors, which can open unexpectedly and cause the vehicle to lose power without warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is taking a look at 2022 and 2023 Honda Civics over steering issues.

Specifically, so-called "sticky steering".

Hyundai is recalling 26,169 decade-old Velosters over parking sensors that could short circuit and pose a fire risk. Insufficient sealing of the printer circuit board for the Reverse Park Aid Sensor (RPAS) could allow water to infiltrate the unit, according to the relevant documentation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In certain instances, this could cause an electrical short that may throw off sparks.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a notice that nearly 450,000 Honda and Acura models are being recalled over seat-belt latches that may malfunction. 

Tesla is recalling more than 362,000 cars that have the company's so-called Full Self-Driving Beta system. The recall is voluntary.

The ID.4 is Volkswagen’s first mass-market EV in the United States, but it will soon be joined by many others as the automaker shifts to electrification. VW saw strong demand for the ID.4 in its first year on the market in 2021, but now it appears that many of them need a software update to prevent a dangerous potential loss of power while driving.

We've been reporting on recalls a fair bit lately. Of course, covering recalls is always part of the automotive journalism biz, since it's a bread-and-butter topic.

The Takata airbag fiasco appears to be a never-ending struggle with Honda recently having to issue a stop-drive notice on roughly 8,200 automobiles manufactured about 20 years ago. Due to the massive scale of the Takata airbag recalls, there are still more than a few units out there that have yet to be replaced. Though it seems like those in possession of these dangerous inflators had to have been living under a rock to have missed any mention of what turned out to be the largest recall campaign in automotive history.