#recalls

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.

Major automakers deal with recalls all the time. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) monitors complaints on safety and other issues and works with automakers to start the recall process if a defect is found. Ford has had plenty of recalls to deal with in the last few years, including one related to the Mustang Mach-E’s glass roof detaching. The automaker may be looking at another glass-related recall if the results of a recent NHTSA investigation reveal a safety problem.

The Ford Motor Company is recalling a sizable number of late-model SUVs over faulty rear-view camera systems that may not display what’s behind the vehicle. While rear-facing automotive camera systems are already susceptible to being obscured by roadway grime and cannot offer the same field of view as the driver turning their head, they’re often helpful in seeing behind vehicles without much reward visibility and have been federally mandated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) since 2018.

BMW has issued a recall on certain 2022-2023 iX, i4, and i7 electric vehicles over a claimed “misdiagnosis” in the high-voltage battery management electronics system. Based on documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the likelihood of a vehicle suffering from the issue is supposedly rare. However, an estimated one percent of recalled models run the risk of erroneously resetting the control unit, resulting in a loss of electrical power.

Additionally, BMW has a much smaller recall that comes with a potential fire hazard and is exclusive to the i4 and iX.

Recalls are a fact of life for automakers and car owners, but some brands tend to rack up more than others. The NHTSA released a useful tool that enables drilling down on recalls from across the industry. In 2022, Ford Motor Company took the cake, with 67 recalls potentially impacting millions of vehicles.

People often need to leave their truck’s tailgate open to move longer items or cargo that won’t fit with the gate closed. It can be perfectly safe if everything is properly secured and marked for others to see, but having the tailgate open unexpectedly could cause big problems.

Two of our news stories today have been recall- related. This tees up an easy QOTD for me: What recalls have YOU been dealing with lately?

If you purchased a new Subaru Ascent within the last few years, you may want to consider checking its recall status. The manufacturer is worried that 272,000 examples of the SUV could pose a fire risk and is recommending owners park them outside until inspections can be conducted. Though the turnaround should be relatively short, as Subaru already seems to be aware of what’s causing the problem.

Last week, we learned that the Jeep Compass and certain Ram trucks were under investigation for loss of power and other issues, which could lead to recalls of those vehicles. At the same time, the automaker issued a formal recall for the Jeep Wrangler 4xe, a recent addition to its lineup. The SUV may experience an engine shutdown caused by the diagnostics system’s “reaction to faults caused by loss of communication.”

The revived Lamborghini Countach (now using the LPI 800-4 suffix) is under recall following reports of at least one model shedding the glass cover that shields the electronically assisted 6.5-liter V12 engine from the elements. Having conducted an internal investigation, the manufacturer is faulting the supplier. Though one could make the argument that such problems make the Countach ownership experience even more authentic.

Hyundai Motor Group's Theta II GDI engines are costing the company a fortune, with the company recently acknowledging the troubled powertrain will leave the manufacturer $2 billion leaner for the third quarter of 2022 alone. While that hit will be split between Hyundai and Kia brands, it still represents a healthy slice of their quarterly revenue.

In what’s only the latest in a long history of engine-related legal battles in the form of recalls, individual owner lawsuits, and class action suits, Hyundai and Kia find themselves entangled in the latter once more. This time, the list of the affected vehicles is much larger than in previous instances. It seems the calendar has now crossed the decade mark with regard to major engine issues in Hyundai and Kia vehicles. Oh, and they’re also super easy to steal, too. 

Like it did with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Toyota has dragged its feet on developing and shipping new EVs. It offers several hybrid and plug-in hybrid models, and there’s even a hydrogen fuel cell model for sale in California, but Toyota did not offer an EV in the United States until just a few months ago. That should have been cause for celebration at Toyota, but a recall just a month into being on sale likely squashed any excitement. Now, the automaker says it has fixed the problems and restarted production. 

The new 2023 Nissan Z has suffered an embarrassing setback, with the automaker issuing a stop-sale order for all models not equipped with the six-speed manual. Dealers were informed to suspend sales late in August. But it wasn’t until recently that the world caught wind of why. 

It seems that Nissan is concerned about the possibility of a roll-away when the vehicle is left in park. Interestingly, this issue also cropped up in some late-model Frontier pickups that happen to share the Z’s nine-speed automatic transmission manufactured by Jatco.