Manufacturer recalls for January 2023

The new year started with many recalls from Mercedes-Benz, Ford, VW and Volvo. Here is the list of everything that went down in this field.

Eight models from Volvo’s 2023 line-up are being recalled for a glitch in their brake-by-wire software. 27,457 vehicles are a part of this recall, from the model lines C40, XC40, S60, XC60, V60, V60 Cross Country and XC90. If these vehicles run an in-vehicle diagnostic check to test the grounding, it may disable the Brake Control Module 2. This will take away the benefits of all the systems tied up with the dive-by-wire system, like ABS, Traction Control, and ESC, among others. The brakes will still function, though, via hydraulics. An over-the-air update can solve this issue.

More than 382,000 Ford and Lincoln SUVs are now part of a recall. This is announced to work on a glitch that may stop the output from the 360-degree cameras from appearing in front of the driver. This is a software glitch that can be remedied via an update that is performed at the dealership. The models affected include the 2020-2023 Ford Explorer, 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair, and 2020-2023 Lincoln Aviator.

Usually, recalls happen due to some fault in the vehicle. But Subaru’s new recall for 4,615 2022 WRXs is caused by an incorrect instruction in the owner’s manual. The instructions for adjusting the high-beam assist sensitivity are incorrect; hence Subaru will send the corrected information to the owners. The vehicles without the high-beam assist feature are not included in this recall.

Two extensive recalls from the Mercedes-Benz camp appear in this month’s list of recalls. The first one covers more than 300,000 vehicles, including the third-gen Mercedes-Benz M-Class, its renamed version, the GLE-Class and the GLE Coupe, dating back to 2011. These vehicles are prone to a stalling issue. This is caused by the accumulation of water in the spare wheel well, which is in close proximity to the fuel pump control unit. This water may intermittently contact the fuel pump and cause a hindrance to its operation. The fuel pump may be unable to pump fuel correctly in these situations. The dealers will inspect the affected vehicles, and the fuel pump will be replaced if needed. A drain plug will also be added to the spare wheel wells to counter the unintended storage of water.

The other recall from Mercedes-Benz is also pretty massive. This time, it goes way back in the time scale. Affected vehicles come from as far back in time as 2001 and go through 2011, and these vehicles may have an improperly attached sunroof. Almost 125,000 cars are affected, including models like C-Class, E-Class, CLK-Class, and CLS-Class. In these vehicles, the bonding agent responsible for holding the sunroof in place may not have given enough time to dry properly. This means that the sunroof may detach from the vehicle. If needed, the dealers will inspect the affected vehicles and replace the sunroof panel.

Yet another addition to the Takata recall list comes from Volkswagen, this time for its Beetle hatchback. 2015 and 2016 models of the Beetle are affected, totalling 37,558 vehicles. NHTSA says that the investigation on this issue started in 2014, triggering numerous recalls that saw 40 million vehicles being recalled across different manufacturers. This recall is the latest of the bunch. As always, the fix is to replace the driver-side airbag.

That is it from the first month of this new year. Happy motoring!