Have you ever thought about what causes car recalls? To keep their reputation high and stay afloat in the automotive market, automakers have to manage the quality of their vehicles. The main question here is not even about earnings, but rather about people’s safety. That is why so much attention is paid to quality control. Automobiles contain a lot of complicated mechanisms and systems. It makes the risk of breaking or manufacturing mistakes more possible. The root of the problem is also frequently found in the projecting fault. That is why conducting quality research is a pivotal step in car manufacturing.
There could be different and large-scale breaks if automakers didn’t pay enough attention to quality control. For instance, in 2018, the Jaguar Cars company revealed defects in the braking system of its flagship electric vehicle model and decided to conduct a Jaguar I-Pace recall. According to reports, the brakes might exhibit an “increased delay” between the driver pressing the brake pedal and the automobile actually slowing down. If it was left unchecked and unrepaired, the Jaguar I-Pace model owners might have had a high risk of road accidents. To keep our readers aware and provide them with interesting material, the ClearVin experts gathered some facts concerning top electric vehicle recalls.
Tesla Recalls
We start our review with a well-known electric vehicle manufacturer. Some car lovers have noticed that Tesla schedules its automobile recalls quite frequently. We suppose that it is because the company focuses on implementing the most innovative automotive industry solutions, for instance, long-lasting batteries, solar panels, Powerwall, etc. As a result, the more innovatory elements are used, the higher the probability that they will require repairs or replacement. That is why a little more time is needed to gather the car owners’ opinions, reveal, and then eliminate the defects or mistakes in construction projects or supplied components.
To drive our point home, here is one of the top electric car service withdrawals that took place in 2021–2022. Due to trunk and hood issues, Elon Musk’s company organized a Tesla Model recall, involving the 3 and S configurations. Almost half a million electric vehicles manufactured in 2014–2021 were called back. More than 355,000 Tesla Model 3 recalled electric vehicles may have had rear-view camera cables broken when opening and closing the trunk, according to a Tesla representative. In financial terms, it is nearly comparable to the company’s total output in 2020.
Additionally, 119,000 items of the Model S configuration manufactured since 2014 received a front trunk lock replacement. The defect might cause the lid to open unexpectedly. Among the recent Tesla Model 3 recalls, we can highlight this year’s withdrawal of 130,000 units due to the center display issues. The problem was with the monitor processor overheating when the car got charged.
Toyota Recalls
This was one of the most large-scale electric vehicle service withdrawals. In 2018, Toyota Motor Corporation uncovered some issues in the electronic systems of a couple of models and chose to conduct a hybrid and plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius recall. The recollection also affected the Toyota C-HR SUV model, according to the Japanese automaker. The Toyota Prius recalled vehicles were repaired for an electrical issue that, if left unchecked, had the potential to provoke a fire. In Japan, around 500,000 automobiles were withdrawn, while the number in the United States approached 200,000. The remaining problematic vehicles were found in Europe and other minor markets.
Chevrolet Bolt Recall
The General Motors corporation decided to check the LG electric battery quality that was installed in every all-electric utility Chevrolet Bolt vehicle model ever manufactured. The cause is five automobiles that got ignited without any external factors or influence. After the company’s experts analyzed these accidents, it was decided to call back around 142,000 electric vehicles. At the same time, General Motors advised its Chevrolet Bolt recalled automobile owners to keep their cars outside with 90% or less battery power. It would help them avoid an unexpected flame eruption before the problems were solved successfully.
By the way, the amount of damage on a financial scale that the General Motors corporation has incurred is around $1.8 billion to organize the Bolt battery recall and replacement. It is obvious that the company wanted to get reimbursement from LG.
Hyundai Kona Recalls
The Ministry of Transport in South Korea declared in 2019 that Hyundai Motor had the intention of recalling its Kona electric vehicles. The problem occurred with a dangerous short-circuit possibility that was caused by the defective manufacture of its high-voltage electric accumulator cells. It might have caused a Hyundai Kona fire risk. According to the information supplied, the recall affected around 25,000 electric vehicles manufactured between September 2017 and March 2020. The company’s specialists decided to perform a Hyundai Kona EV battery recall. Following inspections, the repairs included software system upgrades and accumulator replacements.
The previous year, Hyundai Motor revealed some new problems with engines that were installed in recently manufactured Hyundai Elantra and Hyundai Kona models with hybrid and electric motors. This time, the reason was that the piston oil rings had not been correctly heat-treated, resulting in damage to the engine and an increased chance of stalling.
Aside from that, one more Hyundai electric car recall involved almost 80,000 vehicles in the previous year. Due to a Hyundai Kona fire risk from the electric batteries, the withdrawal campaign encompassed around 75,000 Hyundai Kona recalled cars manufactured between 2018 and 2020, as well as some Ioniq automobiles and electric buses. The company replaced all the electric vehicle batteries for free and at a significant expense.
Hyundai IONIQ 5 Recall
This year has also not been smooth for the Hyundai Corporation. The company, in cooperation with Kia Motors, organized the Hyundai IONIQ 5 electric car recall this May. The service center specialists gave technical support to around 20,000 automobiles, including the Kia EV6.
Experts detected the problem with the new E-GMP vehicle platform. The issue was connected to the EVs’ parking brake. The automobile might have potentially been allowed to roll away during a voltage fluctuation inside the electronic system when the vehicle was not being operated. It is all because of a command signal that was able to detach the parking lever.
Audi e-tron Recall
In 2019, Audi AG decided to conduct its electrical crossover e-tron recall. The total number of vehicles that were involved in the call back amounted to 1,644 units, including 544 cars that had already been delivered to customers. The manufacturer stated that there was a possibility of a short circuit because of issues with the battery pack’s seal.
Fortunately, Audi had not noted any accidents with the e-tron electric accumulator before the recall was conducted. According to the company, there have only been five cases all around the globe when the battery warning light has illuminated. This caution is related to the potential pack-seal defect mentioned above. The problem was not found in the cells or modules of the Audi e-tron battery. The most probable issue is that a defective grommet could leave a portion of the accumulator’s seal vulnerable to a breach, where moisture was able to penetrate the pack.
The Bottom Line
Quality control is the most important question for vehicle manufacturers. To have an opportunity for fast repairs and defect elimination, the automakers conduct service recalls of problem automobiles. It enables quick and organized problem-solving. We would also add that car manufacturers need to have a good network of service centers all around the globe to manage a large-scale recall.
If we speak about electric vehicles, the most common reasons for such withdrawals that were reviewed in our article are safety concerns, electric battery issues, and a fire risk. The reason for it is that such automobiles have more complicated, innovative, and vulnerable parts or systems. It makes the risk of defects occurring higher. Among the top electric car recalls are the Toyota Prius, Tesla Model 3 and Model S, and Hyundai Kona withdrawals. To be aware of all the motor vehicle records, particularly vehicle recalls, that have been added to special databases, you can use the ClearVin car history lookup and get a ClearVIN VIN Check Report. Getting a VIN code check report with us is as easy as pie. Along with that, you can be sure that all the data we provide our customers with is relevant and reliable. It is possible to contact us online if any questions concerning the VIN check arise. Alternatively, you can call us at: +1 (844) 268-5991 (8:00 AM – 3:00 PM EST, Monday to Friday).
