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April 2021 Vehicle Recalls: What You Need to Know

This report covers every vehicle safety recall campaign that appeared in the NHTSA public database during April 2021. Our daily ingest pulled 24 campaigns from 15 different brands this month. Below is a plain-language breakdown of what was recalled, which brands were most affected, and what to do if a listed vehicle is in your driveway.

The brand with the most campaigns this month was Mercedes-Benz, with 6 campaigns, followed by Kia at 3. A high campaign count for a single brand in a single month isn't inherently a quality signal. It often reflects a single defect rolled out across multiple model years or configurations, or proactive self-reporting after an internal investigation. The more useful question for an owner is whether any of these campaigns actually apply to the vehicle in your driveway, which depends on the VIN.

The most common component category in this month's recalls was Engine, appearing in 4 campaigns. Clusters like this tend to come from either a shared supplier component used across several automakers or from a single manufacturer discovering a pattern across multiple model lines and filing campaigns together. Either way, it's worth a closer look if your vehicle sits in that category.

Of the 24 campaigns indexed for April 2021, 5 (21%)contain language about fire, crash, injury, or death in the consequence field. Those are the campaigns we've flagged as "Most Critical" below. A critical flag doesn't necessarily mean anything has happened to the vehicles on the road (NHTSA often describes potentialconsequences in the same language), but it's a reasonable filter when you're prioritizing which open recall to schedule first.

Everything that follows is drawn directly from NHTSA's public recall feed with no editorial alteration of the underlying campaign details. The grouping, totals, and "most critical" filter are computed live from that dataset by RecallScanner. If you want to verify any specific entry, the NHTSA campaign number links out to the original government record.

24
Recalls This Month
15
Brands Affected
5
Critical Recalls

Top Components Affected

Engine 4Suspension 4Air Bags 2Electrical 2Steering 2

Most Critical Recalls

21V301000Apr 28, 2021Hyundai2021 KONA
ENGINE

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Elantra, 2019-2021 Kona and Veloster vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which could result in engine damage.

Risk: A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, oil may leak onto hot exhaust components, increasing the risk of a fire.
21V298000Apr 28, 2021BMW2021 M3
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M3, and 330e xDrive vehicles. The bolt securing the seat belt assembly to the frame was not tightened to specification.

Risk: An improperly installed seat belt assembly may not restrain an occupant as expected, increasing the risk of injury.
21V302000Apr 28, 2021Hyundai2021 ELANTRA
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Elantra vehicles. The driver and front passenger seat back recliners may have been improperly welded.

Risk: An improperly welded seat back recliner could separate from the seat back frame during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
21V295000Apr 26, 2021Audi2021 A6
SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.

Risk: A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
21V288000Apr 23, 2021Mercedes-Benz2020 GLS 580
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER

Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2021 AMG GLE 53, 2020 GLE350, GLE450, GLE580, GLS450, and GLS580 vehicles. The air conditioner drain hoses may have been incorrectly installed, causing water to drain into the passenger compartment.

Risk: Water intrusion into the driver and passenger side foot wells may cause corrosion and/or short circuits to electrical components, increasing the risk of fire. In addition, the emergency call (eCall) feature may be disabled and the doors may not unlock, increasing the risk of injury. Also, the engine may not start or may enter a limp-home mode, increasing the risk of a crash.

Recalls by Brand

Mercedes-Benz6 recalls
21V288000Apr 23, 20212020 GLS 580

EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER

21V241000Jun 4, 20212020 SPRINTER 2500

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS

21V235000May 4, 20212020 SPRINTER 2500

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

21V231000Jan 4, 20212021 AMG GLB35

STRUCTURE:BODY:TAILGATE

21V229000Jan 4, 20212018 AMG CLA45

STEERING

21V230000Jan 4, 20212021 AMG GT63

SEATS

Kia3 recalls
21V277000Apr 21, 20212022 CARNIVAL

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL

21V260000Apr 13, 20212018 FORTE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:PUMP

21V259000Apr 13, 20212021 SELTOS

ENGINE

Hyundai2 recalls
21V301000Apr 28, 20212021 KONA

ENGINE

21V302000Apr 28, 20212021 ELANTRA

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

Subaru2 recalls
21V263000Apr 15, 20212019 CROSSTREK

SUSPENSION:REAR

21V264000Apr 15, 20212019 CROSSTREK

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

BMW1 recall
21V298000Apr 28, 20212021 M3

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

Audi1 recall
21V295000Apr 26, 20212021 A6

SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY

Dodge1 recall
21V280000Apr 22, 20212021 DURANGO

AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS

Nissan1 recall
21V286000Apr 22, 20212021 ROGUE

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER

Porsche1 recall
21V271000Apr 21, 20212021 CAYENNE

SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY

Volkswagen1 recall
21V274000Apr 21, 20212021 ARTEON

TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS

Ford1 recall
21E027000Dec 4, 20212018 F-150

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT

Honda1 recall
21V249000Aug 4, 20212021 CBR1000RR

STRUCTURE

Chevrolet1 recall
21V246000Aug 4, 20212019 TRAVERSE

AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS

Jaguar1 recall
21V248000Aug 4, 20212020 XE

STRUCTURE:BODY

Infiniti1 recall
21V234000Apr 4, 20212021 Q50

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM):SOFTWARE

What Should You Do?

  1. Check your VIN to see if your specific vehicle is affected
  2. Contact your dealer to schedule a free recall repair
  3. Sign up below to get notified about future recalls for your vehicle

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