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.
Top Components Affected
Most Critical Recalls
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.
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.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Elantra vehicles. The driver and front passenger seat back recliners may have been improperly welded.
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.
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.
Recalls by Brand
Mercedes-Benz6 recalls
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
STRUCTURE:BODY:TAILGATE
STEERING
SEATS
Kia3 recalls
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:PUMP
ENGINE
Hyundai2 recalls
ENGINE
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
Subaru2 recalls
SUSPENSION:REAR
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
BMW1 recall
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
Audi1 recall
SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY
Dodge1 recall
AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
Nissan1 recall
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER
Porsche1 recall
SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY
Volkswagen1 recall
TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS
Ford1 recall
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT
Honda1 recall
STRUCTURE
Chevrolet1 recall
AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
Jaguar1 recall
STRUCTURE:BODY
Infiniti1 recall
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM):SOFTWARE
What Should You Do?
- Check your VIN to see if your specific vehicle is affected
- Contact your dealer to schedule a free recall repair
- Sign up below to get notified about future recalls for your vehicle
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