December 2017 Vehicle Recalls: What You Need to Know
This report covers every vehicle safety recall campaign that appeared in the NHTSA public database during December 2017. Our daily ingest pulled 16 campaigns from 8 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 5 campaigns, followed by Ram 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 Air Bags, appearing in 6 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 16 campaigns indexed for December 2017, 5 (31%)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
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling various Dodge, Chrysler, and RAM vehicles equipped with Kidde Plastic-Handle or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers. A list of the affected trailer models is available at: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17V824-0103.pdf. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or requiring excessive force to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17E062-5427.pdf
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Toyota 4Runner and Tundra, 2018 Toyota Highlander, RAV4 and Lexus GX460 and 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles. These vehicles may have incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018 Nissan Versa Note vehicles. During deployment of the side curtain air bag, a component of the air bag inflator may detach. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) number 214, "Side Impact Protection," and 226, "Ejection Mitigation."
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Ram 3500 Cab Chassis with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of less than 10,000 lbs, 2011-2017 Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles, 2009-2017 Ram 1500 and 2010-2017 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks, all equipped with a column shifter. Pushing the brake pedal for prolonged periods when the vehicle is running and in PARK may cause the Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI) pin to stick in the open position. With the pin in the open position, the transmission can be shifted out of PARK into any gear without pushing the brake pedal or having the key in the ignition.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Audi A5 Coupe vehicles. The affected vehicles were built with head curtain air bag assemblies that may not unfold properly. As such, these vehicle fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation."
Recalls by Brand
Mercedes-Benz5 recalls
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
SEAT BELTS
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Ram3 recalls
EQUIPMENT
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT
EQUIPMENT
Ford3 recalls
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY
Toyota1 recall
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
Nissan1 recall
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
Audi1 recall
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
Hyundai1 recall
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
Kia1 recall
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
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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