December 2021 Vehicle Recalls: What You Need to Know
This report covers every vehicle safety recall campaign that appeared in the NHTSA public database during December 2021. Our daily ingest pulled 32 campaigns from 12 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 Ford, with 7 campaigns, followed by Hyundai at 5. 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 Electrical, 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 32 campaigns indexed for December 2021, 5 (16%)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 2020-2021 Santa Fe, 2021 Sonata, and Elantra vehicles. During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Santa Fe HEV and Santa Fe PHEV vehicles. The instrument cluster liquid-crystal display (LCD) may invert the image on the screen upon vehicle startup, making the display illegible. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain JTEKT power steering gear assembly service parts for 2007-2021 Tundra and 2008-2022 Sequoia, part numbers 44250-0C160, 44250-0C131, 44250-0C170, and 11250-0C121. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2014-2021 Model S vehicles. The front trunk latch assembly may be misaligned, preventing the secondary hood latch from engaging. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 113, "Hood Latch System."
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2022 Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer vehicles. The radio software may prevent the rearview image from displaying. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Recalls by Brand
Ford7 recalls
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:ANCHORAGE
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TAILGATE:LATCH
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: SENSING SYSTEM: RADAR
Hyundai5 recalls
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:CHARGING:MODULE:ONBOARD (OBCM)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
Mercedes-Benz5 recalls
SUSPENSION:FRONT
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL
STRUCTURE
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
Toyota2 recalls
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
Tesla2 recalls
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING: REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK
Jeep2 recalls
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE
Honda2 recalls
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
Nissan2 recalls
SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Subaru2 recalls
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
GMC1 recall
TIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE
Audi1 recall
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE/BCM
Kia1 recall
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
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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