Why are electric vehicles being recalled in 2022?

Loose bolts, faulty wire assembling, unworkable airbags and overheating of CPUs during charging are just some of the issues that owners of electric vehicles (EVs) have faced in 2022. Manufacturers are continuously recalling their EVs for a multitude of reasons and if you are planning to get one, see this first.   

EVs are all the rage right now as countries are pepping up to see more electric vehicles on the streets than ever before. Though EVs are yet to make a solid mark in India, the ones that are operating in developed countries have been recalled by the manufacturers for multiple reasons.  

1. Sensor defects: California-based electric vehicle maker Rivian voluntarily recalled 502 of its R1T pickup trucks in May 2022 because of a sensor defect that could cause airbags to improperly deploy when a child is in the front passenger seat. Because airbags activate with a lot of force, this can increase the risk of injury to children in the event of a crash.

How did they fix it? The owners of the vehicles that were built between September 21, 2021, and April 12, 2022 could get their car to the service centres where they would quickly swap the passenger seat with another having the correct sensor calibrations.

2. Loose steering wheel fastener: Amazon-backed Rivian recalled about 13,000 vehicles in October 2022 due to a possible loose fastener that could cause the driver to lose steering control. Rivian started selling electric vehicles6 in the third quarter of last year and has so far delivered 13,198 vehicles. 

How did they fix it? The service center folks just had to tighten two bolts in three minutes to fix the issue in every car. But the share price of Rivian fell by about 7.3% in a day as the recall was announced and the company is yet to fix that. 

Looks like it was not a big deal. 

3. Inappropriate connection of the wires to the instrument panel: In May 2022, Lucid Motors recalled 1,117 vehicles of its luxury Lucid Air electric sedans manufactured in 2022. The fault was related to the ethernet-wired data connection to the vehicle's 34-inch, curved 5K Glass cockpit instrument panel, which may not have been appropriately secured during assembly. If not fixed, the disabled display screens would not show critical information, such as speed, gear selection indicators, warning lights, and other in-vehicle notifications, which could increase the risk of a crash. 

How did they fix it? The car would be inspected for 30 minutes and any repair could be completed in about 8 hours. 

4. Automatic window reversal system does not detect obstructions: In September 2022, Tesla recalled nearly 1.1 million vehicles in the US because of a problem with the car's automatic window reversal system. As per the US safety regulators, the automatic windows could not correctly detect an obstruction while being rolled back and could pinch a person’s fingers. Thus Tesla recalled its 2017-2022 Model 3, 2020-2021 Model Y, and 2021-2022 Model S and Model X vehicles.

How did they fix it? Tesla performed an over-the-air software update to fix the automatic window reversal system.

5. Non-compliant Boombox feature: In April 2022, Tesla's “Boombox” feature was found to have an issue. The Boombox feature allows drivers to play music while in motion. But it was non-compliant with safety regulations since it could potentially drown out alert sounds. Thus, 600,000 cars were recalled, but owners did not have to fret much, as the issue was addressed with an over-the-air software update. 

6. Battery charging: In May 2022, Tesla announced a recall of nearly 130,000 cars because of an issue with Tesla's CPU in the infotainment section would overheat during fast charging. This could potentially lead to a malfunction in the car’s touchscreen and would go blank. This issue would prevent drivers from using their backup camera and from adjusting the speed of their windshield wipers.  

How did they fix it? Tesla did not give a way out to resolve this issue. 

7. Airbags not opening: Tesla recalled 7,000 Model X SUVs from 2021 to 2022 because its airbags did not inflate properly when the car windows were down. 
How did they fix it? At the service centers, the company would replace the left and right front-row side curtain airbags. 

8. Wheels could come off: In June 2022, Toyota recalled 2700 of its mass-produced electric cars because the wheels could come off. Spread over Europe, the US, Japan, and Canada, the car had a serious issue: If the cars took sharp turns and put sudden brakes, it could cause a hub bolt to loosen and raise the risk of a wheel coming off the vehicle. 

How did they fix it? They didn't. Toyota asked drivers to stop using the vehicle until a more "permanent" repair measure was in place.

Though customers can normally pull into the company's service centers and get these problems fixed, driving a faulty car is always risky, even if the issue can be sorted in a couple of minutes. Maybe its time for companies to double-check their cars before they are sent out instead of recalling them when faults are found.