A flurry of new products and more technology can often lead to increased recalls. Such seems to be the case in the year of 2022. As I’ve said many times on the air, there is no correlation between recalls and long-term vehicle reliability.
- Jerry Reynolds, The Car Pro
While there was a vehicle inventory shortage throughout 2022, the same can not be said of automaker recalls. Topping the list for the most recalls last year, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), is Ford. According to new NHTSA stats, Ford issued 67 recalls in 2022. Volkswagen had the second highest number of recalls, followed by Daimler Trucks North America and Chrysler.
Read Jerry's Advice: "Things You Need To Know About Recalls" →
Overall, NHTSA data shows that vehicle manufacturers issued more than 400 recalls affecting more than 25 million vehicles in the U.S. in 2022. Some vehicles were impacted by multiple recall campaigns.
Data for the most recalled component category was published in Automotive News, available by subscription.
Automakers With Most Recalls in 2022
1. Ford Motor Co.
No. of recalls: 67
Vehicles affected: 8,636,265
Most recalled component category: Powertrain
2. Volkswagen Group of America
No. of recalls: 46
Vehicles affected: 1,078,443
Most recalled component category: Backover prevention
3. Daimler Trucks North America (medium-and heavy-duty commercial truck maker)
No. of recalls: 42
Vehicles affected: 273,286
Most recalled component category: Electrical system and structure
4. Chrysler
No. of recalls: 38
Vehicles affected: 3,041,431
Most recalled component category: Exterior lighting
5. Forest River (recreational and commercial vehicle maker)
No. of recalls: 35
Vehicles affected: 203,694
Most recalled component category: Equipment
6. Mercedes-Benz USA
No. of recalls: 34
Vehicles affected: 1,093,689
Most recalled component category: Electrical system
7. General Motors
No. of recalls: 32
Vehicles affected: 3,371,302
Most recalled component category: Exterior lighting
8. Kia America
No. of recalls: 24
Vehicles affected: 1,458,962
Most recalled component category: Electrical system
9. Navistar (medium- and heavy-duty commercial truck, bus and engine maker)
No. of recalls: 22
Vehicles affected: 104,845
Most recalled component category: Steering
10. Hyundai Motor America
No. of recalls: 22
Vehicles affected: 1,452,101
Most recalled component category: Seat belts
11. Tesla
No. of recalls: 20
Vehicles affected: 3,769,581
Most recalled component category: Electrical system
12. BMW of North America
No. of recalls: 20
Vehicles affected: 1,000,459
Most recalled component category: Electrical system
*Source: NHTSA and Automotive News
2023 Vehicle Safety Recalls Week will be held on March 6-12, 2023. Sign up to receive alerts about new recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
CarPro Show host Jerry Reynolds addresses recalls on the CarPro radio show on a pretty regular basis. He also shares them weekly in the CarPro Show newsletter which you can subscribe to below.
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