The Most Recalled Vehicles of All Time: An Analysis of NHTSA Recall Data
Explore Recalls By Make and Model
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Explore Recalls By Make and Model
In the United States, a vehicle recall is issued when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or a manufacturer determines that a vehicle or vehicle part poses an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards.
The United States Code for Motor Vehicle Safety (Title 49, Chapter 301) defines motor vehicle safety as “the performance of a motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment in a way that protects the public against unreasonable risk of accidents occurring because of the design, construction, or performance of a motor vehicle, and against unreasonable risk of death or injury in an accident, and includes nonoperational safety of a motor vehicle.”
When a recall occurs, manufacturers are required to fix the problem by repairing the part or vehicle, replacing it, offering a refund, or in rare cases repurchasing the vehicle.
Recalls play an important role in road and motor vehicle safety, ensuring that consumers are notified about safety issues and that defects are fixed. The NHTSA maintains a database of all vehicle recalls – a total of 22,559 unique recalls affecting millions of vehicles. We wanted to know which vehicles are recalled most often.
For this analysis, we worked with data visualization firm 1Point21 Interactive to explore the vehicle makes and models that appear most often in the NHTSA’s database.
In most cases, the vehicle manufacturer initiates the recall voluntarily. However, the NHTSA may do so through the Office of Defect Investigation (ODI) or the Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (OVSC).
Of the 22,559 unique recalls in the database, only 17.3 percent (3,911) were initiated by the NHTSA.
However, there is a significant variance from manufacturers in this measure. For example, 22 percent of recalls affecting Ford vehicles were initiated by the NHTSA, compared to only seven percent of those affecting Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
Vehicle Makes With the Most Unique Recalls
When examining the data by vehicle make, we find that Ford vehicles have been recalled more than any other manufacturer. A recall can affect many different vehicle models and model years. Our analysis only counts unique recalls for both make and model.
Ford has had 3,086 unique recalls affect their vehicles making it the most recalled make of vehicle in the United States. That’s nearly 1,000 more than the second most recalled make, Chevrolet. Interestingly, four of the top six on the list are American car manufacturers – Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, and GMC.
By this metric, the top six most recalled makes were all manufacturers of passenger vehicles, primarily.
The Top 50 Most Recalled Vehicle Makes
The table below shows the 50 vehicle makes that have been affected by the most unique recalls, along with the system (reason) that was most often affected.
| Rank | Make | Unique Recalls | System Most Affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford | 3,086 | equipment adaptive/mobility |
| 2 | Chevrolet | 2,127 | service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings |
| 3 | Mercedes-Benz | 1,860 | electrical system:software |
| 4 | Dodge | 1,503 | service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings |
| 5 | BMW | 1,469 | engine and engine cooling:engine |
| 6 | GMC | 1,361 | service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings |
| 7 | Freightliner | 1,275 | steering |
| 8 | Mack | 1,116 | service brakes, air, steering:linkages |
| 9 | Volvo | 866 | equipment:other:labels |
| 10 | Kenworth | 815 | service brakes, air |
| 11 | Fleetwood | 786 | equipment:recreational vehicle/trailer |
| 12 | Peterbilt | 773 | service brakes, air |
| 13 | International | 736 | service brakes, air |
| 14 | International Harvester | 734 | service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings |
| 15 | Honda | 718 | air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module |
| 16 | Toyota | 717 | equipment:other:labels |
| 17 | Blue Bird | 688 | equipment adaptive/mobility |
| 18 | Forest River | 673 | equipment:other:labels |
| 19 | Harley Davidson | 636 | service brakes, hydraulic |
| 20 | Winnebago | 614 | equipment:recreational vehicle/trailer |
| 21 | Newmar | 610 | equipment:recreational vehicle/trailer |
| 22 | Volkswagen | 549 | equipment:other:labels |
| 23 | Spartan | 537 | equipment, service brakes, air, steering |
| 24 | Buick | 509 | service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings |
| 25 | Jayco | 508 | equipment:recreational vehicle/trailer |
| 26 | Nissan | 500 | air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module, latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch |
| 27 | Pontiac | 488 | fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings |
| 28 | Keystone | 487 | equipment:recreational vehicle/trailer |
| 29 | Jeep | 482 | service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings |
| 30 | Audi | 478 | air bags |
| 31 | New Flyer | 451 | service brakes, air |
| 32 | Coachmen | 411 | equipment:recreational vehicle/trailer |
| 33 | Holiday Rambler | 402 | equipment:other:labels, equipment:recreational vehicle/trailer |
| 34 | Chrysler | 394 | service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings, vehicle speed control |
| 35 | Thomas Built Buses | 388 | equipment adaptive/mobility |
| 36 | Mercury | 387 | vehicle speed control |
| 37 | Plymouth | 377 | service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings |
| 38 | Porsche | 372 | fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings |
| 39 | Cadillac | 370 | service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:drum:wheel cylinders |
| 40 | Prevost | 360 | equipment |
| 41 | Subaru | 347 | air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module |
| 42 | Pierce | 341 | equipment |
| 43 | Starcraft | 334 | equipment:other:labels |
| 44 | Hyundai | 325 | air bags |
| 45 | Gulf Stream | 324 | equipment:recreational vehicle/trailer |
| 46 | Itasca | 316 | equipment:recreational vehicle/trailer |
| 47 | Lincoln | 309 | power train:automatic transmission |
| 48 | Oldsmobile | 307 | fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings |
| 49 | Thomas | 293 | structure:body |
| 50 | Thor | 293 | equipment:recreational vehicle/trailer |
The Most Recalled Vehicle Models of All Time
The recalls contained in the database affected over 200,000 unique models and model years. Because of this, we included all years for each listed model.
Surprisingly, the two most recalled vehicles of all time are both Blue Bird school buses. The All American and Vision school buses have been recalled 192 and 149 times, respectively.
While initially surprising, these vehicles’ position at the top makes sense when you consider the role they play in our society and the length of time they have been in service. Designed to transport children to and from school, the All American has been in service since 1948 and the Vision since 2003. Both buses are in use in thousands of school districts across the US and Canada.
Table: The Most Recalled Vehicle Models
| Rank | Make | Model | Unique Recalls | System Most Affected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Bird | All American | 192 | equipment adaptive/mobility |
| 2 | Blue Bird | Vision | 149 | equipment adaptive/mobility |
| 3 | Kenworth | T800 | 130 | service brakes, air |
| 4 | Freightliner | Cascadia | 117 | steering |
| 5 | Ford | F-150 | 115 | power train:automatic transmission |
| 6 | Thomas Built Buses | Saf-T-Liner C2 | 105 | seats |
| 7 | Kenworth | W900 | 101 | engine, power train, steering |
| 8 | Buick | Regal | 97 | seat belts, service brakes, suspension:rear |
| 9 | Jeep | Grand Cherokee | 97 | electrical system |
| 10 | Ford | E-350 | 96 | equipment adaptive/mobility |
| 11 | Freightliner | Business Class M2 | 93 | service brakes, air:disc:caliper |
| 12 | IC Bus | CE | 89 | equipment adaptive/mobility |
| 13 | Ford | Explorer | 83 | suspension:rear |
| 14 | Jeep | Cherokee | 83 | power train:automatic transmission, service brakes |
| 15 | BMW | X5 | 81 | air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module |
| 16 | Western Star | 4900 | 80 | engine and engine cooling |
| 17 | Freightliner | Freightliner | 79 | steering:linkages |
| 18 | Volvo | VNL | 78 | steering |
| 19 | Mercedes-Benz | Sprinter 2500 | 77 | equipment:other:labels |
| 20 | Mercedes-Benz | Sprinter 3500 | 77 | equipment:other:labels |
| 21 | Subaru | Legacy | 77 | air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module |
| 22 | Dodge | Charger | 76 | power train:automatic transmission |
| 23 | Ford | Mustang | 76 | air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module,cooling system |
| 24 | Chevrolet | Suburban | 74 | air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module |
| 25 | Ford | F250 | 74 | fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly:mounting |
| 26 | Newmar | Dutch Star | 74 | equipment:recreational vehicle/trailer |
| 27 | Ford | E-250 | 72 | equipment adaptive/mobility |
| 28 | Volkswagen | Jetta | 72 | service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings |
| 29 | Ford | Ranger | 71 | air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module |
| 30 | Thomas Built Buses | Saf-T-Liner Hdx | 71 | seats |
| 31 | Honda | Accord | 70 | air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module |
| 32 | Honda | Civic | 70 | air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module |
| 33 | Honda | Odyssey | 70 | air bags |
| 34 | Newmar | Mountain Aire | 69 | equipment:recreational vehicle/trailer |
| 35 | Spartan | Gladiator | 69 | equipment |
| 36 | Chevrolet | Tahoe | 68 | air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module |
| 37 | Gillig | Low Floor | 68 | exterior lighting:turn signal |
| 38 | Pontiac | Grand Prix | 68 | air bags:frontal, seat belts |
| 39 | Ford | Taurus | 67 | power train:automatic transmission |
| 40 | Freightliner | Sprinter 3500 | 67 | air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module |
| 41 | Altec | Aerial Device | 66 | aerial device |
| 42 | Chevrolet | Express | 66 | equipment adaptive/mobility |
| 43 | Chrysler | Town And Country | 66 | air bags |
| 44 | Dodge | Durango | 66 | air bags |
| 45 | Dodge | Grand Caravan | 66 | air bags, seats |
| 46 | Blue Bird | Tc2000 | 65 | structure:body |
| 47 | Ram | 1500 | 65 | power train:automatic transmission |
| 48 | Subaru | Outback | 65 | air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module |
| 49 | Chevrolet | Malibu | 64 | suspension:rear |
| 50 | Freightliner | Sprinter 2500 | 64 | air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module |
The Most Recalled Passenger Vehicles of All Time: Top Ten
While the top ten list of all vehicles is dominated by busses and commercial vehicles (seven of the top ten are in one of those categories), below we highlight the ten most recalled passenger vehicles.
Of note, three vans originally appeared in the top ten – the Ford E-350 with 96 recalls and the Mercedes Sprinter 2500 and 3500 both with 77 recalls. We omitted them from the top ten below because all three vans are widely used in commercial applications.
1. Ford F150
115 unique recalls
Most Common Reason for Recall? Power Train: Automatic Transmission
T-2. Buick Regal
97 unique recalls
Most Common Reason for Recall? Seat Belts, Service Brakes, Suspension: Rear
T-2. Jeep Grand Cherokee
97 unique recalls
Most Common Reason for Recall? Electrical System
T-4. Ford Explorer
83 unique recalls
Most Common Reason for Recall? Suspension: Rear
T-4. Jeep Cherokee
83 unique recalls
Most Common Reason for Recall? Power train: Automatic Transmission, Service Brakes
6. BMW X5
81 unique recalls
Most Common Reason for Recall? Air Bags: Frontal: Passenger Side: Inflator module
7. Subaru Legacy
77 unique recalls
Most Common Reason for Recall? Air Bags: Frontal: Passenger Side: Inflator Module
T-8. Dodge Charger
76 unique recalls
Most Common Reason for Recall? Power Train: Automatic Transmission
T-8. Ford Mustang
76 unique recalls
Most Common Reason for Recall? Air Bags: Frontal: Passenger Side: Inflator Module, Cooling System
T-10. Chevrolet Suburban
74 unique recalls
Most Common Reason for Recall? Air Bags: Frontal: Passenger Side: Inflator Module
T-10. Ford F250
74 unique recalls
Most Common Reason for Recall? Fuel System, Gasoline: Storage: Tank Assembly: Mounting
Methodology and Notes
This analysis examines data from the NHTSA recalls database. While the data also includes records for tires, equipment, and car seats, our analysis only includes vehicles. It should be noted that most recalls are voluntary and just because a vehicle has been recalled many times does not necessarily make it unsafe. In many cases, vehicle models have been recalled more than others simply because they have been in production for longer than others.
While recalls are made to fix a safety issue, sometimes they occur too late or after many accidents or injuries. In these cases, the law specifically states that the recall remedies are in addition to other available legal remedies. If you have suffered serious injuries as a result of a safety defect or unsafe vehicle, you should consult a Waco car accident lawyer.