The National Highway Traffic Administration has recorded a disturbing trend over the past five years.
While the number of vehicles recalled is trending lower, the number of recalls issued has remained elevated above pre-Covid levels.
There were fewer than 30 million recalls in 2024, marking the third time this has happened in the last 10 years, yet more than 1,000 recalls were issued for the fourth consecutive year.
Electric vehicle recalls increased nearly sixfold to 2.9 million between 2023 and 2024, the last year for which full-year data are available.
Many Americans’ vehicles are at risk because they were recalled but never fixed.
Photo by imaginima on Getty Images
NHTSA annual report shows millions of recalled vehicles have not been fixed
Millions of Americans are driving around in vehicles that have been recalled but were never fixed, according to NHTSA data.
Between 2015 and 2024, approximately 12 million vehicles were recalled due to safety defects that could prevent airbags from deploying. Approximately 22%, or 2.6 million, of the affected vehicles remain unfixed, according to data analyzed by The Wall Street Journal.
Related: Latest Stellantis recall adds to disturbing industry trend
The Journal found 12 people who died in crashes in one of those vehicles.
Approximately 69% of recalled vehicles were fixed in 2024, meaning that nearly a third of all vehicle recalls were ignored by car owners.
“NHTSA focuses on those areas proven to save lives and where we have authority to take effective action, including finding vehicle defects and ensuring manufacturers launch recalls,” a spokesman for NHTSA said.
“The agency does not have statutory authority to force consumers to fix their recalled vehicles.”
Q3 safety report shows recalls hit nearly two-year high
Automakers issued recalls affecting more than 8.49 million vehicles in the third quarter, a 16% sequential increase, according to BizzyCar.
The third quarter was the second consecutive of elevated recall volumes and the highest total recorded since Q1 2024.
Related: Ford forced to recall popular vehicle for a second time
“As vehicles become increasingly software-driven and reliant on advanced electronics, recalls are shifting toward critical safety and digital components,” according to BizzyCar.
Ford continued to pad its recall lead in the quarter, issuing recalls that affected more than 5 million vehicles. Stellantis, Toyota, Hyundai, and BMW, the next four biggest recallers, even combined, barely reach half of the number of vehicles Ford recalled.
Ford leads the pack in recalls in 2025
Ford has had a record-setting 2025 in the absolute worst way.
The Blue Oval surpassed General Motors’ 11-year recall record when it issued its 78th recall of the year, Kelley Blue Book reported. Ford had issued 89 recalls by June.
Ford has issued more than 140 recalls so far this year, according to NHTSA, meaning the company is on track to more than double GM‘s record.
While Ford isn’t the only original equipment manufacturer struggling with recalls in 2025, it is by far having the toughest time.
Ford has accounted for 35% of U.S. auto recalls this year, according to the National Highway Traffic Administration. Stellantis, in second place for the number of recalls, only accounted for 12%.
On Dec. 5, Ford added to its tally.
Ford says it’s fixing recall and quality issues
Ford is aware of its quality-control issues, and CFO Kumar Galhotra opened his comments on the company’s third-quarter earnings call, addressing the issue.
“Improving quality is the single biggest driver to close our cost gap. Better qualitylowers warranty expense and reduces recalls,” Galhotra said.
Ford says it is already making progress and is “on track” for best-in-class performance across six of its nameplates, with three other nameplates in the top quartile, according to J.D. Power warranty analytics data.
The company also reported lower year-over-year third-quarter warranty costs, down $450 million.
In 2023, Ford spent $4.8 billion fixing customer vehicles, a 15% increase from the previous year. It set aside $1,203 for warranty repairs on each car it sold that year, according to Warranty Week.
A recent study by iSeeCars.com, analyzing 31 years of recall history, found that Ford is the least proactive car brand when it comes to issuing recalls. Fewer than 30% of the cars recalled over the last three decades resulted from a problem Ford found on its own.
To remedy this problem, in 2024, Ford initiated a new quality assurance program that incorporates “testing vehicles to failure,” running them “at extremely high mileage” to find potential problems before customers do.
At the time, CEO Jim Farley said the new approach would “reduce warranty (costs) over time.”