Special Report

Car Brands With the Worst Recalls This Year

Samuel Stebbins

Published: August 11, 2022 9:00 am

Last Updated: August 11, 2022 9:40 am

The average transaction price for new cars in the U.S. hit an all-time high of $48,043 in June 2022, according to a recent report from Kelley Blue Book. Along with a home and a college education, a vehicle is one of the biggest long-term investments many Americans make – and as such, quality is one of the most important factors consumers consider when going to a dealership lot to buy a car. (Here is a look at the longest lasting cars on the road.) 

Yet each year, carmakers issue hundreds of recalls to remedy defects or safety issues. Some recalls are for relatively minor issues that are easily resolved. In other cases, recalls – especially on new vehicles – can be an indication of deeper problems related to a vehicle’s engineering or manufacturing process. 

Automakers have issued over 500 recalls so far this year, impacting millions of vehicles – and the bulk of those recalls have come from a handful of companies. Using data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, 24/7 Wall St. identified the car companies with the most recalls this year. 

Car companies are ranked by the total number of vehicles potentially affected by recalls announced between Jan. 1 2022 and Aug. 8, 2022. It is important to note that a single vehicle can be impacted by more than one recall and that each vehicle affected by a single recall is counted towards the total number of potentially impacted vehicles. 

Each company on this list has at least 100,000 vehicles potentially affected by recalls issued this year, and several have well over 1 million. This includes Ford, which has more than double the number of potentially affected vehicles than any other company. (Here is a look at America’s worst car brands.) 

The reasons these recalls have been issued range in severity, from a missing warning label on the brake fluid reservoir cap in some Cadillac XT6 SUVs to a fractured drive shaft in some Ford F-250 and F-350 Superduty trucks. 

Recalls are not only inconvenient and potentially dangerous for motorists, but they are also costly to car companies. When a recall is issued, all related repair costs are covered entirely by the manufacturer. Ford, for example, set aside $4 billion to cover warranty costs in 2021. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers an online tool to check if your vehicle is impacted by a recall.

Click here to see car brands with the worst recalls this year.

Source: Courtesy of Honda

14. Honda
> Vehicles potentially affected by recalls this year: 135,165
> Recalls submitted this year: 4
> U.S. sales, 2021: 1.47 million vehicles

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Source: Cindy Shebley / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

13. Daimler Vans
> Vehicles potentially affected by recalls this year: 149,113
> Recalls submitted this year: 9
> U.S. sales, 2021: 329,574 vehicles (includes Mercedes-Benz sales)

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12. Forest River
> Vehicles potentially affected by recalls this year: 191,582
> Recalls submitted this year: 24
> U.S. sales, 2021: N/A

Source: josefkubes / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

11. Volkswagen
> Vehicles potentially affected by recalls this year: 482,458
> Recalls submitted this year: 24
> U.S. sales, 2021: 630,479 vehicles

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Toyota Hybrids: 2018 Rav4 & 20... (CC BY 2.0) by Greg Gjerdingen

10. Toyota
> Vehicles potentially affected by recalls this year: 715,642
> Recalls submitted this year: 10
> U.S. sales, 2021: 2.23 million vehicles

Source: Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz

9. Mercedes-Benz
> Vehicles potentially affected by recalls this year: 732,689
> Recalls submitted this year: 24
> U.S. sales, 2021: 329,574 vehicles (includes Daimler Vans sales)

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Source: Courtesy of KIA

8. Kia
> Vehicles potentially affected by recalls this year: 799,393
> Recalls submitted this year: 13
> U.S. sales, 2021: 1.45 million vehicles (includes Hyundai sales)

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Source: Courtesy of Hyundai USA

7. Hyundai
> Vehicles potentially affected by recalls this year: 968,282
> Recalls submitted this year: 15
> U.S. sales, 2021: 1.45 million vehicles (includes Kia sales)

Source: Courtesy of BMW

6. BMW
> Vehicles potentially affected by recalls this year: 990,137
> Recalls submitted this year: 8
> U.S. sales, 2021: 371,862 vehicles

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5. Nissan
> Vehicles potentially affected by recalls this year: 1.21 million
> Recalls submitted this year: 7
> U.S. sales, 2021: 1.08 million vehicles

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

4. Chrysler (FCA)
> Vehicles potentially affected by recalls this year: 1.28 million
> Recalls submitted this year: 21
> U.S. sales, 2021: 1.77 million

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3. General Motors
> Vehicles potentially affected by recalls this year: 1.46 million
> Recalls submitted this year: 17
> U.S. sales, 2021: 2.27 million vehicles

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2. Tesla, Inc.
> Vehicles potentially affected by recalls this year: 2.26 million
> Recalls submitted this year: 13
> U.S. sales, 2021: 301,998 vehicles

Source: shaunl / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

1. Ford Motor Company
> Vehicles potentially affected by recalls this year: 6.82 million
> Recalls submitted this year: 46
> U.S. sales, 2021: 1.89 million vehicles