Recalls are nothing new in the automotive space, but as cars become more complex, the number of recalls will increase accordingly. The top ten worst offenders recalled more than 25 million vehicles in total, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Tesla recalled the most vehicles, 5,135,991, but only issued 15 recall bulletins. Stellantis, on the other hand, recalled 4,804,285 cars but issued a whopping 72 recall bulletins. In other words, some manufacturers had a few issues that affected a lot of cars or a lot of issues that affected fewer cars. We’ll let you decide which is worse.
Volkswagen Group
Total Cars Recalled: 1,088,407 cars
Recalls: 18
Volkswagen did great compared to the other manufacturers on this list. Their biggest recall came on June 20 for 271,330 vehicles regarding front passenger airbags on the 2021-2024 Atlas and 2020-2024 Atlas Cross Sport SUVs.
Its next highest recall affected 261,257 vehicles, including Audi A3s, Volkswagen Jettas, and Golfs of various trim levels and powertrains manufactured between 2015 and 2020. A problem with a suction jet pump seal inside the fuel tank could cause fuel to flow into the EVAP system, leak out of the charcoal canister, and potentially cause a fire.
Hyundai
Cars Recalled: 1,109,978 cars
Recalls: 25
Hyundai‘s largest recall occurred on November 21, involving 226,118 Elantras and Santa Fes that could be prone to malfunctioning rearview cameras. However, the next two recalls addressed more serious issues.
The first involved 186,588 Elantras from the 2015-2016 model years, which were recalled for a defective trunk latch. The second affected 145,642 vehicles, including 2022-2024 IONIQ 5, 2023-2025 IONIQ 6, Genesis GV60, Genesis GV70 Electrified, and Genesis G80 Electrified models, whose Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) could become damaged and prevent the car from charging.
Toyota
Cars Recalled: 1,221,666 cars
Recalls: 16
Toyota had some big issues this year. The ones that made the headlines were their recalls of over 100,000 Tundra and Lexus LX models due to faulty engines, while 381,199 Tacomas made from 2022-2023 were recalled over potential rear axle shaft failures.
Kia
Cars Recalled: 1,234,611 cars
Recalls: 20
The Korean company sported even bigger numbers than its sibling, Hyundai. 462,869 Tellurides made between 2020-2024 had a power seat slide knob that could get stuck and cause the motor to overheat and catch fire. Those same model-year Tellurides had an intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft that might not fully engage, causing them to roll away in Park.
BMW
Cars Recalled: 1,832,968 cars
Recalls: 36
Here’s an ironic one: 720,796 SUVs and sedans of numerous series and drivetrains might have had an improperly sealed connector on the water pump, which could short circuit and cause a fire.
An extra 394,029 3-Series sedans manufactured between 2006 and 2011 had an airbag inflator that could explode during deployment and strike passengers with shrapnel.
General Motors
Cars Recalled: 1,872,567 cars
Recalls: 34
GM gets a slight pass on the number of affected vehicles, given its portfolio of brands. The biggest number came from 701,665 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks whose tailgates could come unlatched.
Honda
Cars Recalled: 3,794,113 cars
Recalls: 18
Now we’re getting into some big numbers. 1,693,199 Civics, Integras, CR-Vs, and HR-Vs were recalled due to a possible manufacturing defect in their steering gearbox assembly, which could cause excessive internal friction and difficulty steering.
Another 750,114 Pilots, Accords, Civics, HR-Vs, Odysseys, Insights, CR-Vs, Passports, Ridgelines, MDXs, RDXs, and TLXs of various powertrains and configurations made between 2020 and 2022 were recalled due to potentially bad front passenger seat weight sensor that could fail to suppress the airbag.
Its third biggest recall affected 720,810 Accords, CR-V Hybrids, and Civics made between 2023 and 2025, whose high-pressure fuel pumps could crack and leak fuel.
Ford
Cars Recalled: 4,777,161 cars
Recalls: 67
Ford was once the most recalled automaker in America, so while just under 5 million recalled vehicles aren’t great, it’s a sign that they’re doing better.
1,889,110 Explorers made between 2011 to 2019 could lose their A-pillar trim on the road due to faulty trim retention clips, which isn’t the worst we’ve had on this list by far.
Another 552,188 F-150s made in 2014 could suffer from a signal loss between the transmission output shaft speed sensor and the powertrain control module, causing the transmission to downshift into first gear at any speed. That’s what we call an unintentional money shift.
Stellantis
Cars Recalled: 4,804,285 cars
Recalls: 72
Everyone bow down to the new champion of recalls! Granted, 17 of those recalls were for less than 100 cars, with one of them even being for a single Ram truck, but still.
A whopping 1,033,433Dodge Durangos, Chrysler Pacificas & Voyagers, Jeep Grand Cherokees, Compass, Wagoneers & Grand Wagoneers, Ram Promasters, and Ram 1500, 2500, 3500 trucks manufactured between 2021 and 2023 were recalled for failing rearview cameras.
An additional 1,025,432 Ram 1500 trucks made between 2019 to 2024 were also recalled thanks to a software malfunction that could lead to the electronic stability control system being disabled.
Tesla
Cars Recalled: 5,135,991 cars
Recalls: 15
If Stellantis is the champion of recalls, then Tesla is the champion of recalled vehicles. 2,193,869 examples of Model Ss, Model Xs, Model 3s, Model Ys, and Cybertrucks made between 2012 to 2024 were recalled for having the wrong font size on the instrument panel for some warning lights, making this the most minor offense on the list.
Add to that another 1,849,638Model 3s, Model Ss, Model Xs, and Model Ys made from 2021-2024 that could fail to detect an unlatched hood. There’s also the fact that the Cybertruck was recalled on seven separate occasions for issues ranging from a sticking accelerator pedal to a drive inverter fault causing loss of torque.
Final thoughts
It’s very interesting to see how something as little as the wrong font size can lead to millions of vehicles being recalled. The NHTSA doesn’t mess around with safety.
