Record Year For Recalls: Who Is At Fault, Shoddy Vehicles Or A Control Freak NHTSA??

The announcements seem to be coming almost every day, if not more frequently: a million-plus Jeeps, a quarter-million Hondas, another million Toyotas. Last year saw a sharp reversal of the long, downward trend in automotive recalls and while it's still too early to say where things will wind up when 2013 winds down, preliminary indications from the first half of the year suggest there'll be another increase, if not an all-time record.

Significantly, automakers recalled roughly the same number of vehicles as they sold in 2012, about 14.5 million, notably with Toyota and Honda, two brands traditionally known for their quality and reliability, at the top of the chart. In fact, those two makers have led the list, in terms of individual vehicles recalled, for the last five years. And they were on track to do the same thing again in 2013 – Honda already targeting about 2 million vehicles for problems ranging from airbags to brakes to switch fires – if it weren't for a series of big safety campaigns announced by Chrysler over the last month.

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LexSucks - 7/18/2013 11:34:24 AM

+1 Boost

How the heck can the NHTSA be responsible for manufacturer's auto recalls?

If the Manufacturers didn't "F" up then the NHTSA wouldn't force them to recall the vehicles. Or is it the fact that the NHTSA forced the recall on the manufacturers, so therefore its the NHTSA fault?

It's amazing how corporations can switch things around, and make people think that the people who are policing them, are the ones that are causing the problems. It's a perfect way to get rid of the people who are policing them. Corporations do this all the time and stupid journalists fall for that crap rather than questioning their motives.

Agent009 - 7/18/2013 1:27:19 PM

+1 Boost

I dare to differ... they have expanded their scope dramatically. Issuing what I would consider nuisance recalls more often than not.

The latest recall for Chrysler was to "improve" vehicles to a higher level even though they exceeded the standards at time of manufacture.

The key here is that NHTSA has made it very clear that voluntary recalls are not voluntary in any respect. If you dare to dispute you will be whipped into submission, and place under more scrutiny in the future.

The problem with that scenario is they do not consider fact that the NHTSA could ever be wrong. The absolute definition of big government controlling everything.

HoustonMidtown - 7/18/2013 3:02:10 PM

+1 Boost

I got a recall notice for an "incorrect" emissions sticker.....seriously ?? I have never, nor will I ever, look at that sticker....but it qualified as a recall