Recalls Hit An All Time High In 2015 - Are Vehicles That Unsafe, Or Is This The Product Of Over Regulation?

U.S. vehicle recalls hit an all-time high in 2015 for the second year in a row as regulators cracked down on safety defects and automakers are became more proactive about reporting problems.

Automakers recalled a record of 51.2 million vehicles over 868 separate recalls in 2015, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration announced Thursday at the Washington Auto Show.

That narrowly edged the previous mark set in 2014, when manufacturers recalled 51 million vehicles through 779 recalls.

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PUGPROUD - 1/21/2016 3:54:37 PM

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I believe its a result of spreading engineering resources too thin as brands extend their model lineup into more and more market segments. Audi for example has gone from A4, A6 and A8 to A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8 and is developing A9. Each has multiple models (sedan, wagon, coupe, convertible) with multiple engine options. A similar proliferation has occurred across Audi's SUV line and now electric models are in development. This is happening at all major manufacturers and causing problems.

TheSteve - 1/21/2016 5:17:33 PM

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Insufficient data for me to form an informed option. Therefore, I'm not going to get alarmed about it, either way.

ricks0me - 1/21/2016 5:49:49 PM

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Over Regulation.

MDarringer - 1/21/2016 8:06:53 PM

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This is "cover your ass" in play. To avoid litigation, manufacturers are doing recalls for even the slightest reason.

MDarringer - 1/21/2016 8:11:36 PM

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Fusions got recalled because the oil change warning would come on almost immediately after an oil change was performed the the service interval reset. This is a simple reflash of the the computer.

GM and now VW are responsible for the explosion of nuisance recalls and most of them are NOT for egregious quality/safety issues, but rather possible/theoretical issues.

800over - 1/22/2016 9:39:25 AM

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How is this title the basis for the article? It's the equivalent of when did you stop beating your wife? The options mentioned in the title aren't the only possibilities unless your mind is weak 009.

MDarringer - 1/22/2016 8:47:32 PM

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@800over...the Agents observe aNational Enquirer ethic for their headlines. The headline rarely reflects accurately the content of the link. That's why we love this place.

TomM - 1/22/2016 12:49:23 PM

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1 - Recalls do not mean that a car is unsafe to drive - they could be for emissions problems - other electrical problems - and many other things. One recall was because there were Air Pressure sending units from the tires that were not accurate enough. Some diesel engines were not meeting emission standards. Transmissions in some cars were shifting too hard. The recalls are clearly a case of being on the side of fixing problems.

2-Vehicles are UNSAFE - a large percentage of them have defective Drivers. Did you notice that the higher priced the car - the less likely the turn signals will work?

3 - The system is working - cars that have problems are being fixed - and we are better off for it - so leave it alone.