In 2023, one of the venerated Detroit Big Three automakers led the pack for the third consecutive year in a category that should not be worthy of any praise or prize: recalls.
The Dearborn, Michigan-based auto giant Ford F lived up to the old mechanic’s joke: Ford is an acronym that spells out “Fix Or Repair Daily. ” It sent out 54 recalls that affected 5,692,135 vehicles in the United States. Although it led that year in recalls, it improved over the prior year, as it led the industry with 68 recalls in 2022.
Although quality was a penchant that Ford marketed as “Job 1” back in the 1980s, a slow return to “old ways” was a mountain that its CEO Jim Farley aimed to climb during his tenure. During Ford’s third-quarter 2024 earnings call, he admitted that warranty costs had “held back” the company’s earnings power.
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However, the CEO previously noted that the company is working to shift the tide. In an appearance at the Wolfe Research Global Auto Conference in New York in February 2024, he noted that he stopped providing bonuses to factory managers in order to lead a shift that emphasizes quality over quantity. Farley credits the move for a 10% improvement in initial quality.
“You have to set up a culture shift — a performance reward system where every engineering manager, purchasing component manager, and plant manager is fully accountable for the quality and cost of their work,” he said.
With 2024 behind us, data shows that the Blue Oval ranks among the most recalled brands; however, some prolific automakers have broken their losing streak.
Stellantis had the highest number of recalls
According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Federal agency responsible for handling vehicle recalls, the Blue Oval sent out 67 recalls in 2024, affecting approximately 4,777,161 vehicles.
However, by the number of recalls issued by an automaker, embattled automotive conglomerate Stellantis STLA led the industry with 72 recalls issued in 2024.
The parent company of more than 14 international brands — including American household names like Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram Trucks, as well as European brands like Maserati, Fiat and Alfa Romeo — issued recalls that affected nearly 4,804,285 vehicles last year. This is twice the number of recalls in 2023.
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According to the data, 17 of Stellantis’ issued recalls affected fewer than a hundred cars, including a recall that affected one singular 2022 model year Ram 1500 Classic with a faulty rearview camera.
Some of its other recalls, however, are much more serious. In October 2024, 194,000 units of its Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee 4xe plug-in hybrids were recalled for a battery defect that caused 13 fires.
The largest recall it issued in 2024 came on June 13, where the backup cameras in a total of 1,033,433 Jeep Grand Cherokees, Wagoneers, Chrysler Pacifica minivans, Dodge Durango SUVs, and Ram trucks could improperly function.
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Tesla recalled more cars in 2024 than any other manufacturer
While Stellantis had the highest number of recalls, the recalls affected fewer cars (4,804,285) than Tesla, whose recalls affected 5,135,991 vehicles.
According to NHTSA data, the Elon Musk-led Tesla (TSLA) issued just 15 recalls in 2024, affecting its Model 3, Model X, and the Cybertruck models. In 2024 alone, the Cybertruck was recalled seven times for a litany of issues including its single windshield wiper blade, a driver inverter defect that could affect the vehicle losing power, as well as accelerator pedal covers that can break loose and pin the vehicle at full throttle.
As reported in April 2024, all 3,878 Cybertrucks produced from November 13, 2023, to April 4, 2024—the entire production run at the time—were affected. Social media video posted shortly after the recall was announced showed that the repair took Tesla technicians just 35 seconds to perform.
Related: Tesla’s fix for the Cybertruck’s slipping pedal takes just 35 seconds to install
Though the specific recall remedy required Cybertrucks to visit a Tesla Service Center, it should be noted that Tesla typically handles most of its recalls differently from the rest of the industry.
As software-defined vehicles (SDVs), Tesla can “fix” recall remedies through over-the-air software updates, saving millions of vehicles a trip to the service center. The largest of its recalls, which came in Feburary 2024, affected more than 2.2 million vehicles — nearly all of its EVs in the United States.
The problem? The font size on the warning lights for the brake, park and antilock braking system are smaller than what the NHTSA allows; a problem that was solved through an over-the-air software update that started earlier on January 23.
Some big names recalled lots of cars in 2024
As for other brands, NHTSA data shows that many well-known brands follow Tesla when it comes to the number of cars recalled. In second-highest behind Tesla is Stellantis with 4,804,285 cars, third is Ford with 4,777,161 cars, while fourth goes to Honda with 3,794,113 cars, and General Motors rounds out the top five with 1,872,567 cars.
As for the amount of recalls issued, NHTSA data shows that behind Stellantis with 72 and Ford with 67, is German luxury automaker BMW with 36, while General Motors fares just a hair better with 34 recalls in 2024. The fifth slot with 28 recalls is BMW’s luxury compatriot, the brand with the three-pointed star: Mercedes-Benz.
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