2025’s Most Recalled Cars

Another one of those events no one wants or anticipates: recalls. That said, while recalls can often cause a shakeup or inconvenience, they are a necessary part of safety protocol.   In the automotive world, recalls mean conscious attention to high safety standards – when something is discovered to be underperforming, dangerous, or just risky, a recall will be issued.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) keeps tabs on all recalls and is is a great source from which to obtain specific data regarding recalled vehicles.

Here we go through a list of this past year’s most recalled makes.

BMW

Clocking in at 508,338 units recalled, BMW actually demonstrated improvement as compared to previous years. The German manufacturer issued 21 recalls which affected more than half a million vehicles. Most of their recalls were due to faulty electrical systems, some for glitches in steering wheel software, while one significant recall was caused by engine starters in danger of overheating or starting fires.

Volkswagen

With nearly 700,000 units recalled – 663,663, to be more precise – Volkswagen had to manage with 25 different recall campaigns. The top issues inspiring recalls stemmed from electrical and safety areas, specifically loose engine covers and problematic backup cameras that impacted models like the Volkswagen Atlas and Golf.

Tesla
Tesla’s 745,075-unit recall was due to power steering issues in both the Model 3 and Model Y. This particular recall affected 376,000 units while their other significant recall marked a count of 239,000 units called back because of  faulty rearview cameras.

Kia
Kia announced 13 recalls of 982,346 units –  reaching nearly one million vehicles. The biggest recall was in response to issues with check valves in K5 sedans, which were showing the possibility of increased fire risk from fuel tank expansion.

General Motors
GM’s 998,260-units recall was mostly down to problems with its 6.2-liter V8 engines. This recall affected close to 600,000 vehicles from makes like Cadillac and Chevy. The issue was said to have come from a manufacturing defects in the engine’s crankshaft.

Hyundai
With a hefty 1 million units recalled, Hyundai had one really big recall that involved over 500,000 Palisade SUVs that had been built with defective seatbelt latches. The fix required vehicle owners to latch belts with more force and ended up pushing the total recalls for Hyundai close to over a million units.

Honda
Honda’s recalls were hefty last year. Calling back 1.5 million units, the faulty bits included steering issues, engine stalling, fuel pump issues, and power loss. Overall, 21 recall campaigns were initiated.

Stellantis
Stellantis, which is the umbrella company for brands like Jeep and Fiat, presented a load of recall campaigns: 72, to be exact. With 2.7 million units recalled, the most significant red flag was a fire risk from battery failures in Jeep hybrids, including the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee 4xe.

Toyota
Toyota recalled 3.2 million units last year. which is a relatively small number compared to what it could have bee. Launching 15 recall campaigns that impacted over 3 million cars, the biggest recall stemmed from backup camera issues, on models like the Toyota Camry and Lexus GX.

Ford
Wow, Ford! 153 recall campaigns and 12.9 million units recalled. A massive recall of 4 million vehicles because of backup camera issues. Despite an attempt to reduce recalls, Ford had to play it safe, admit the problem and fix it. Which makes them win the race for the most everything, we think.

Of course recalls can be tricky, as they directly relate to consumer trust. But in the end they are made to protect people, to ensure safety, and improve quality. Recalls mean that auto manufacturers are working to resolve any challenges, and are looking to produce vehicles with fewer issues in the future.  For extra insight into automotive trends and manufacturing challenges, as well as to check if your vehicle could be on a recalled list, check here.