A new study was published by iSeeCars.com that reveals which model cars have had the most and the fewest recalls. The study looked at data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) covering five model years from 2013 to 2017. They calculated a recall rated based on the number of recalls for each calendar year per 100,000 units sold as a new car.
In the data iSeeCars.com looked at, only vehicles with at least 50,000 units sold each year between 2013 and 2017 were included. The company used the NHTSA data from May 1 to put the report together.
It appears that six out of 10 vehicles recalled in the report were from United States-based automakers. Other recalls with specific issues seem to come from Japanese automakers. The top four out of 10 vehicles with the most recalls also appeared in the recall released last week, where 5.3 million vehicles by Fiat Chrysler were at risk of a malfunctioning cruise control. The others included the Dodge Durango SUV, the Ram pickup, and the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans.
The model at the very top of the list with the most recalls is the Mercedes-Benz Class-C. This vehicle has a recall rate that is seven times higher than the average model. Some of the recalls have been for very serious issues, like problems with the airbags and steering column.
Some of the vehicles with the fewest recalls are made overseas. Hyundai, Honda, and Toyota all have lower rates of vehicle recall than the average model.
What exactly do these recalls mean for car owners? Well, they are meant to keep them safe, but sometimes they are seen as a hassle. There have been more than 390 million vehicles recalled in America since 1996, including cars, motorcycles, mopeds, RVs, trucks, and buses. Some people don’t even bother taking their car in if it gets recalled.
“A recall means hours of lost time on top of potential safety issues,” iSeeCars CEO Phong Ly said in the study. “At the very least, it involves an appointment, a trip to the dealership, and waiting around while the repairs are being made or dealing with a loaner car if the dealership is even prepared to make the fix. Owners of cars with repeated recalls are faced with this hassle many times over.”
