Over 16 Million Vehicles Recalled in 2012

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 16.2 million vehicles were subject to manufacturer recalls during 2012. The NHTSA claims to have had a “significant role” in over 9 million of those recalls. Both the number of recalls, 586, and the number of vehicles affected, 16.2 million, are in the range of “typical” for the past few years.
The NHTSA is continually on the lookout for safety issues that would warrant a recall. Sources of information include:

• Manufacturer’s technical service bulletins
• The media, including trade publications, popular magazines, and websites
• Consumer complaints

The NHTSA received over 40,000 consumer complaints in 2012. In a press release regarding the 2012 recall statistics, NHTSA Administrator David Strickland says
The role of the consumer in influencing auto recalls cannot be under-estimated. Consumers are the lifeblood of the recall process and recalls are often the direct result of a government investigation into consumer complaints.

Almost every automaker faced at least one recall in 2012. Some were for major issues that could have been life-threatening, such as BMW’s recall of M5 and M6 models because they were potentially subject to catastrophic engine failure. Some of the recalls were very minor, involving nothing more than adding a few pages to an owner’s manual.

Two brands that have stellar reputations for reliability and quality – Honda and Toyota – had the largest recalls in 2012. Toyota recalled almost 5 million vehicles in the US, while Honda had recalls for more than 3.4 million cars.

Interestingly consumers don’t seem to be put off by product recalls. Toyota and Honda both increased market share in the US during 2012 despite the recalls affecting large numbers of vehicles.
If you’ve been injured in an accident, whether or not it was due to a defective product, contact a Hackensack personal injury lawyer at the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Hasson, P.C.