The largest vehicle recall campaigns by units
The 50 largest NHTSA vehicle recall campaigns have from 1,896,222 to 21,000,000 units. The largest is campaign 81V008000, received on 12 Jan 1981, with 21,000,000 units. The NHTSA file names FORD MOTOR COMPANY. 17 of the 50 were received from 2016 to 2025.
Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Data through .
The 50 campaigns with the most units
| Campaign | Received | Manufacturer in the NHTSA file | Component | Units | Make, model and year entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81V008000 | 12 Jan 1981 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Gear Position Indication (Prndl) | 21,000,000 | 44 |
| 96V071000 | 25 Apr 1996 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | Electrical System / Ignition | 7,900,000 | 60 |
| 71V235000 | 29 Dec 1971 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | Engine and Engine Cooling / Engine | 6,682,084 | 76 |
| 15V320000 | 28 May 2015 | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) | Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module | 6,281,043 | 50 |
| 14V400000 | 3 Jul 2014 | General Motors LLC | Electrical System / Ignition | 5,877,718 | 44 |
| 81V025000 | 25 Feb 1981 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | Suspension / Rear | 5,821,160 | 36 |
| 18V332000 | 17 May 2018 | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) | Electrical System / Software | 4,815,661 | 66 |
| 16V352000 | 24 May 2016 | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) | Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module | 4,648,270 | 72 |
| 05V388000 | 7 Sep 2005 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | Vehicle Speed Control | 4,500,000 | 30 |
| 09V399000 | 13 Oct 2009 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | Vehicle Speed Control | 4,500,000 | 130 |
| 09V388000 | 5 Oct 2009 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. | Vehicle Speed Control / Accelerator Pedal | 4,445,056 | 39 |
| 26V104000 | 20 Feb 2026 | Ford Motor Company | Exterior Lighting / Tail Lights | 4,381,878 | 51 |
| 15V313000 | 26 May 2015 | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) | Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module | 4,077,169 | 71 |
| 72V160000 | 29 Jun 1972 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | Seat Belts / Front / Webbing | 4,072,000 | 8 |
| 73V013000 | 24 Jan 1973 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | Structure / Frame and Members / Underbody Shields | 3,707,064 | 36 |
| 72V256000 | 26 Oct 1972 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC | Visibility / Windshield Wiper/Washer | 3,700,000 | 11 |
| 95V103001 | 24 May 1995 | AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO. | Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly | 3,700,000 | 30 |
| 04V129000 | 17 Mar 2004 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | Structure / Body / Tailgate / Hinge and Attachments | 3,662,211 | 20 |
| 16V651000 | 8 Sep 2016 | General Motors LLC | Seat Belts / Pretensioner | 3,640,162 | 63 |
| 07V336000 | 3 Aug 2007 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | Vehicle Speed Control | 3,600,000 | 89 |
| 87V139000 | 4 Sep 1987 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings | 3,600,000 | 45 |
| 15V370000 | 15 Jun 2015 | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) | Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module | 3,498,481 | 25 |
| 19V645000 | 6 Sep 2019 | General Motors LLC | Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Power Assist / Vacuum | 3,456,719 | 25 |
| 16V244000 | 26 Apr 2016 | Nissan North America, Inc. | Air Bags / Sensor / Occupant Classification | 3,296,947 | 51 |
| 14V355000 | 23 Jun 2014 | General Motors LLC | Electrical System / Ignition | 3,141,731 | 34 |
| 84V149000 | 24 Nov 1984 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | Power Train / Axle Assembly / Axle Shaft | 3,100,000 | 27 |
| 69V031000 | 28 Feb 1969 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | Vehicle Speed Control | 2,966,979 | 10 |
| 22V413000 | 10 Jun 2022 | Ford Motor Company | Power Train / Shift Linkage/Cable/Rod | 2,925,968 | 30 |
| 20V024000 | 17 Jan 2020 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing | Air Bags / Air Bag/Restraint Control Module | 2,891,976 | 25 |
| 95V103002 | 24 May 1995 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. | Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly | 2,730,462 | 26 |
| 16V346000 | 24 May 2016 | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) | Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module | 2,719,386 | 45 |
| 98V323000 | 16 Dec 1998 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | Structure / Frame and Members | 2,697,000 | 27 |
| 21V050000 | 5 Feb 2021 | General Motors, LLC | Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module | 2,641,272 | 62 |
| 21V158000 | 10 Mar 2021 | Ford Motor Company | Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module | 2,602,668 | 40 |
| 69V030000 | 28 Feb 1969 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | Engine and Engine Cooling / Exhaust System / Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe | 2,570,914 | 20 |
| 12V491000 | 10 Oct 2012 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing | Visibility / Power Window Devices and Controls | 2,519,424 | 24 |
| 23V858000 | 18 Dec 2023 | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) | Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Fuel Pump | 2,490,460 | 107 |
| 14V252000 | 14 May 2014 | General Motors LLC | Electronic Stability Control (ESC) | 2,440,524 | 23 |
| 04V021000 | 13 Jan 2004 | DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION | Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Lever and Linkage / Floor Shift | 2,315,768 | 45 |
| 16V061000 | 3 Feb 2016 | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) | Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module | 2,232,187 | 62 |
| 10V017000 | 21 Jan 2010 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. | Vehicle Speed Control / Accelerator Pedal | 2,230,661 | 24 |
| 95V173000 | 15 Sep 1995 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | Seat Belts / Front / Anchorage | 2,216,325 | 21 |
| 24V051000 | 30 Jan 2024 | Tesla, Inc. | Electrical System / Instrument Cluster/Panel | 2,193,869 | 35 |
| 14V171000 | 10 Apr 2014 | General Motors LLC | Electrical System / Ignition | 2,191,014 | 30 |
| 14V047000 | 10 Feb 2014 | General Motors LLC | Air Bags | 2,190,934 | 30 |
| 20V331000 | 8 Jun 2020 | Ford Motor Company | Latches/Locks/Linkages / Doors / Latch | 2,147,323 | 23 |
| 16V643000 | 6 Sep 2016 | Ford Motor Company | Latches/Locks/Linkages / Doors / Latch | 2,046,297 | 15 |
| 23V838000 | 12 Dec 2023 | Tesla, Inc. | Electrical System / Adas / Driver Monitoring / Software | 2,031,220 | 31 |
| 15V285000 | 13 May 2015 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing | Air Bags | 1,973,468 | 31 |
| 79V175000 | 23 Jul 1979 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | Suspension / Front / Wheel Bearing | 1,896,222 | 8 |
How the figures were made
This table shows activity, not quality or safety, and it is not a recommendation.
NHTSA gives the units as the potentially affected vehicles of a campaign. A campaign that names many models has a large number of units.
The manufacturer and the component are the text of the NHTSA recall file. The defect, the consequence and the remedy are on the page of each model year.
A program makes this page from the agency files with fixed sentence rules. How the register is made. Data sources and licences.
In earlier editions
This table is in the edition of October 2026, the first edition. Each month adds an edition that keeps the first rows of the table as they were.
Other findings
Cite this page
Recall Register. The largest vehicle recall campaigns by units. https://recallregister.com/findings/largest-vehicle-recalls/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .