Davis Law Group, P.S.

20 Million Vehicles Were Recalled in 2010

In 2010, there were about 20 million vehicles recalled. Majority of vehicles were recalled by Toyota, which has caused scrutiny of the auto industry’s safety record.

According to an analysis of federal data by The Associated Press, since 2004, this has been the largest amount of vehicle recalls in the United States.

Toyota recalled approximately 7.1 million vehicles in 2010 to fix gas pedals that worked improperly; floor mats that had the potential of trapping accelerators; defective braking; and stalling engines.

Toyota received a great deal of attention regarding their auto safety from government officials as well as the public. There were more than 64,000 complaints with the NHTSA regarding the number one automaker. This amount of complaints is twice as much as a typical year.

Since 2000, safety recalls have become much more common due to Congress passing legislation to spot safety defects quickly. Car companies can lose millions of dollars from recalls.

The government fined Toyota $48.8 million for the three recalls. Toyota is working toward a more proactive approach to safety, creating teams of engineers that can examine car that are subject of complaints by consumers.

Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said the company has "committed to be more responsive to our customers and federal agencies" and its vehicles that have been recalled are getting fixed faster than the industry average of 72 percent recall completion after 18 months.

Recalls with other automakers

General Motors Co. recalled about 4 million vehicles in 2010 while Japanese rivals Honda and Nissan both recalled more than 2 million cars and trucks. Chrysler recalled about 1.5 million vehicles and Ford called back more than 500,000 vehicles.

We are seeing progress with auto recalls

"More and more recalls are being voluntarily initiated by automakers and we think that's a good sign," Transportation Department spokeswoman Olivia Alair said. "Safety is NHTSA's first priority and improved cooperation from automakers will help resolve safety issues more quickly and comprehensively."