Cars with the most recalls: model years ranked by NHTSA recall campaigns
These 50 model years have the most NHTSA safety recall campaigns on record. The count is of campaigns, not of cars recalled.
How this list is ranked
- A recall campaign is one safety recall that a maker files with NHTSA, with its own campaign number.
- A campaign that covers several model years counts once for each of them.
- It covers 48 models with a model page on this site, the same popular models as the lists by complaints per 10,000 built.
- At most 3 model years per model are listed, so one model can't fill the list. Ties are listed by make, model and year.
- The ranked model years run from 2010 to 2025.
- Source: NHTSA recalls, as of October 26, 2026.
What these numbers can't show
- A campaign can cover a few hundred cars or several million. The count shows how many campaigns there were, not how many cars they covered.
- Counts are not adjusted for how many of each car were sold.
- Recalls can come years after a car is sold, so newer model years can still gain more.
- Whether a given car still has an open recall can be checked by its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.