Do Recalls Impact Your Impression Of Automakers?

While some people see vehicles as a tool to get from A to B, they’re incredibly complex machines that rely on countless parts and components from suppliers and automakers alike. Given this, it’s not surprising when there’s a recall or two.

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That brings us to our question of the day, do recalls impact how you feel about certain automakers? There’s no right or wrong answer, but some recalls are far more important than others.

More: Savings Over Safety? Ford Under Fire For Recall Fix That Doesn’t Solve The Problem

Fire-related recalls grab headlines and eyeballs, but there are also far less important ones involving information in owner’s manuals. The GMC Terrain also famously got a glorified sticker to address a headlight issue.

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In other cases, things are far more serious as the consequences of ignoring a recall can be deadly. There’s no better example than the Takata air bag recall, which impacted millions of vehicles and cost dozens of lives.

While the Takata issue was widespread, some major recalls involve a single company. There’s the infamous dieselgate scandal as well as GM’s ignition switch fiasco. The latter caused at least 124 deaths and the automaker was apparently aware of the problem more than a decade before it became a full-blown scandal.

Even if recalls aren’t necessarily deadly, they can be an inconvenience. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2023 Annual Report revealed the number of vehicles impacted by “park outside away from structures” advisories skyrocketed to over 4.7 million. The average had been hovering around 1.3 million for the previous three years and was less than 400,000 in 2019.

The number of recalls is also likely to have an impact on the reputation of automakers. Ford has taken a beating as they’re leading the NHTSA’s list of recalls by manufacturer. The company has 23 recalls, which puts them slightly ahead of Chrysler (FCA US) and miles ahead of everyone else.

With all that being said, how do recalls impact your feeling about automakers?

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