Yahoo Autos The Largest Automotive Recalls in History (So Far)
As long as there have been mass produced vehicles, there have been recalls. Henry Ford had to recall his first run of Model Ts, for instance, after he cheaped out and used Spanish Moss to fill the seats rather than cotton or other fibers. This gave his customers a charming case of chiggers and other biting insects that make their home in the moss.
Many of these recalls follow a similar vein: Automaker tries to save some money with a cheap part, and ends up shelling out millions in recalls, repairs, lawsuits or, in the worst instance, wrongful death suits. And then there are the automakers that outright cheated or knew about fatal design flaws and did nothing.
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1.5 Million Vehicles - Ford’s 1978 Pinto Recall
The infamous fuel tank in the back of the Pinto hatchback probably wasn’t as dangerous as we’ve been led to believe, but public backlash pushed Ford into the massive recall. The feds had been breathing down Ford’s neck for years, and an avalanche of bad publicity finally pushed Ford to act in 1978. From the New York Times:
Included in the recall are all Pinto models except station wagons made for the model years 1971 through 1976. Also, 30,000 Mercury Bobcats equipped with the same type of fuel system in the 1975 and 1976 model years will be recalled, the company said.
The Pinto didn’t really blow up more often as other cars of the era (a Rutgers Law Journal report found the total number of Pinto fires, out of 2 million cars and 10 years of production, was all of 27) but the reputation, and Ford’s reluctance to repair the faulty part even after horrifying deaths, was impossible to shake. The recall killed the pint-size Pinto as well as Lee Iaccoca’s career at Ford.
3.7 Million Vehicles - Volkswagen’s 1972 Windshield Wiper Recall
Not even the sturdy VW of old can escape some pretty big recalls. This recall affected vehicles built between 1947 and 1969, the New York Times reports. The screw in the windshield wiper arm could come loose from the shaft, resulting in wiper blade failure. NHTSA and VW both received complaints but, before issuing a recall under pressure from the feds, Volkswagen insisted the issue did not affect safety (because who needs to see in inclement weather, right?) and therefore owners should pay for the repair themselves.
3.7 Million Vehicles - GM’s 1973 Underbody Shields Recall
This recall included Chevrolets, Pontiacs, Buicks and Oldsmobiles built between 1972 and 1973. The open underbody made it possible for gravel or other road debris to bounce into steering mechanism, which is something you most certainly do not want, according to the New York Times:
The condition, General Motors said, can become a problem only if a car “is driven over loose gravel, on extremely rutted roads at speeds which caused the car to pitch excessively.” If the front frame cross‐member, a cross bar similar to a step on a ladder, dips so low to the ground that it scoops up loose stones or gravel “it then is possible that stones of a certain size and shape may lodge between the steering coupling and the frame.” The stones fall out of the car if turned to the right, G.M. said, but the steering may jam in an attempted left turn.
GM knew about the problem for a year and figured it wasn’t really a safety issue that merited a recall. The position changed after the company received reports of at least 96 incidents which resulted in 23 crashes and 12 injuries before the feds finally forced the automaker’s hand. The fix was to install additional underbody shielding on the vehicles.
4.3 Million Vehicles - Ford’s 1972 Seatbelt Recall
In 1971, Ford recalled nearly every car it made in the 1970 and 1971 model years to correct a defective shoulder harness that could cause seatbelts to fail, according to a New York Times report at the time of the recall (emphasis mine):
The harnesses in the 1970 and 1971 Fords have a metal stud that dips into a keyhole like slot in the seat belt buckle, which keeps the harness in place. The stud is covered with a plastic sleeve, or grommet, which allows the stud to lock into place.
The plastic grommets “have been found to break with re peated usage,” a spokesman for Ford said, and if broken, the harness will not lock into place. The company said it knew of no injuries because of the defective harnesses but it had reports of about 80 such failures.
“Judging from surveys which indicate that less than 5 per cent of drivers and front seat passengers use shoulder belts, we suspect that many of those who returned their cars to their dealership for grommet replace ment will be taking a close look at the harnesses for the first time,” said P. E. Benton Jr., general manager of Ford’s customer service division
Man, the ’70s were just a different time, huh?
4.9 Million Vehicles - GM’s 1969 Fatal Exhaust Recall
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much I could find on this recall. The problem came from the carburetor, as a report from the New York Times notes, and the problem could jam the throttle. It could also leak carbon monoxide into the passenger compartment, a defect which caused at least four deaths.
6 Million Vehicles - GM’s 1981 Control Arm Recall
A 1980 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Speaking of scenarios you absolutely Do Not Want, GM’s light trucks and cars were losing bolts and control arms out of rear suspensions, sending cars out of control. The recall hit mid-sized vehicles from 1978 through early 1981 model years, which included, according to the New York Times: “...Chevrolet Malibu and Monte Carlo; Pontiac LeMans and Grand Prix; Buick Century and Regal, and all versions of the Oldsmobile Cutlass. The company also recalled Chevrolet El Camino and G.M.C. Caballero light trucks from those model years.”
6.7 Million Vehicles - GM’s 1971 Engine Mount Recall
This recall was quite the big deal when it dropped. GM claimed the fault wasn’t a safety hazard, but I’ll let you be the judge of that, from the New York Times:
The two motor mounts are rubber and metal sandwiches placed between the engine and the automobile skeleton to keep the engine vibration from passing into the skeleton. Chevrolet owners have been com plaining that these mounts have been breaking, and the company has replaced 100,000 of them.
When the mounts break, it has been charged, the engine may lift a few inches from the engine compartment, jamming the throttle open and breaking the power brake lines. This leaves the car speeding and without brake power.
This historic recall was the largest up until that point, coming only a year after NHTSA was founded.
