10 Most Recalled Cars Ever: You'll Never Guess What's On Top

Jeep occupies two positions on the recall hall of shame.

 

 

As anybody not currently residing beneath solid mineral material knows, recalls have been in the news a whole heck of a lot recently, mostly due to the GM ignition switch fiasco. Earlier this month, it was announced that among the many GM cars to be recalled were its two most popular pickups -- the Silverado and the Sierra -- which have both been subject to recalls 6 times so far this year.

Multiple recalls in a single year are not unheard of, but they don't happen all the time. Given the amount of press the multiple GM pickup recalls generated, we thought looking at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recall database to see what the most recalled cars — by number of associated recalls, not by number of vehicles recalled — have been historically might be interesting. It wasn't, but we decided to present the results anyway.

It's important to know that just because a car was subject to multiple recalls doesn't mean it was a poor quality vehicle. Many of the recalls are not issued by the manufacturer, but by companies that sell aftermarket replacement parts. But since there's no way to trace who buys aftermarket parts, it's easier to send recall notices to people who own the vehicles for which those parts are sold.

Also, it's important to point out that NHTSA's database includes all vehicles, not just cars. That means motorcycles, semis, delivery vans, and other large trucks. So technically speaking, the vehicle with the most recalls is a trailer (the Freuhauf Traler, to be exact — recalled 623 times). 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) maintains a database of all recalled vehicles, so these numbers are current, but not up-to-the-minute.

10) Dodge Ram (176 recalls)

The Dodge Ram was first recalled in 1991 for multiple issues, and was then recalled multiple times each year through 2011. Issues included steering linkages, exterior lighting, and air bags.

9) Chrysler Town and Country (177 recalls)

Chrysler managed to build a minivan that could be recalled from both a town and a country. Early issues with tailgait latches and locks were responsible for a number of recalls in the 1980s and '90s, but there were seatbelt recalls, brake recalls, and fuel system recalls, too.

8) Jeep Grand Cherokee (201 recalls)

The Cherokee and the Grand Cherokee were different cars, but they shared many problems, including many issues with exterior lighting, visibility, and brakes.

7) Jeep Cherokee (211 recalls)

See Jeep Grand Cherokee.

6) Ford Mustang (218 recalls)

Muscle cars get recalled too. Poor little pony.

5) Buick Century (221 recalls)

The problems with the Century didn't end with its drab looks.

4) Dodge Caravan (223 recalls)

It may have been king of all things boring, but the Caravan had other problems too.

3) Ford F-150 (240 recalls)

Ford had its own ignition issues in 1986, when a wiring issue had the potential to melt steering columns. The F-150 was caught up in this, and many other recalls.

2) Honda Accord (283 Recalls)

1995 was a tough year for Honda, when a seat belt issue caused a massive recall.

1) Honda Civic (294 recalls)

Despite having a reputation for quality, Hondas get recalled, too. A whole lot.