Vehicle Recalls

Worst vehicle problems of all time

Many people have experienced vehicle recalls - this is when a specific vehicle model is discovered to have a widespread potential defect, which the manufacturer fixes free of charge. No matter how bad your current car situation seems, just remember that there's been worse. Let's take a look at some of the worst vehicle recalls in history:

1. Ford: Exploding Pintos - The Ford Pinto faced many recalls. The bumperless design of the vehicle made it easy for its fuel tank to be damaged in rear-end collisions, often resulting in explosions and fires. Another problem was the likelihood for the doors to jam during accidents, making the Pintos potential deathtraps. These deadly flaws were the result of Ford rushing the production of the Pinto to compete in the small car market against Japanese manufacturers in the 1960s. Aware of the flaws, Ford decided to market the Pinto despite the safety concerns because they felt that it would cost more money to fix the vehicles than it would to pay off potential lawsuits. Thousands of innocent deaths later, Ford finally issued a recall for 1.5 million Pintos on June 9, 1978.

2. Ford: Faulty ignitions - After denying the problem for five years, Ford finally issued a recall for 8.6 million vehicles in 1996 after 875 consumers complained about the ignitions causing small vehicle fires. This was the largest auto safety recall in history. The models included Mustangs, Tempos, Topazes, 1988-93 Escorts, Cougars, Thunderbirds, Grand Marquis, Crown Victorias, Lincoln Town Cars, Aerostars, F-Series trucks and Broncos.
3. GM: Loose suspension bolts - In 1981, GM had to recall 5.8 million cars to replace the suspension bolts. The bolts had the potential to come loose while driving, which could cause the driver to completely lose the ability to steer the car. The models that were affected included Buick Regal and Century; Chevrolet El Camino, Monte Carlo and Malibu; Oldsmobile Cutlass; GMC Caballero; and the Pontiac LeMans and Grand Prix.
4. Honda / Acura: Defective safety belt releases - Honda and Acura had to recall 3.7 million vehicles in 1995 due to ironically unsafe safety belts. The "Push Here" red release buttons on the safety belts had the potential to crack and break, which caused the belts to either fail or trap passengers - this could be extremely dangerous in the case of accidents. The models in the recall were Civics, Accords, Preludes, Legends, Integras and NSXs.
5. GM: Flawed axle assemblies - In 1984, GM recalled 3.1 million vehicles that had potentially faulty axle assemblies that, in the worst case scenario, could cause the wheels to fall off. Only vehicles manufactured in Buffalo plant were recalled, but since GM couldn't determine which specific vehicles were affected, the company had to recall them all. The models were the Buick Regal and Century; Chevrolet El Camino, Caballero, Monte Carlo and Malibu; Oldsmobile Cutlass; and the Pontiac LeMans and Grand Prix.

It used to be we could depend on the reputation and reliability of North American cars to meet our standards - but could it be the times are changing? Here in the U.S., overseas models are continuing to rise in popularity. Find out why!

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