Toyota Motor Corporation has topped the list of manufacturers for the most number of recalls in the US for the third time in four years, with more than five million vehicles called back to dealers in 2012.
A review of 2012 recall data by the Detroit News has found that of the 16.2 million cars, trucks, motorcycles and RVs that were recalled in 2012 – an increase of 4.5 per cent over 2011's 15.5 million vehicles – 5.3 million produced by the Japanese car maker.
Recalls for fire risks, airbag problems, rust and rollaway issues emerged as significant trends, accounting for most of the major recalls for the year, with US regulators fining three major automakers — Toyota, BMW and Volvo — over failing to issue recalls in a timely manner.
Approximately 7.4 million Toyota vehicles were recalled globally in October, 2012, in what the report calls Toyota's largest single recall in the company's history.
2011's recall leader, Honda, finished in second spot, recalling 3.4 million vehicles in 2012, ahead of third place finisher General Motors with nearly 1.5 million vehicles recalled. Despite numerous recalls for the Ford Escape SUV, the Detroit-based manufacturer managed to slot into fourth position with around 1.4 million vehicles recalled.
