Models Affected: 1992-2003 Ford Econolines, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 Ford F-Super Duty diesels, 1994 Ford F53 motorhomes, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Ford Rangers, 1995-2002 Ford Explorers and Mercury Mountaineers, 1995-2003 Ford Windstars, 2000-2003 Ford Excursion diesels and more.
Cause: Defective cruise control switch that can cause fires.
Number of Incidents: More than 1,100
Number of Alleged deaths: None officially caused by defect; several wrongful death lawsuits filed.
Shockingly, Ford’s 10-year-long, multimillion-vehicle experience (tallying some eight different recalls based on the same faulty cruise control switch) isn’t even the worst incident in the company’s history. In 1980, the company managed to avoid a 20 million-vehicle recall over a defective transmission by sending stickers to millions of consumers warning them not to leave the car running; Mother Jones magazine alleged at the time that the problematic transmission had killed dozens of people.
Models affected: 1988-1993 Ford Escort, Mustang, Tempo, Thunderbird, Cougar, Crown Victoria, Aerostar, Bronco, F-Series, Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car.
Cause: Faulty ignition system that could cause brake and steering failures.
Number of incidents: Hundreds of fires; 31 injuries.
Number of alleged deaths: 11
The malfunctioning ignition system that led to what was, at the time, the largest-ever recall wasn’t Ford’s only problem: Lawyers suing the automaker over its cars’ defects got their hands on an internal memo demonstrating that the company was aware of the problem, and seemed more worried about “adverse publicity” than potential fatalities. Ford later reached a settlement with owners who had replaced their ignition modules, paying out around $160 each to claimants.
Models affected: Chevrolet Bel Air, Brookwood, Camaro, Caprice, Chevy II, G-Series vans, Impala, Kingswood, Nova, P-Series, C-Series and Townsman.
Cause: Separating motor mounts that could force full-throttle acceleration.
Number of incidents: 172 incidents; 63 accidents; 18 injuries
Number of alleged deaths: None reported.
The defective motor mounts on several Chevy models could cause serious problems with a car—including unintended, full-throttle acceleration—but due to lax investigative procedures at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, no action was taken until Ralph Nader and his Center for Auto Safety applied pressure to the group, aided by Detroit News writer Robert Irvin’s pursuit of the story. Eventually, GM went forward with the recall—which remains, almost 40 years later, among the biggest in U.S. history.
Models affected: Buick Century, Buick Regal, Chevrolet El Camino, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, GMC Caballero, Oldsmobile Cutlass, Pontiac Grand Prix, and Pontiac LeMans.
Cause: Loose suspension bolts could lead to loss of control.
Number of incidents: 27 accidents; 22 injuries
Number of alleged deaths: None reported.
Just 10 years after getting hit with the then-largest recall of all time, GM was forced to own up to another defect—and move ahead with the then-second-largest recall of all time. This recall came without outside pressure, however; at the time, the NHTSA had no idea about the faulty bolts, which could rust, break off, and fall, leading to the control arm dropping free and the driver losing command of the vehicle.
Models affected: 2007-2010 Camry, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2004-2009 Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES 350, 2006-2010 Lexus IS 250/IS 350, 2008-2010 Highlander, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Venza, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe.
Cause: Poorly designed floor mat could cause acceleration pedal to stick.
Number of incidents: 2,000 complaints; 815 accidents
Number of alleged deaths: 19
Toyota’s floor mat catastrophe is hard to tally up, since the company has been accused of hedging, and misattributing accidents caused by its faulty accelerator—itself the subject of a separate recall last week—to the floor mats. Either way, it’s hard to categorize the episode as anything but a complete disaster, with runaway Toyotas and Lexuses linked to as many as 19 deaths and the automaker’s slow response to the tragedies shaking consumer confidence.
Models affected: Ford Taurus, Escort, Thunderbird, Mustang and LTD Crown Victoria, and the Mercury Sable, Lynx, Capri, Cougar, Grand Marquis, Continental, Mark VII and Town Car.
Cause: Faulty fuel-line couplings that could lead to fires.
Number of incidents: 222 fires; at least eight injuries
Number of alleged deaths: None reported.
Ford’s 1987 recall didn’t just affect consumers: The company was forced to recall some 22,000 ambulances as well after 22 of the emergency vehicles were involved in fires.
Models Affected: All non-convertible Ford, Mercury and Lincoln passenger models.
Cause: Faulty seat belt grommets that could prevent consumers from fastening their seat belts.
Number of incidents: 60
Number of alleged deaths: None reported.
The most frustrating thing about recalls for auto companies? Paying millions of dollars to fix something that costs a fraction of a penny. In 1972, Ford was forced to recall several models thanks to an inexpensive grommet that was found to be defective, and could lead to unfastened seat belts.
Models affected: Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Cadillac Escalade EXT and Chevrolet Avalanche trucks.
Cause: Support cables for truck bed tailgates could corrode and cause tailgates to fall off.
Number of incidents: 134 injuries
Number of alleged deaths: None reported.
There aren’t a lot of things you’d less rather see coming at you on a highway than a several hundred-pound tailgate door that just broke off a truck bed. Luckily, you shouldn’t see any from GM-model trucks, which were recalled in 2004 to replace the easily corroded cables that could lead to broken doors.
Models affected: Civics, Accords, Preludes, and several Acuras including the Legend, Integra and NSX.
Cause: Seatbelt could jam and come undone in crash
Number of incidents: 8 accidents.
Number of alleged deaths: None reported.
In 1995, the Transportation Department investigated the seatbelts made by Takata Inc., a Japanese company that made safety belts for six million cars in the U.S. Before the investigation was complete, Honda recalled about 3.7 million of the cars made between 1986 and 1991 with the belts. Broken pieces of the belt latch could jam the buckle, causing it to unbuckle in a crash.
Models affected: All Beetles over a 21-year period (1949-1970.)
Cause: Bad windshield wipers could work themselves loose and fly off.
Number of incidents: Unknown.
Number of alleged deaths: None reported.
When Volkswagen recalled 3.7 million cars in 1972, it was then the fourth-largest recall in history. The problem—faulty windshield wipers—was deemed by the company to not be safety-related, which meant it could make car owners pay for the repair. Volkswagen’s refusal to pay up prompted one congressman to change federal legislation to force auto companies to pay for such repairs. A Volkswagen spokesman said, “We didn’t pay, because we didn’t think it was a defect.”
Models affected: 1971-1972 Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Chevrolet models.
Cause: Lacked a shield that would sufficiently block rocks from getting lodged in the steering mechanism, causing it to jam.
Number of incidents: 96 incidents; 23 accidents; 12 injuries
Number of alleged deaths: None reported.
The federal government warned six months before the recall that the cars risked “sudden steering lockup” while being driven on the highway. At the time, traffic safety laws were less than a decade old, and Ralph Nader’s group attacked the government for issuing a customer alert instead of forcing a recall. About half of GM’s production from 1966 to 1972 had to be recalled.
