2025's Most-Recalled Car Brands Were Led By The Usual Suspect

The biggest losers

Tens of millions of vehicles are recalled every year. Thankfully, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration keeps some truly exhaustive data on these recalls available to the public, allowing us to see which automakers issued recalls, for which of their vehicles, and for what reason. The scope of the data is massive, and you can take a peek at the NHSTA’s website. We’ve compiled the most-recalled here, with the obvious leader at the bottom.

BMW: 508,338 units recalled

Munich’s finest issued 21 recalls spanning more than half a million cars in 2025, which was a big improvement over the automaker’s nearly 2-million-car recall count from the year prior. Of note, another German automaker, Mercedes-Benz, tied BMW in recalls issued, but not units affected. Most of the BMW recalls covered its electrical systems, with a 200,000-car recall covering engine starters that may corrode, overheat, or even start a fire, leading the way. That covered vehicles ranging from the Toyota Supra to the 2 Series and more.

Volkswagen Group: 663,663 units recalled

Volkswagen ended 2025 with nearly 700,000 units recalled. The automaker’s recalls covered more than 25 separate campaigns. Volkswagen issued the most recalls in the electrical and safety departments. Two huge recalls covered more than 170,000 units for loose engine covers that posed a starter risk and another for faulty backup cameras. The former covered vehicles like the Volkswagen Atlas, while the latter consisted of both the Atlas and other models, like the Golf.

Tesla: 745,075 units recalled

Teslaissued recalls covering more than 700,000 cars this year, with its largest covering power steering systems. Both the Tesla Model 3 and Y EVs suffered from the 376,000-unit recall, which covered a power loss issue in the brand’s most popular models. The brand’s runner-up was an issue spanning 239,000 units for faulty rearview cameras that wouldn’t display an image.

Kia: 982,346 units recalled

Kia very nearly broke 1 million units recalled in 2025, with a total of 13 recalls issued. The largest covered 250,000 of Kia’s K5 sedans. The recalls stemmed from an issue with the car’s check valves, which could let air into the fuel tank. If that happens, fire risk increases due to the expansion of the fuel tank, which could contact the hot exhaust components housed nearby.

General Motors: 998,260 units recalled

GM also flirted with a seven-figure recall count this year, clocking 998,260 units recalled. Unlike other automakers, a majority of GM’s recalls came from one issue with its 6.2-liter L87 V8. The sweeping recall covered nearly 600,000 cars across Cadillac, Chevy, and GMC’s lineups, encompassing popular vehicles like the Escalade, Silverado, Sierra, and more. The problem stemmed from manufacturing defects within the engine’s crankshaft assembly, possibly leading to engine failure and subsequent replacements.

Hyundai: 1 million units recalled

Hyundai is one of five automakers with more than 1 million recalls to its name. The Korean brand saw 21 recalls issued last year, and like GM, its biggest recall also accounted for over half of its overall recalled units. The ever-popular Palisade SUV led the charge with a recall covering faulty seatbelt latches. The fix was an odd one, requiring owners to just latch the belt harder. Regardless, more than 500,000 units were recalled.

Honda: 1.5 million units recalled

Honda also issued a total of 21 recalls last year, this time covering some 1.5 million vehicles. The brand’s largest saw more than 400,000 Civics faced with a manufacturing defect that could lead to wheel detachment. The recall spanned Civics equipped with 18-inch wheels made from 2016 to 2021.

Stellantis: 2.7 million units recalled

Stellantis issued recalls covering a full 1.2 million more units than Honda did. That may be in part due to the fact that Stellantis owns a wide portfolio of brands, ranging from Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler, and Fiat to Alfa Romeo. The recalls covered a staggering 72 campaigns. Stellantis’ largest, however, had to do with Jeep’s hybrids. In a recall covering 320,000 Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee 4xe SUVs, the automaker fixed a battery failure issue that posed a fire risk.

Toyota: 3.2 million units recalled

With just 15 recall campaigns, Toyota managed to recall more than 3 million of its cars. That means each represented a substantial number of vehicles recalled. The brand’s largest was also one of 2025’s only seven-figure recall campaigns, with over a million Toyota vehicles recalled because of faulty backup cameras. The issue covered a simply staggering number of Toyota and Lexus vehicles, including the Toyota bZ4X, Camry, Crown, Lexus ES, GX, and more.

Ford: 12.9 million units recalled

It’s no surprise that Fordled by a huge margin in recalls. The Blue Oval brand broke a record for most recalls issued earlier in the year, with more than a quarter of the year to go. All told, Ford issued a whopping 153 recall campaigns covering nearly 13 million cars. The brand’s largest recall was another backup camera failure, leading to 4 million cars like the F-150 being recalled. Ford has vowed to fix its quality control, and CEO Jim Farley previously warned of a high number of recalls, so we should see Ford’s figures begin to drop within the next few years. For now, though, it’s not a good look to say the least.