Ford is the vehicle make with the most recalls in 2026: 77 recalls from January 1 through October 6, 2026, the date of the newest vehicle recall in DataPorium's data, which come from official NHTSA recall filings [1][2]. Toyota is second with 21 and the Forest River RV brand third with 20 [1]. All 699 vehicle recalls of 2026 so far cover 33.6 million units, already more than the 31.3 million of the whole of 2025 and 50.5% more than in the same period of 2025, even though the number of recalls is 3.6% lower [1].
Which car brands have the most recalls in 2026?
The table ranks makes (brands, as written in the recall filings) by the number of 2026 recalls that name them, and compares each with the same dates in 2025 and with the full year 2025 [1].
| Rank | Make | Recalls 2026 (Jan 1 to Oct 6) | Recalls 2025 (Jan 1 to Oct 6) | Recalls 2025 (full year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford | 77 | 104 | 140 |
| 2 | Toyota | 21 | 11 | 18 |
| 3 | Forest River | 20 | 21 | 26 |
| 4 | Chevrolet | 19 | 15 | 23 |
| 4 | Jeep | 19 | 11 | 14 |
| 4 | Lincoln | 19 | 38 | 51 |
| 7 | Altec | 16 | 13 | 17 |
| 7 | Hyundai | 16 | 11 | 16 |
| 9 | GMC | 15 | 8 | 11 |
| 9 | Mercedes-Benz | 15 | 21 | 28 |
| 11 | Blue Bird | 14 | 5 | 8 |
| 11 | Grand Design | 14 | 4 | 5 |
| 11 | Ram | 14 | 10 | 16 |
| 14 | Honda | 13 | 11 | 20 |
| 14 | Land Rover | 13 | 7 | 8 |
| 14 | Thomas Built Buses | 13 | 3 | 6 |
| 14 | Volvo | 13 | 15 | 21 |
Source: DataPorium Transportation, NHTSA vehicle recalls through October 6, 2026 [1]. A recall that names two makes (for example Ford and Lincoln) counts once for each.
Ford's 77 recalls are 26% fewer than its 104 in the same months of 2025, but still more than three times the next make [1]. Lincoln, Ford's luxury brand, fell from 38 to 19 [1]. Several makes on the list are not passenger cars: Forest River and Grand Design build RVs, Blue Bird and Thomas Built build school buses, and Altec builds utility trucks and aerial lifts. The Volvo make covers both Volvo cars and Volvo trucks as published [1].
Which automakers have the most vehicles recalled in 2026?
Units affected are the number of vehicles or items the company reported as possibly affected. Because one recall can name several makes, units are counted here by the company that filed the recall, so each unit is counted once [1].
| Rank | Company that filed (ticker) | Recalls 2026 | Units 2026 | Recalls 2025 | Units 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford Motor Company (F) | 78 | 14.1 million | 153 | 13.0 million |
| 2 | Chrysler, FCA US (STLA) | 38 | 6.0 million | 52 | 2.8 million |
| 3 | Forest River (BRK-B) | 26 | 7,186 | 36 | 36,781 |
| 4 | General Motors (GM) | 25 | 825,094 | 28 | 1.1 million |
| 5 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (TM) | 24 | 2.0 million | 15 | 3.2 million |
| 6 | Hyundai Motor America (005380.KS) | 19 | 1.8 million | 20 | 1.1 million |
| 7 | Daimler Trucks North America (DTG.DE) | 17 | 82,200 | 15 | 45,666 |
| 8 | Altec Industries | 16 | 25,026 | 17 | 6,529 |
| 9 | Volkswagen Group of America (VOW3.DE) | 14 | 579,789 | 26 | 1.0 million |
| 9 | Jaguar Land Rover North America | 14 | 464,825 | 10 | 191,774 |
| 14 | Honda, American Honda Motor (HMC) | 13 | 3.0 million | 24 | 1.6 million |
| 14 | Nissan North America (7201.T) | 13 | 947,620 | 11 | 878,920 |
Source: DataPorium Transportation, NHTSA vehicle recalls; 2026 through October 6, 2025 full year [1]. Tickers are the listed parent companies linked in the data; Altec and Jaguar Land Rover North America have none. Blue Bird Body, Grand Design RV and Jayco also filed 14 recalls each in 2026 (tied at rank 9, with 25,726, 29,407 and 1,308 units) and are left out of the table.
Ford Motor (F) filed 11.2% of all 2026 vehicle recalls but 41.9% of the units, 14.1 million [1]. Stellantis (STLA), through its FCA US unit, more than doubled its recalled units from 2.8 million in 2025 to 6.0 million so far in 2026 [1]. Honda (HMC) recalled 3.0 million units in 13 recalls, more than in 24 recalls in 2025 [1]. Tesla (TSLA) filed 6 recalls covering 253,999 vehicles in 2026, down from 11 and 745,075 in 2025 [1].
What are the biggest vehicle recalls of 2026?
| Rank | Date | Vehicles | Problem area | Hazard group | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 20 | Ford E-Transit, Expedition, F-150, F-250 SD and 7 more; Lincoln (2021-2027) | Electrical system | Crash | 4,381,878 |
| 2 | Apr 14 | Ford F-150 (2015-2017) | Power train | Crash | 1,392,935 |
| 3 | Jul 30 | Ram 1500 (2019-2026) | Seat belts | Crash | 1,271,294 |
| 4 | Jun 4 | Jeep Gladiator, Wrangler, Wrangler 4xe (2021-2025) | Steering | Fire | 1,076,999 |
| 5 | Jun 4 | Honda Accord Hybrid, CR-V Hybrid, CR-V Fuel Cell EV (2023-2026) | Tires | Injury | 1,048,613 |
| 6 | Mar 3 | Ford Escape, Explorer; Lincoln Aviator, Corsair (2020-2024) | Back-over prevention | Crash | 889,950 |
| 7 | Jun 4 | Acura MDX; Honda Passport, Pilot, Ridgeline (2014-2023) | Structure | Crash | 880,514 |
| 8 | Mar 3 | Ford Bronco, Edge (2021-2026) | Back-over prevention | Crash | 849,310 |
| 9 | Aug 13 | Chrysler Pacifica, Voyager; Dodge Charger and 12 more (2026-2027) | Back-over prevention | Crash | 844,027 |
| 10 | Jun 24 | Ford Expedition, Explorer, F-150; Lincoln Aviator and 1 more (2018-2021) | Power train | Crash | 741,195 |
Source: DataPorium Transportation, NHTSA recall filings dated January 1 to October 6, 2026 [1][3].
The ten largest recalls cover 13.4 million units, 39.8% of the 2026 total [1]. Five of the ten were filed by Ford, and Ford's electrical system recall of February 20 alone covers 4.4 million vehicles, 13.0% of all units recalled this year [3]. The Ram 1500 seat belt recall is the largest filed by Stellantis [4]. In the Jeep steering recall, owners were told to park outside until the repair is done [5].
Which models were recalled most often?
By number of 2026 recalls, the Ford Explorer leads with 20, followed by the Ford F-150 with 12 and the Ford Bronco with 11 [1][2]. Next come the Grand Design Lineage RV, the Nova Bus LFS, the Ram 1500 and the Volvo VNL truck with 9 each, then the Ford Ranger, the Lincoln Aviator and the Altec Digger Derrick with 8 [1].
What hazards do the 2026 recalls involve?
Each recall is placed in a neutral hazard group based on the risk it states [1]:
- Crash risk: 479 recalls (68.5%) covering 26.7 million units, against 695 recalls and 26.2 million units in 2025.
- Fire: 120 recalls covering 3.9 million units (182 recalls in 2025).
- Injury: 74 recalls covering 2.8 million units, up from 500,000 units in 2025.
- Fall: 15 recalls; poisoning: 9; electric shock: 2.
By component, the electrical system leads with 119 recalls and 7.7 million units, followed by general equipment (113 recalls) and structure (54) [1]. Back-over prevention accounts for 31 recalls but 4.8 million units [1].
Does a high recall count mean a car brand is less reliable?
No. A recall count is not a reliability score. Makers with many models and high sales file more recalls, and a single recall can cover one vehicle or millions [1]. Units affected are vehicles that may have the defect, not vehicles that failed. A company that reports problems early may file more, smaller recalls. Recall counts also mix passenger cars with buses, RVs and work trucks, and say nothing about how many repairs were completed. For model-level detail, DataPorium's make pages list recalls and owner complaints, for example the Ford page [2].
Recalls over time give context: vehicle recalls numbered 1,094 in 2021, 1,051 in 2022, 1,000 in 2023, 1,073 in 2024 and 994 in 2025, with 31.3 million to 39.8 million units a year [1].
Ford has filed 77 vehicle recalls in 2026 through October 6, more than three times any other make, and 41.9% of all units recalled.
Frequently asked questions
Which car brand has the most recalls in 2026?
Ford, with 77 recalls from January 1 through October 6, 2026, compared with 21 for Toyota [1]. Ford also had the most in 2025, with 140 [1].
How many vehicles have been recalled in 2026?
699 vehicle recalls through October 6, 2026 cover 33.6 million units, more than the 31.3 million units of all 994 recalls in 2025 [1].
What is the biggest car recall of 2026?
Ford's February 20, 2026 recall of 4,381,878 Ford and Lincoln vehicles from model years 2021 to 2027 for an electrical system problem [3].
Does the number of recalls show which cars are most reliable?
No. Recall counts reflect lineup size, sales and how problems are reported; units affected are vehicles that may have a defect, not confirmed failures [1].
Sources & References
- [1] DataPorium Transportation (vehicle recalls by make, model, manufacturer and hazard)
- [2] DataPorium Ford (recalls and owner complaints by model)
- [3] DataPorium Recall 26V104000 (Ford and Lincoln 2021-2027, electrical system)
- [4] DataPorium Recall 26V495000 (Ram 1500 2019-2026, seat belts)
- [5] DataPorium Recall 26V363000 (Jeep Gladiator and Wrangler 2021-2025, steering)
