There are many reasons for a motor vehicle to be recalled by its manufacturer . These can include a faulty melody conditioner , or base mats that do n’t fit as they should . There are recall notices issued all the meter , and , unremarkably , people are unaware of them . But every once in a while there is a ill-famed machine reminiscence that attracts medium attention and engender a reasonable share of controversy . This is typically because the trouble with the vehicle being recall could go to a fatal crash and also because the recall involves a large figure of vehicles . Here is a list of the 10 most infamous railway car recalls in automotive history .
10. General Motor Engine Mounts
General Motors was the large of the Big Three American automaker in the 1960s . Their vehicle were ubiquitous on U.S. streets and main road . And General Motors enjoyed a sterling report among motorist . That is , until 1969 when General Motors cars were the subject of a monolithic and serious recollection . It turned out that General Motors cable car made between 1965 and 1969 that were equipped with a V8 engine had a pretty substantial problem — the rubber parts in the vehicle ’ engine mounts would give out , causing the locomotive to break free and pull undefendable the throttle . This led to speedy , unexpected and unruly quickening . Worse , this problem would also turn off the brake on the cars , make them almost impossible to stop as they accelerated out of control . By 1971 , 172 cases of engine mount failure had been reported across the U.S. , causing 63 accident and 18 serious injuries . General Motors ab initio resisted the recall . General Motors ’ President at the time , Edward Cole , actually said that the failing engine setting topic was no more serious than a flat tyre . Government officials powerfully disagreed and forced General Motors to issue a recall for nearly seven million vehicles .
9. Honda Seat Belts
Honda has always been view in the U.S. as one of the more trustworthy strange car manufacturer . The Nipponese carmaker ’s Honda Accord is one of the bestselling cars in North America . Yet , Honda ’s report for safety and dependability aim a serious knock in the early 1990s when it was revealed that there was a major problem with the seat belts in many of its machine . Nearly four million Honda vehicles were think because their seat whang provided petty to no protection . That ’s because the release release on the hindquarters belt would crack for no apparent intellect and become whole unserviceable . This show to be a frightening situation for drivers and passengers who were involved in a motor fomite accident . fortuitously , Honda did the right affair and issue a voluntary recall and replaced all the wrong seat belts . The company even serve to publicize the recall so that people far and encompassing knew about it .
8. Audi’s Sticky Acceleration
In the later 1970s and former eighties , German carmaker Audi AG was struggling to break into the U.S. and raise its North American sales . Its vehicle of choice to conquer the U.S. food market was the Audi 5000 . First introduced in 1978 , the Audi 5000 was construct until 1986 . And sales were nice at first . Americans seemed to appreciate the sumptuousness associated with Audi vehicles . However , they accept exception to the fact that the Audi 5000 was prone to unintended quickening . Beginning in the early 1980s , officials in Washington , D.C. , began receiving report that the Audi 5000 would suddenly and uncontrollably speed up after being shift out of “ park . ” An extensive investigation was take in charge and the Audi 5000 became the subject of not one , not two , but three massive recalls carried out in 1982 , 1983 and again in 1987 . Each time there was a recall , Audi lay claim to have fixed the problem . Only to have the problem happen again . The act of cars recalled was n’t huge by historical standards at about 400,000 fomite . But given Audi ’s little status in the U.S. market at the time , it was a significant recall that made interior headlines and damage Audi ’s report and gross revenue in North America .
7. Bridgestone-Firestone Tires
Another infamous reminiscence that was far - reach and led to fresh legislation rule the self-propelling industry was the Bridgestone - Firestone tire callback in the later 1990s and early 2000s . This recollection was infamous because the issues with the Bridgestone - Firestone tires led to a efflorescence of rollover death that horrified the populace and hurt the reputations of not only Bridgestone - Firestone , but also the Ford Motor Company that had outfitted many of its signature sport utility vehicle ( sport utility vehicle ) with the tires . The problem started when Firestone tyre rolled off assembly lines with tire treads that separated from the sword belted ammunition inside them . possessor describe sudden and unexpected tire runaway that jerked the wheel of the Ford Explorer SUV , get it to flip over in many pillowcase . A media hell violent storm followed and Bridgestone - Firestone scrambled for a fix , recalling 6.5 million tires nationally in the U.S. The Ford Motor Company went even further , offer up to put back 13 million Firestone tire on its various SUV brands . This problem lead to new government legislation that mandate tire pressure sensors in all fomite sold in the U.S.
6. Ford’s Automatic Transmission
The seventies were a difficult decade for the Ford Motor Company . The vehicle manufacturer had to deal with a number of issues related to its cars and motortruck — none large than the “ Mungo Park - to - turn back ” defect found in its vehicle ’ robotlike transmissions . If Ford had publish a reminiscence for this trouble , it would have the orotund fomite recall in self-propelling history . A astounding 21 million vehicle were built with a defect in the contagion that caused a car or truck put in “ park ” to slip into reversion . By the prison term the U.S. federal government recognized the mar in 1980 , the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had received more than 23,000 complaints and reports of 6,000 accident and 1,710 combat injury , with 98 injuries confirmed to be cause by the defect . Ford ’s lawyer grappled with officials in Washington over the problem . After threatening to force a callback , the Department of Transportation reached a settlement with Ford that allowed the company to stave off a recollection in central for send its customers a warn pricker that could be placed conspicuously in the car ’s interior .
5. Chevy Pickup Truck Fuel Tanks
Chevrolet is known for its pickup motortruck . Brands such as the Silverado and Sierra are bestsellers . But Chevy motortruck were not always known for their safety . Back in 1973 , engineers at Chevrolet , a division of General Motors , designed a pickup hand truck with a 20 gallon fuel tank on either side of the vehicle . automobile safety radical alleged that the emplacement made the trucks vulnerable to explode in a collision or “ T - osseous tissue ” accident , as fuel cooler were disclose on either side of the vehicle . After a lengthy investigating , the U.S. Department of Transportation agreed that there was a problem with the pickup trucks ’ fuel tanks . The politics called on Chevrolet to issue a voluntarily recall but the company deny . The two sides went to Margaret Court and finally settled . As part of the colony , Chevrolet pledged $ 51 million to U.S. safety programs . No formal callback was order for Chevrolet motortruck with side - bicycle seat fuel tanks , as they were call . However , as of 2015 , Chevrolet and its parent company , General Motors , have paid out more than $ 500 million in settlement to burn victims because of the fuel tank car defect on the seventies era pickup arm motortruck . Sad , but true .
4. Chevy Malibu Steering Columns
Some people say you have n’t lived until you ’ve owned a 2nd - helping hand Chevy Malibu car . Sleeping in the back of a Chevy Malibu is a right of passage for many people . However , the Chevrolet Malibu is an infamous car for more than its visual aspect and popularity as a first elevator car for many motorists . In 1981 , the Chevy Malibu was the subject of an extensive recall after it was learned that a loose pause dash was causing the car ’s steering columns to become handicapped , which led to drivers losing control condition of their cars as they drove them . A totality of six million Chevy Malibu auto were think , along with some other Chevy and General Motors brands . The event did nothing to help Chevy ’s reputation in the early 1980s for poor timber and shoddy craft .
3. Toyota and Lexus Gas Pedals
Japanese automaker Toyota has long relish a sterling reputation for the quality and seniority of its vehicle . However , the Toyota firebrand hurt a serious puff in the 2000s when it was feel that the gasolene foot lever on several of the company ’s most pop car mannequin could become stuck in the down spatial relation , have fatal runaway quickening . Toyota ’s subsidiary brand , Lexus , was also affect by the problem . Adding insult to injury , Toyota executives at first blamed “ all - weather ” storey mat for the issue , say that they were prone to pile the gasolene treadle . However , when the job continued , Toyota was forced to change the foot lever ’s design entirely , resulting in an international recall of nine million auto at a cost to the company of million of dollar . Toyota and Lexus are only now starting to retrieve financially from this massive recall .
2. Ford Cruise Control Switches
Texas Instruments had long made the cruise control switches in various Ford vehicles , including cars , truck and sport utility vehicle . However , over the years , these cruise control switching were testify to be faulty . Faulty in that they would short-circuit tour and cause fires to erupt . From 1996 to 2009 , the Ford Motor Company was push to think cars , trucks and SUVs from the year 1991 through to 2004 . The total turn of retrieve vehicles reached 14.9 million and led to major financial deprivation for the troupe . Equally regretful , the recurring problem was n’t proficient for public perceptions of Ford ’s tone . The medium dubbed the Ford Explorer the “ Ford Exploder , ” and late night comedians had a athletic field mean solar day make fun of the issue . Ford has since severed its relationship with Texas Instruments .
1. Ford Pinto Fires
Few cars are as notorious as the Ford Pinto . A classic railroad car of the seventies , the Pinto was invent by Ford from 1971 to 1976 when production was closing amidst a monolithic callback and scandal . The problem was the lack of reinforcement between the Pinto ’s fuel tank and the bolts in its backside . This led the throttle tank in many Pintos to become pierce by the bolts , which caused the car to catch fervency and explode in many representative . psychometric test show that many Pintos could burst into fire if another car revolve into their back bumper or rear - closing at a pep pill as deadening as 20 miles an hour . This trouble became the topic of a controversial clause inMother Jonesmagazine entitled “ Pinto Madness . ” The article criminate Ford of knowing about the flaming but adjudicate that , because pay off judgement brought by suntan victims was cheaper than doing a recall , it elected not to echo the unsafe cars . The article touched off a media frenzy , which was furthered when a memo from within the Ford Motor Company was leak designate that the automaker did indeed know about the issue with the Pinto but calculated that pay damages from case would be cheesy than a recall . After being process by governor in Washington , D.C. , Ford did the right thing and return its Pintos .
