Last Year's Auto Recalls Hit New Record High

It's official: last year's auto recalls hit a record high, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It comes as no surprise to those who were monitoring the auto industry. Many car makers were swept up into recalls of all sizes spanning numerous issues and parts. Some, like GM, were slammed with huge recall numbers, while the Takata airbag issue has had its own substantial effect. Nearly 64 million cars were recalled in 2014, and if previous statements by the NHTSA prove true, 2015 will see even higher numbers.

To put the numbers in perspective, they eclipsed the number of auto recalls that took place in the three preceding years combined. A total of 803 recalls took place, and of them 123 were the result of NHTSA, while the rest were kicked off by the affected auto makers themselves.

General Motors was most notably hit, with the faulty ignitions kicking off what proved to be a long and expansive list of issues covered by recalls: power steering, brake lights, transmission cables, and more. The Takata airbags issue, which has rolled over into the new year, has also caused auto maker's a lot of grief (and, most unfortunately, driver tragedies).

Some in the auto industry felt the recalls were excessive, but the NHTSA doesn't see it that way, and is pushing for increases in driver safety. The administration's chief Mark Rosekind warned earlier this year that the number of recalls in 2015 could exceed what we saw in 2014.

SOURCE: New York Times