The Automaker With The Most Recalls Halfway Through 2025 Is…
When it comes to vehicles being sold on the new market, recalls are a crucial part of the process of keeping them safe in the long term. They also help to keep manufacturers honest when it comes to safety, as the light will be shone on them should they fail to fix the issues flagged up, or release cars that feature consistent safety woes. Recalls tend to be filed by the NHTSA, a government-run department that collates customer feedback into problems, before evaluating whether an issue deserves to be flagged up to the manufacturer in question so that other affected cars can be brought back in and modified to prevent the issue from occurring.
Ford
Founded
June 16, 1903
Founder
Henry Ford
Headquarters
Dearborn, Michigan, USA
Owned By
Publicly Traded
Current CEO
Jim Farley
So far in 2025, one brand stands head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to the total number of recalls issued.
This piece explores which car manufacturer currently active in the US has put out the most recalls on its products at the halfway point of 2025. The leader of this metric was determined by using data sourced from the National Highway Transport Safety Administration, with all other data used sourced from reputable providers.
Ford Has Been Handing Out Recalls Like Candy So Far In 2025
American automotive giant Ford is the unlucky winner of this particular metric, having had to dish out a hefty 81 recalls so far this year, as of the 23rd of June. This puts it way above its rivals in this regard, with the next highest brand being Forest River Inc., a marque that builds recreational equipment like off-road trucks and RVs. In fact, Ford’s extensive recall list is higher than the next five manufacturers combined, a list that also features the likes of Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen.
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Ford’s Quality Control Is Falling Well Short Of Acceptability
The result is immensely concerning for Ford, as ultimately it proves that its quality control department is severely lacking when compared to its rivals. When clearing a car before manufacturer, its components need to be thoroughly tested in a variety of situations to make sure they don’t have any clear weaknesses that will cause future issues.
Ford has failed in this regard, with many silly problems slipping through the net and making it to retail, which has led to many of its offerings suffering from problems. In a bid to try and combat these shortcomings, Ford has even turned to AI for help. Many of these issues have the potential to cause serious injury, too.
Discussion
How much do recalls impact your car purchase decision?
No matter how much engineering and testing go into a vehicle, recalls happen. Sometimes they’re minor, but they can also be serious enough to cause a stop sale or direct owners to stop driving. How much does a company’s recall history impact your decision of whether to buy one of its cars?
Ford’s List Of Recalls Encompasses Hundreds Of Thousands Of Vehicles
While some of the recalls put out by Ford are limited in their scope, such as one issued on the 4th of June that covers three examples of its 2025 Explorer models being recalled due to the bolts holding on the front brake calipers not being securely tightened, others have a much more far-reaching influence. The worst one to hit the brand so far came on May 9th, which covered pretty much every model that Ford built between 2021 and 2023, including several offerings from its Lincoln luxury arm.
Ford’s Worst Recalls In 2025
Issue
Number Of Cars Affected
Vehicle Models Affected
Date Issued
Rearview Camera image may not display
1,075,299
- 2021-2024 Ford Bronco
- 2021-2014 Ford Edge
- 2023-2024 Ford Escape
- 2022-2024 Ford Expedition
- 2021-2024 Ford F-Series
- 2024 Ford Mustang
- 2021-2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E
- 2024 Ford Ranger
- 2022-2025 Ford Transit
- 2023-2024 Lincoln Corsair
- 2021-2023 Lincoln Nautilus
- 2022-2024 Lincoln Navigator
9th May 2025
Driver and Passenger Exterior door trim may detach
492,145
27th May 2025
Second-row seating may move unexpectedly
304,662
- 2020-2025 Ford Explorer
- 2020-2025 Lincoln Aviator
16th June 2025
Loss of brake function from brake fluid leak
273,789
- 2022-2024 Ford Expedition
- 2022-2024 Lincoln Navigator
9th May 2025
Loss of drive power from battery failure
272,817
- 2021-2023 Ford Bronco Sport
- 2022-2023 Ford Maverick
January 17th 2025
Improperly secured seat belt buckle anchor bolts
240,510
- 2020-2021 Ford Explorer
- 2020/2021 Lincoln Aviator
14th February 2025
Over a million vehicles were affected by the NHTSA recall, which consisted of the image from the onboard rearview camera not showing up on the screen, or freezing if it did. The issue will be corrected via an over-the-air update, which is set to release sometime in the third quarter of 2025. Ford has already paid for its failure to react to the issue in a timely manner though, as it was fined $165 million by the US government after an investigation found it could have cured the problem much quicker than it ultimately did.
This Wasn’t The Only Serious Recall Put Out By Ford
While the rear camera ailment was the most far-reaching issue currently found by Ford in 2025, it was far from the only one. Over 492,000 Explorers built between 2016 and 2017 were recalled in May 2025 as a result of the driver and passenger B-Pillar exterior trim coming loose and detaching while in motion, which would deposit the component onto the road and potentially into the path of oncoming traffic, with potentially disastrous consequences.
A total of 304,662 Ford Explorers and Lincoln Aviators were recalled on the 16th of June due to a faulty switch that controlled the second-row seats, which meant that they would become loose and start folding or sliding unexpectedly while driving. The bezel around the switch caused the issue, and will be replaced by local Ford dealers. Aside from these problems, no fewer than nine other recalls affected at least 100,000 cars, illustrating the scope of Ford’s problems right now.
Ford Is Well Aware Of Its Shortcomings
These issues have been a common sight at Ford for several years now, the brand having led the way in terms of automotive recalls since 2021. The decision was taken at the end of 2024 to replace Vice President of Product Development Operations and Quality Jim Baumbick, who had been in his post since 2022, in an effort to clean up its act. Efforts by Ford to reduce its number of recalls won’t bear fruit overnight, but at least it’s making changes to try and improve itself for the better.
That said, considering the rate the brand is establishing new recall cases, Ford drivers would be well advised to keep their eyes on the NHTSA’s site. Considering 81 recalls have been filed in just six months, there will likely be a ton more where that came from across the rest of the year, and most likely into 2026 too. Beyond that, for Ford’s sake, it will be hoping these numbers improve considerably.
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The Performance Of Ford’s Automotive Rivals Illustrates Its Poor Performance
The next passenger car manufacturer behind Ford is Chrysler and Volkswagen Group, which have both notched up a total of 15 recalls apiece at the halfway point of 2025. The former has only two recalls that cover more than 50,000 individual vehicles so far, with the most far-reaching being that the rear camera image fails to show on over 235,000 examples of the RAM ProMaster van built between 2022 and 2025.
Manufacturer
NHTSA Recalls Filed in 2025
Ford
81
Forest River Inc.
18
Chrysler
15
Volkswagen
15
Mercedes-Benz
13
General Motors
12
Honda
12
Jayco
8
Autocar
7
Shyft Group
7
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VW Group hasn’t performed quite so well, with four out of its 15 recalls affecting over 50,000 vehicles. In better news, the worst of its recalls only affected a little over 177,000 cars, which puts it significantly better off than its American rivals. This issue affects Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport models built between 2024 and 2025, and consists of cars being sold with loose plastic engine covers, which can then be set on fire after making contact with hot parts of the engine. The dealer will remove the affected component to prevent the issue from occurring, though it’s well worth checking it yourself to make sure the problem won’t affect you before you can get it to your local VW dealer. Still, even these brands are way ahead of where Ford currently stands when it comes to total recalls, giving it a stiff target to aim for over the coming years.
Sources: NHTSA
