Automobiles were called back for repairs a record number of times in 2014, with ignition switches and airbag faults emerging as some of the top issues.
With 2014's list of more than 60 million recalls nearly doubling the single-season high for the last decade, we take a look at some of the year's most notable call backs.
As the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) increases the aggression with which it investigates vehicle faults, automakers have been quickening their pace in issuing recall notices so that they don't appear to be "dragging their feet," says Michelle Krebs, one of Autotrader.com's senior analysts.
"We're going to see lots of recalls because cars have gotten so complex and there's so much sharing of parts by all automakers," says Krebs.
General Motors (Ignition Switch)
General Motors alone rivaled the single-year record for auto recalls, which mandates that the automaker lands in this list of 2014's notable recalls. The ignition switches are vulnerable to slipping out of the run position, which could and has caused engines to shut off and airbags to fails.
The death toll is still rising as consumers make claims for compensation related to injury and loss of life related to General Motor's ignition switch fault.
Consumers have filed 260 claims for death, 172 for critical injuries and nearly 2,000 for moderate harm that still required hospitalization. So far, 42 of those death claims have been verified.
General Motors' ignition switch recall affected approximately 2.6 million Chevrolet Cobalt (2006 to 2011); Chevrolet HHR (2006 to 2010); Saturn Ion (2003 to 2007); Saturn Sky (2007 to 2010); Pontiac G5 (2007 to 2010); and the Pontiac Solstice (2006 to 2010).
Honda (Takata Airbags)
With faulty airbags already a worry, Honda may have made the issue even more worrying when it made several revisions to the amount of vehicles that needed to be recalled. The recall was expanded to 3 million in December, inflated to 3.2 million shortly after and then finally settled on at 2.6 million.
The Honda vehicles use Takata brand airbags, which have been found to be defective in automobiles produced by several auto manufacturers. The affected Honda vehicles included four-cylinder Honda Accords (2001 to 2007); V6 Accords (2001 and 2002); Honda Civics (2001 to 2005); Honda CR-Vs (2002 to 2006); Honda Elements (2003 to 2011); Honda Odysseys (2002 to 2004); Honda Pilots (2003 to 2007); Honda Ridgelines (2006); Acura MDXs (2003 to 2006); Acura TLs (2002 and 2003); and Acura CLs (2002).
Toyota
The Japanese auto manufacturer's largest recall of the year came back in April when it called back 6.4 million automobiles globally. About 1.8 million vehicles in the U.S. were subject to the recall.
The recall gave attention to several issues, including front seat rails and Takata airbags. Recalled vehicles included the Yaris hatchback (2006 to 2010); Yaris sedan (2007 to 2010); Scion XD (2008 to 2010); Corolla (2009 to 2010); Matrix (2009 to 2010); Highlander (2008 to 2010); Tacoma (2009 to 2010); RAV4 (2006 to 2008); and the Pontiac Vibe (2009 to 2010).
