Automotive Recall Alert: 3.4 Million Vehicles Affected in Q1 2025

BizzyCar Q1 2025 Recall Report Highlights: 

• Total Recalls: 3.46 million vehicles were recalled in Q1 2025—marking the lowest quarterly total in over 10 years and a significant drop from 6.58 million in Q4 2024.

• Ford With Most Recalls: Ford led all automakers with 1,057,229 vehicles recalled across 35 campaigns (30% of all recalls).

• Top Issues: Electrical & Safety Systems: The most common recall components included electrical systems (822K), back-over prevention (497K), and seat belts (396K)—highlighting ongoing safety concerns despite fewer total recalls.

• OTA Updates: Of the 3.4 million vehicles affected by recalls in Q1 2024, 961k (27.7%) can be repaired via Over-the-Air (OTA) updates.

• Safety Concerns: 3.1 million vehicles (90.5% of total recalls) pose a risk of crash and/or injury.

While the total recalls number is down in Q1 2025, major automakers continue to grapple with quality and safety concerns. When accounting for un-repaired vehicles from previous years, more than one in four cars on U.S. roads have at least one open recall. With around 291 million registered vehicles nationwide, that’s approximately 75 million vehicles currently driving with unresolved safety issues. This alarming number underscores a persistent challenge for automakers: managing quality control in an era of increasingly complex vehicle technologies. The growing volume of recalls not only endangers drivers but also erodes consumer trust in vehicle reliability. As safety concerns rise, automakers must implement stricter quality assurance protocols and proactive recall management strategies to quickly address defects, protect drivers, and rebuild public confidence in the industry.

BizzyCar Q1 2025 Recall Report: 

Total Recalls and Vehicles Affected

• Total Recalls Issued in Q1 2025: 107 recalls issued.
• Total Vehicles Affected in Q1 2025: 3.46 million vehicles.

Q1 2025 Recalls Issued by Brand

The top brands for Q1 2025 recalls issued are:

• Ford Motor Company: 35 recalls (Compared to 16 in Q4 2024)
• General Motors: 8 recalls
• Chrysler/Stellantis: 7 recalls
• Volkswagen: 7 recalls
• Honda: 6 recalls

Q1 2025 Vehicles Affected by Brand

The brands with the most vehicles affected by recalls in Q1 2025 are:

• Ford Motor Company: 1,057,229 vehicles
• Tesla: 661,810 vehicles
• Toyota: 317,359 vehicles
• Honda: 309,268 vehicles
• Kia: 292,322 vehicles
• Volkswagen: 292,193 vehicles
• General Motors: 175,413 vehicles
• Chrysler/Stellantis: 80,383 vehicles
• Jaguar/Land Rover: 43,718 vehicles
• BMW: 41,093 vehicles
• Nissan: 38,632 vehicles
• Hyundai: 34,214 vehicles
• Mercedes-Benz: 30,813 vehicles
• Maserati: 27,354 vehicles
• Subaru: 20,366 vehicles
• Rivian: 17,260 vehicles
• Volvo: 9,559 vehicles
• Ineos: 7,022 vehicles
• Lucid: 4,294 vehicles
• Aston Martin: 1,452 vehicles
• Porsche: 1,157 vehicles
• Mazda: 63 vehicles

Largest Recalls of Q3 2024

• Telsa: 1,849,638 - Certain 2023 Model 3 and Model Y.  The printed circuit board for the electronic power steering assist may experience an overstress condition, causing a loss of power steering assist when the vehicle reaches a stop and then accelerates again.
• Honda: 294,612 - Certain 2022-2025 Acura MDX Type-S, 2023-2025 Honda Pilot, and 2021-2025 Acura TLX Type-S vehicles.  A software error in the fuel injection electronic control unit (FI-ECU) may cause an engine stall or a loss of power.
• Ford: 272,817 - Certain 2021-2023 Bronco Sport and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles.  The 12-volt battery  may experience degradation and suddenly fail.
• Ford: 240,512 - Certain 2020-2021 Explorer and Aviator vehicles.  The seat belt buckle anchor bolts at one or more seating positions may be improperly secured.  Additionally, vehicles may have an improperly secured seat belt retractor anchor bolt and/or seat belt anchor bolt at the second-row center seating position, if equipped.
• Tesla: 239,382 - Certain 2024-2025 Model 3, Model S, 2023-2025 Model X, and Model Y vehicles.  The computer circuit board may short, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image.  As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Top Components Recalled Q1 2025:

• Electrical Systems: 822k vehicles (23.74% of total recalls)
• Back Over Prevent: 497k vehicles (14.37%)
• Seatbelts: 395k vehicles (11.43%)
• Steering: 377k (10.9%)

Park Outside and Do Not Drive Advisory

In Q1 2025, there were no recalls with a Park Out or Do Not Drive Advisory. 

Safety Advisories for Consumers

The NHTSA urges all vehicle owners not to delay recall repairs. Unresolved safety issues can lead to serious accidents or injuries. To check for open recalls, visit the official recall lookup tool: (https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls)

A Shift in Focus: From Vehicle Sales to Vehicle Service

Although Q1 saw fewer recalls, there are still millions of unresolved recalls on the road today. With tariffs expected to slow new car sales, the spotlight is shifting to fixed operations and customer retention. (Dealers learn how to stay profitable during slow sales periods)

Opportunity for Dealers

Recalls aren’t just about fixing problems—they’re a powerful opportunity for dealerships to drive service revenue, build customer loyalty, and showcase their commitment to safety. By proactively managing recall campaigns, dealers can boost service lane traffic, increase upsell potential, and reconnect with inactive customers. Every recall visit becomes a chance to deliver exceptional service, reinforce trust, and turn one-time visits into long-term relationships. By ensuring vehicles are safe and compliant while providing a great customer experience, dealerships are transforming recall visits into profitable and meaningful engagements.

BizzyCar’s Commitment to Safer Roads

At BizzyCar, our mission is to make roads safer by helping dealerships streamline and strengthen their recall processes. Our intelligent platform improves recall completion rates, enhances customer satisfaction, and drives dealership success.

The Q1 2025 data highlights just how critical recall oversight has become. As vehicles grow more complex, so does the challenge of ensuring they remain safe and compliant. That’s why we’re focused on turning every recall into an opportunity—for improved safety, stronger customer relationships, and smarter dealership operations.

Q1 2025 Recall Data Source: https://datahub.transportation.gov/Automobiles/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/mu99-t4jn

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About BizzyCar

BizzyCar is an AI-driven, automated Service Recall Management Platform for auto dealers. It leverages the most accurate recall data available to identify vehicles with open recalls and utilizes artificial intelligence to proactively schedule recall appointments for customers to bring their vehicles into the dealership to complete these recalls. For more info visit: https://info.bizzycar.com/blog