Only 1 Japanese automaker made the list of brands with the most 2025 recalls
Quick—which automaker has the most recalls in the U.S. so far in 2025? If you think it’s one of the budget-friendly Japanese brands, think again. One Detroit automaker is leading (Ford: 51), followed by a German company (VW Group: 14). Only one Japanese brand even makes the top recalled brands list. That’s Honda, with nine recalls. Here’s how everyone currently stacks up:
- Ford Motor Company – 51 recalls
- VW Group – 14 recalls
- General Motors – 11 recalls (tied)
- Stellantis US – 11 recalls (tied)
- Honda – 9 recalls (tied)
- Mercedes-Benz – 9 recalls (tied)
This list was developed by CarEdge and shows recalls as of May 15, 2025. Here’s what those numbers mean, and why Honda might deserve a higher rank.
What’s up with all the 2025 Ford recalls?
It’s hard to miss Ford at the top of the recall list. By mid-May, it had issued 51 recalls for 1.8 million cars. By mid-June, that number had jumped to 69 recalls. With a 400,000+ vehicle recall among the most recent batch, Ford’s total is now well over the 2 million mark. And the twist? Many of these are repeat recalls—the result of a government mandate that Ford audit whether previous recall work was actually completed as promised.
By the end of 2024, Ford had issued 67 recalls. The NHTSA was fed up with how Ford handled a rearview camera software recall. It hit the automaker with a $165 million fine—the second-largest in the agency’s history. It also required Ford to go over all its recalls from the past three years. The goal? To find out whether the software Ford had promised to install on unsafe vehicles was actually updated. The results were embarrassing.
What does an automotive recall actually mean?
When the NHTSA receives complaints about cars with faulty equipment that affects safety, it opens an investigation. Enough complaints, and it urges automakers to voluntarily recall and repair the affected vehicles for free. In the rare case the company refuses (cough Tesla), the DOJ takes legal action.
A recall may involve defective components or parts that are wearing out too early. Freshly redesigned model years tend to have more recalls as automakers fine-tune a new generation of a car or truck.
Does Honda have a lot of recalls?
According to CarEdge’s list, by May 15, 2025, Honda had issued nine recalls. That tied the automaker with Mercedes-Benz for fourth place. Overall, those recalls affected 469,289 individual vehicles. And honestly, that’s a lot.
Mercedes’ nine recalls affected just 37,563 vehicles. Stellantis US had 11 recalls but only 140,197 vehicles impacted. Per capita, the numbers get worse. Honda’s rival Toyota makes far more vehicles but didn’t even make the top five. VW may hold the number two spot, but as the world’s second-largest automaker, it still recalled fewer vehicles than Honda: 441,587 vehicles across 14 recalls.
One of Honda’s biggest recalls this year is for a software glitch in the fuel injection system. It can cause Honda Pilot and Acura MDX SUVs to lose power. The Honda models with the highest number of recent recalls include:
- 2014–2020 Acura MDX
- 2025 Acura MDX
- 2023–2025 Honda Pilot
Curious if your car or SUV is subject to an open recall? You can call your dealership with your VIN handy—or punch your VIN into NHTSA.gov.
