Complexity of New Vehicles and Quicker Response by Automakers to Fix Problems Cause More Recalls
What's going on with the quality of new cars these days? Were the old one's made better, or are the new models in the current crop filled with so many technical gadgets that recalls are just a result of the added equipment?
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| Despite the significant rise in recalls, the average initial quality of new vehicles improved significantly from 2003 to 2004, while all domestic automakers made headway year-over-year. (Photo: General Motors of Canada) |
According to a statement made by J. D. Powers and Associates in April of this year, the average initial quality of new vehicles improved significantly from 2003 to 2004, while all domestic automakers made headway year-over-year. So why is 2004 already the worst year for recalls on record?
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| GM has had the most recalls of any automaker, affecting more than 10.5 million cars in 2004 alone. (Photo: General Motors of Canada) |
Ironically, GM fared best among the Big 3. Why ironic? Well, GM has had the most recalls of any automaker, affecting more than 10.5 million cars in 2004 alone. That means that GM's recalls made up 42 percent of this year's 25 million total recall count so far, tallied annually by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which oversees recalls for the U.S. government. The only year to fare worse was 2000, in which 24.6 million vehicles were recalled - although 2004 isn't quite over yet.
GM's 10.5 million is a record for the world's largest automaker, with 2003 seeing 7.8 million recalls, and 2002 at 5.7 million. In comparison, Toyota Motor Company, including Lexus and Scion, only experienced about 890,000 recalls so far this year, but still four times as many as it did in 2003.