- Ford issued 153 recalls in 2025, the most of any automaker.
- Nearly 12.93 million Ford vehicles were affected overall.
- The count includes both physical and software-based fixes.
Ford’s recall problem isn’t just big, it’s now historically unmatched in scale. Last year, Ford set a record with 89 recalls in a single calendar year, surpassing the previous high of 77 held by General Motors in 2014. That milestone now looks modest.
In 2025, Ford and its sibling brand Lincoln issued an astonishing 153 separate recalls. Taken together, they impacted 12,926,436 vehicles across the country. For context, that’s more than the next nine automakers combined, who together recalled 12,902,842 vehicles. Impressive, in a way, but not for the reasons any brand would hope.
Read: In 2024, Tesla Topped Recall Counts While Ford Dominated In-Person Repairs
On average, the numbers are just as groundbreaking. 153 recalls equate to just over 0.4 per day throughout 2025. In other words, Ford recalled a car at least once every two and half days on average. Every day of the year saw an average of 35,414 more Fords added to the recall list. That’s about 1,476 each hour or 24.59 cars added to a Ford recall for every single minute of 2025.
On average, the numbers are just as staggering. With 153 recalls across 2025, Ford averaged one recall every 2.4 days, or roughly 0.42 per day. Every day of the year saw an average of 35,414 more Fords added to the recall list. That’s about 1,476 each hour or 24.6 cars added to a Ford recall for every single minute of 2025.
Top Five Recall Giants
Toyota followed in second place by overall volume, with a relatively low 15 recall actions, but a massive 3,223,256 vehicles affected. Stellantis (FCA, minus Maserati) took third with 53 recalls covering 2,776,952 vehicles.
The top five was rounded out by Honda and Acura (21 recalls, 1,560,813 vehicles) and Hyundai and Genesis (21 recalls, 1,078,212 vehicles). If Hyundai and Kia are grouped together, the combined total rises to 34 recalls and over 2.6 million vehicles, which would push the alliance into fourth place.
More: Ford Recalls Over 272,000 Vehicles Because Park Isn’t What You Think
Looking at individual recall actions, Ford claimed the top three spots. Two separate campaigns affecting around 1.45 million vehicles each targeted rearview camera issues. Another Ford recall, covering nearly 1.08 million vehicles, was resolved with an over-the-air update. Toyota’s largest action, which affected 1.02 million vehicles, also centered on a rearview camera fault.
US AUTO RECALL ACTIONS
* NHTSA data from January 1 to December 19, 2025
Keep in mind that while we pulled the data on December 31, 2025 (yes, we’re working today!), there’s a delay in the figures released by NHTSA. At the time of publication, data from the final 12 days of the year hadn’t yet been posted, so the totals could climb once those late entries are added.
What the Raw Numbers Don’t Show
As always, recall figures only tell part of the story here. As in previous years, once the full dataset for the final days of December is released in the next week or so, we’ll be able to break down recalls by remedy type. That means that we don’t yet have a clear picture of how many recalls required a dealer visit compared to those that simply needed an over-the-air (OTA) software update.
That’s a key because OTA remedies can represent a large portion of recalls, and so the final figure can appear far worse than it really is on the ground and in dealer service bays. Last year, Ford led both in total recalls and those that required a dealer visit.
The recall remedy method matters more than ever, especially for a brand like Ford that has leaned heavily into connected vehicle platforms and remote updates across everything from F-150s to Mustangs and Broncos.
Precision or a Bigger Problem?
All of that said, volume is still volume. Whether fixed via software or hardware, a recall is still a recall, and Ford continues to generate them at a pace unmatched by any other major automaker.
We’ve highlighted in the past how some of this simply comes down to better record-keeping. Modern production methods allow for granular control and tracking in a way that older methods didn’t. Some of the smaller recalls issued this year likely wouldn’t have been caught decades ago.
At the same time, some of the larger recalls, and no doubt the total volume overall, will leave some wondering what the issue is at Ford these days. Here’s to hoping that this is the last recall record-setting year for any brand for decades to come.
John Halas contributed to this story.