VehDB Insights · NHTSA data

The Most Recalled Car Brands of 2012

Every vehicle recall campaign reported to NHTSA in 2012, ranked by brand. Counts are distinct federal campaigns; units are manufacturer-estimated vehicles affected.

583
Recall campaigns
distinct NHTSA campaigns, 2012
235
Brands affected
with at least one campaign
16,496,090
Vehicles affected
manufacturer estimates, summed per campaign
2
Do-not-drive advisories
campaigns flagged by NHTSA
Car brands ranked by number of NHTSA recall campaigns in 2012
# Brand Recall campaigns Vehicles affected
1 Ford
28
1,505,498
2 Webasto
19
12,300
3 Chevrolet
18
1,618,570
4 Honda
16
3,363,343
5 International
15
55,988
6 BMW
14
470,967
7 Toyota
11
5,318,706
8 Blue Bird
11
3,679
9 Prevost
11
1,670
10 Nissan
10
198,329
11 Dodge
10
175,916
12 Freightliner
10
124,125
13 Ic Bus
10
45,569
14 Ducati
10
14,545
15 Kenworth
9
17,004
16 Winnebago
9
7,128
17 Altec
9
6,085
18 Thomas Built Buses
8
9,022
19 GMC
7
460,629
20 Volvo
7
60,179

Top 20 brands by campaign count. Source: NHTSA recall flat file, updated Jul 4, 2026.

The biggest recalls of 2012

The ten campaigns that affected the most vehicles, regardless of brand.

Pontiac +2 more brands · Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls

2,519,424 vehicles · 13 models · campaign 12V491000

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 Camry, Camry Hybrid, RAV4, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Tundra, Sequoia, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Yaris, Scion xB, Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. The power window master switch assemblies in some of thes...

Honda · Exterior Lighting:headlights:switch

1,375,217 vehicles · 3 models · campaign 12V136000

HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002 THROUGH 2004 CR-V; MODEL YEAR 2003 THROUGH 2005 PILOT; AND MODEL YEAR 2002 AND 2003 CIVIC VEHICLES. IN MARCH 2012, HONDA FILED A DEFECT REPORT TO RECALL CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002 THROUGH 2004 CR-V AND CERTAIN MODEL YEA...

Acura +1 more brands · Electrical System:ignition:switch

807,161 vehicles · 3 models · campaign 12V573000

Honda is recalling certain model year 2003 and 2004 Pilot and Odyssey and 2003 through 2006 Acura MDX passenger vehicles manufactured from November 26, 2001, through August 30, 2006. The interlock lever of the ignition switch may deform, which can allow the i...

Lexus +1 more brands · Suspension:rear

780,584 vehicles · 2 models · campaign 12V373000

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2011 RAV4 and 2010 Lexus HS250h passenger vehicles manufactured from October 2005 through September 2010. If the nuts for adjusting the rear wheel alignment are improperly tightened during service, the rear...

Jeep · Air Bags

744,822 vehicles · 2 models · campaign 12V527000

Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2002 and 2003 Jeep Liberty vehicles manufactured January 9, 2001, through March 28, 2003, and 2002 through 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured February 13, 2001, through May 23, 2003. A component in the air b...

Toyota · Steering

669,705 vehicles · 1 model · campaign 12V537000

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2009 Prius vehicles manufactured August 5, 2003, through March 30, 2009. The affected vehicles have a steering intermediate extension shaft assembly built with metal splines that complete the connection from the ste...

Subaru · Exterior Lighting

633,842 vehicles · 5 models · campaign 12V602000

Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010 and 2011 Legacy and Outback vehicles, certain model year 2006 through 2012 Tribeca vehicles sold before January 2012, and certain model year 2009 through 2012 Forester vehicles sold before January 2012. Up to 78,650...

Acura +1 more brands · Steering:hydraulic Power Assist:hose, Piping, And Connections

625,762 vehicles · 2 models · campaign 12V222000

Honda is recalling certain model year 2007 and 2008 Acura TL and model year 2003-2007 Accord V6 vehicles. In May 2012, Honda filed a defect report to recall certain model year 2007 and 2008 Acura TL vehicles. In September 2012, Honda informed the agency that...

Ford · Engine And Engine Cooling

529,719 vehicles · 1 model · campaign 12V353000

Ford Motor Company is recalling certain model year 2001 through 2004 Escape vehicles equipped with 3.0L V6 engines and speed control manufactured from October 22, 1999, through January 23, 2004. Inadequate clearance between the engine cover and the speed cont...

Toyota · Air Bags:frontal

495,470 vehicles · 1 model · campaign 12V092000

TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2009 TACOMA VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 14, 2004, THROUGH AUGUST 29, 2008. OVER TIME, STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION MAY DAMAGE THE SPIRAL CABLE ASSEMBLY (CLOCKSPRING) THAT POWERS THE DRIVER’S AIR BAG MODULE. I...

Methodology

  • Source: the official NHTSA recall flat file (US DOT, public domain), mirrored into VehDB weekly. Last refresh: Jul 4, 2026.
  • A "recall" is one distinct NHTSA vehicle campaign (type V) whose report date falls in 2012. Equipment, tire, and child-seat campaigns are excluded.
  • "Vehicles affected" uses the manufacturer's estimate, counted once per campaign (the source file repeats it for every affected model).
  • Counts are absolute, not normalized by sales: brands with bigger lineups and higher volumes naturally accumulate more campaigns. A high count is not by itself a verdict on quality.
  • A campaign spanning multiple brands (shared manufacturer) counts once for each brand it touches.
Other years: 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

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