Experts speculate that the increasing complexity of vehicle manufacturing could be responsible for the bulk of recalls issued in recent years. Brakes, which once only required mechanical components to work properly, now also require complicated electrical components. And manufacturing air bags requires an understanding of pyrotechnics that goes well beyond what the early days of the auto industry could have imagined.
Defective components in vehicles with "do not drive" and "park outside" recalls:
- Brakes: 34 recalls, 7.3 million affected vehicles, 4.8 million unrepaired
- Air bags: 10 recalls, 1.3 million affected vehicles, 900,000 unrepaired
- Electrical systems: 25 recalls, 1 million affected vehicles, 600,000 unrepaired
- Trailer hitches: 5 recalls, 900,000 affected vehicles, 400,000 unrepaired
- Suspension: 16 recalls, 400,000 affected vehicles, 100,000 unrepaired
- Engine: 12 recalls, 200,000 affected vehicles, 100,000 unrepaired
- Powertrain: 11 recalls, 100,000 affected vehicles, 90,000 unrepaired
- Fuel system: 5 recalls, 20,000 affected vehicles, 10,000 unrepaired
- Exterior lighting: 1 recall, 20,000 affected vehicles, 9,000 unrepaired
- Hybrid propulsion system: 1 recall, 20,000 affected vehicles, 4,000 unrepaired
Two South Korean automakers, Hyundai and Kia, have been issuing massive "park outside" recalls for years due to failures of their hydraulic brake systems that can cause engine fires. The recalls have expanded to more makes and models over time, and they now encompass more than 6.3 million vehicles in the U.S.
About 4.3 million of them are not yet fixed, accounting for the majority of unrepaired cars in the data.
Ashley V., the owner of a 2013 Kia Optima, warned customers in a ConsumerAffairs review not to buy from the automaker. Vargo reported that despite being up to date on routine maintenance, the car failed on her in September 2022 when the acceleration stopped working mid-highway.
She pulled the car over, and once she stepped outside, it burst into flames.
"Please if you own a KIA, get rid of it," she wrote. "Nothing but issues."
The long road to repairs
Experts told ConsumerAffairs they were not surprised by the 7 million unrepaired vehicles facing urgent recalls. Researchers and industry professionals have been studying the issue for years.
"It's a growing problem in the auto industry," said Bruce Belzowski, the retired managing director of Automotive Futures at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
One University of Michigan survey from the institute found that 38% of people hesitant about fixing their recalled vehicles were worried the dealership would try to sell them on more repairs during the visit, and almost as many people said it would be difficult to give up their cars for repairs.
Both were true for Ethyl McCray, the owner of a 2016 Ford Fusion. She's received several calls and letters about a recall on her car, warning her that a fluid leak could make her brakes less efficient, increasing the risk of a crash.
But McCray uses her car to get back and forth to work, and it has been hard to find the time and energy to get it fixed. Plus, she's worried about what will happen when she brings it in for repairs.
"I understand that it's very important," she said. "I want them to correct it, but I'm scared they may mess something up and I have to pay more money to fix that."
Automakers cover the cost of fixes for recalls, but drivers like McCray still worry about other costs that could come along with it.
Belzowski said this kind of distrust can be a major hurdle for car owners to overcome when considering whether to address a recall.
"Consumers usually leave the dealership after the car warranty is over," he said. "There's a whole body of repair shops that are a lot cheaper than the dealership, but none of these people do recalls. So when people are told they have to go to the dealer, they say, 'Nah, I don't want to do that.'"
A Mercedes-Benz driver who brought his car into the dealership for a fix on a brake recall told ConsumerAffairs in a review that the six-and-a-half-hour visit culminated in the mechanics trying to upsell him on $900 of additional repairs.
"The entire experience has given me cause to question past repairs that I was told were needed," he wrote, cementing his review with a 1-star rating for the car company.
A 2023 ConsumerAffairs survey found 35% of people feel mechanics are always overcharging them, and another 45% said they sometimes feel they get overcharged.
And with the cost of auto repairs soaring, it can be hard to convince car owners to step foot in a repair shop. Air bag replacements now cost $1,000 to $2,000, and engine replacements can be priced upward of $4,000.
Pete DeVito, the automotive director for the United Service Workers Union, which represents mechanics working at dealerships, said many customers don't take good care of their cars. That's why dealers end up recommending upgrades and fixes when people bring in their vehicles, he said.
"These things should all be checked, all be fixed, because it's a safety issue," he said. "It's the difference between life and death."
DeVito said automakers can have difficulty communicating the importance of recalls to car owners. Some people miss out on the safety alerts entirely because they get lost in stacks of mail and tossed away.
"They think it's advertising," he said. "They get so much mail from dealers for new cars that they see it and disregard it."
Data and methodology
ConsumerAffairs analyzed NHTSA vehicle recall data by manufacturer where "park outside" and "do not drive" instructions were issued.
The number of unrepaired vehicles in the data was calculated from each recall's reported completion rates — the rate of recalled vehicles that have been repaired — and the total number of vehicles estimated to be affected by the recall.
Vehicles affected - (vehicles affected x completion rate) = unrepaired vehicles
Some vehicles may be subjected to several recalls in the data, and therefore the number of vehicles affected by a series of recalls are high-end estimates.
The data is current as of Nov. 21, 2023.
This story was produced by ConsumerAffairs and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.