Vehicle Recall

Recalls filed in 1981

Manufacturers filed 197 US vehicle safety recalls in 1981, covering 31,000,131 vehicles. 2021 remains the busiest year on record, with 1,094. Ford filed the most that year, with 19.

Campaigns
197
Vehicles covered
31,000,131
Largest recall
21,000,000
Rank by volume
#53 of 60

Makes that filed most in 1981

  1. Ford21,398,933 vehicles19 recalls
  2. Mack17,132 vehicles10 recalls
  3. American Motors29,480 vehicles6 recalls
  4. Buick226,651 vehicles6 recalls
  5. Chevrolet6,241,404 vehicles6 recalls
  6. Firestone2,073 vehicles6 recalls
  7. Freightliner2,181 vehicles6 recalls
  8. International Harvester8,662 vehicles4 recalls
  9. Isuzu225,265 vehicles4 recalls
  10. Renault55,628 vehicles4 recalls
  11. Volvo9,198 vehicles4 recalls
  12. Western16,229 vehicles4 recalls

Counted by the make named on each filing, so a manufacturer that sells several brands appears once per brand.

Parts recalled most in 1981

  1. Tires12 recalls
  2. Tires: Tread/Belt11 recalls
  3. Vehicle Speed Control9 recalls
  4. Fuel System, Gasoline: Filler Pipe and Cap6 recalls
  5. Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar6 recalls
  6. Service Brakes, Hydraulic: Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings5 recalls
  7. Equipment: Labels4 recalls
  8. Steering: Linkages4 recalls
  9. Steering: Connection4 recalls
  10. Structure: Door4 recalls

Largest recalls of 1981

  1. Ford — Power Train: Gear Position Indication (prndl)81V00800012 January 198121,000,000
  2. Chevrolet — Suspension: Rear81V02500025 February 19815,821,160
  3. Honda — Suspension81V1360006 November 1981936,774
  4. Volkswagen — Structure: Body81V11300024 September 1981448,167
  5. Chevrolet — Service Brakes, Hydraulic: Vacuum81V01000013 January 1981320,677
  6. Strolee — Child Seat81C01200024 August 1981204,180
  7. Suburban — Equipment: Furnace81E01500017 November 1981200,000
  8. Chrysler — Vehicle Speed Control81V11100022 September 1981150,000
  9. Fiat — Structure81V09100020 July 1981140,000
  10. Isuzu — Fuel System, Gasoline: Filler Pipe and Cap81V05800015 May 1981133,000
  11. Ford — Engine and Engine Cooling: Fan81V0020002 December 1981123,453
  12. Ford — Fuel System, Gasoline: Filler Pipe and Cap81V09200022 July 1981112,000
  13. Volkswagen — Vehicle Speed Control: Cables81V01200028 January 1981110,000
  14. Dodge — Exterior Lighting: Switch81V0930005 August 1981110,000
  15. Buick — Electrical System: Cables81V03800024 March 1981105,130
  16. Isuzu — Suspension: Front81V13200026 October 198185,695
  17. Ford — Engine and Engine Cooling: Fan81V0030002 December 198181,807
  18. Buick — Visibility: Glass, Side/Rear81V02200011 February 198167,350
  19. Chevrolet — Seat Belts: Retractor81V06000019 May 198155,238
  20. Buick — Service Brakes, Hydraulic: Differential Proportional Valve81V09500010 August 198147,371
  21. Chevrolet — Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar81V1040009 September 198144,059
  22. Goodyear — Tires81T0220004 December 198143,000
  23. Nissan — Power Train: Axle Shaft81V06300022 May 198142,735
  24. Subaru — Vehicle Speed Control81V0290005 March 198132,000
  25. Autocar — Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar81V12200014 October 198131,703

The 25 largest of 197 filed in 1981. See every recall or the largest on record.

← 1980 (220)1982 (174) →

Every year on record, with the long-run trend.

About this figure

1981 here is the year the recall was filed with NHTSA, not the model year of the vehicles. A 1981 filing routinely covers vehicles built years earlier, and a car of model year 1981 appears in filings for years afterwards.

“Vehicles covered” sums the manufacturer’s own estimate for each campaign. A vehicle recalled twice in 1981 is counted twice, so the figure is not a count of distinct vehicles.

Do Not Drive and Park Outside flags entered NHTSA’s public record in May 2025. This page shows no advisory section for 1981 because the flag did not exist then \u2014 not because no 1981 recall was urgent.

Compiled from NHTSA’s published recall files, which are US government open data and rebuilt daily. Figures on this page reflect the record as of 18 September 2026. Read the methodology, or check a specific vehicle at nhtsa.gov.