Vehicle Recall

Recalls filed in 1990

Manufacturers filed 270 US vehicle safety recalls in 1990, covering 18,535,683 vehicles. 2021 remains the busiest year on record, with 1,094. Chevrolet filed the most that year, with 18.

Campaigns
270
Vehicles covered
18,535,683
Largest recall
3,001,230
Rank by volume
#41 of 60

Makes that filed most in 1990

  1. Chevrolet1,886,454 vehicles18 recalls
  2. Ford426,902 vehicles16 recalls
  3. Mack35,380 vehicles9 recalls
  4. Buick1,331,044 vehicles7 recalls
  5. Dodge61,398 vehicles7 recalls
  6. Cadillac11,288 vehicles6 recalls
  7. Fisher Price4,962,000 vehicles5 recalls
  8. Fleetwood5,086 vehicles5 recalls
  9. Harley-Davidson51,176 vehicles5 recalls
  10. Mercedes-Benz2,616 vehicles5 recalls
  11. Rockwell17,560 vehicles5 recalls
  12. Champion6,478 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 1990

  1. Equipment: Labels26 recalls
  2. Child Seat14 recalls
  3. Seat Belts: Anchorage14 recalls
  4. Fuel System, Gasoline: Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings9 recalls
  5. Fuel System, Gasoline: Storage8 recalls
  6. Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar7 recalls
  7. Service Brakes, Hydraulic: Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings6 recalls
  8. Visibility: Windshield6 recalls
  9. Steering: Linkages5 recalls
  10. Tires: Tread/Belt5 recalls

Largest recalls of 1990

  1. Evenflo — Child Seat90C03100018 September 19903,001,230
  2. Fisher Price — Child Seat90C03800025 October 19902,100,000
  3. Fisher Price — Child Seat90C0280005 September 19901,770,000
  4. Chevrolet — Seat Belts: Buckle Assembly90V10500014 May 19901,500,000
  5. Kmart — Exterior Lighting90E0260008 August 19901,115,440
  6. Fisher Price — Child Seat90C03700025 October 1990928,000
  7. Kolcraft — Child Seat90C0050007 March 1990790,455
  8. Evenflo — Child Seat90C03200018 September 1990780,915
  9. Nissan — Equipment: Labels90V07200017 April 1990750,000
  10. Buick — Seat Belts90V05400014 March 1990673,000
  11. Century — Child Seat90C0010008 January 1990595,127
  12. Buick — Exterior Lighting: Switch90V18500016 October 1990476,422
  13. Pathfinder — Exterior Lighting90E02000027 July 1990311,483
  14. Subaru — Suspension: Rear90V0860007 May 1990285,000
  15. Chevrolet — Seat Belts: Anchorage90V17000017 September 1990194,243
  16. Ford — Air Bags: Frontal90E04300130 October 1990172,000
  17. Jeep — Vehicle Speed Control: Cruise Control90V1770002 October 1990165,000
  18. Baldwin — Fuel System, Gasoline: Storage90E00700021 March 1990130,944
  19. Toyota — Vehicle Speed Control90V04000028 February 1990121,389
  20. Fisher Price — Child Seat90C0080004 April 1990120,000
  21. Kenwood — Equipment: Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc.90E0220006 July 1990116,000
  22. Ford — Power Train: Gear Position Indication (prndl)90V1010001 June 1990111,000
  23. Subaru — Latches/Locks/Linkages: Latch90V18400016 October 1990103,744
  24. Mazda — Electrical System: Ignition90V11800014 June 1990102,548
  25. Pontiac — Engine and Engine Cooling: Gasoline90V10400023 April 1990102,162

The 25 largest of 270 filed in 1990. See every recall or the largest on record.

← 1989 (281)1991 (281) →

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

About this figure

1990 here is the year the recall was filed with NHTSA, not the model year of the vehicles. A 1990 filing routinely covers vehicles built years earlier, and a car of model year 1990 appears in filings for years afterwards.

“Vehicles covered” sums the manufacturer’s own estimate for each campaign. A vehicle recalled twice in 1990 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 1990 because the flag did not exist then \u2014 not because no 1990 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.