Vehicle Recall

Recalls filed in 1996

Manufacturers filed 341 US vehicle safety recalls in 1996, covering 21,453,044 vehicles. 2021 remains the busiest year on record, with 1,094. Ford filed the most that year, with 30.

Campaigns
341
Vehicles covered
21,453,044
Largest recall
7,900,000
Rank by volume
#30 of 60

Makes that filed most in 1996

  1. Ford10,923,884 vehicles30 recalls
  2. Chevrolet1,719,996 vehicles19 recalls
  3. Dodge2,457,497 vehicles14 recalls
  4. Blue Bird41,886 vehicles11 recalls
  5. International Harvester175,434 vehicles10 recalls
  6. Thomas186,273 vehicles10 recalls
  7. Freightliner36,186 vehicles9 recalls
  8. Volvo70,840 vehicles9 recalls
  9. Buick405,394 vehicles8 recalls
  10. Spartan9,548 vehicles6 recalls
  11. Western Star972 vehicles6 recalls
  12. Fleetwood3,532 vehicles5 recalls

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

Parts recalled most in 1996

  1. Seats27 recalls
  2. Structure: Body21 recalls
  3. Unknown or Other12 recalls
  4. Fuel System, Gasoline: Tank Assembly11 recalls
  5. Service Brakes, Hydraulic: Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings11 recalls
  6. Vehicle Speed Control11 recalls
  7. Suspension: Rear10 recalls
  8. Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar9 recalls
  9. Seat Belts: Anchorage7 recalls
  10. Electrical System: Fuses and Circuit Breakers6 recalls

Largest recalls of 1996

  1. Ford — Electrical System: Ignition96V07100025 April 19967,900,000
  2. Ford — Structure: Support Device/Strut95I00700031 January 19961,029,380
  3. Dodge — Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar96V22900018 November 1996675,000
  4. GEO — Air Bags: Sensor/Control Module-Inactive96V10700020 June 1996627,858
  5. Oldsmobile — Power Train: Cooling Unit and Lines96V01500023 January 1996585,182
  6. Phillips Lighting — Exterior Lighting: Headlights96E02400029 August 1996515,000
  7. Dodge — Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar96V23000018 November 1996475,000
  8. Chevrolet — Fuel System, Gasoline: Tank Assembly96V23400014 November 1996432,183
  9. Chevrolet — Electrical System: Horn96I00100023 January 1996417,000
  10. Chevrolet — Vehicle Speed Control96V0570004 April 1996379,004
  11. Century — Child Seat96C01300028 June 1996376,000
  12. Century — Child Seat: Infant96C01300128 June 1996376,000
  13. Ford — Power Train: Automatic Transmission96V17600018 September 1996340,000
  14. Dodge — Service Brakes, Hydraulic: Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip96V09900013 June 1996321,000
  15. Buick — Fuel System, Gasoline: Fuel Injection System96V1160001 July 1996275,811
  16. Pontiac — Exterior Lighting: Hazard Flashing Warning Lights96V25000017 December 1996270,014
  17. Dodge — Fuel System, Gasoline: Filler Pipe and Cap96V00200016 January 1996265,000
  18. Ford — Engine and Engine Cooling: Gasoline96I00300028 May 1996240,000
  19. Jeep — Seat Belts: Rear/Other96I0040001 January 1996224,642
  20. Ford — Seat Belts: Webbing96V1720016 September 1996224,000
  21. Ford — Seat Belts: Webbing96V1720026 September 1996224,000
  22. BMW — Exterior Lighting: Switch96V1110001 July 1996180,000
  23. Dodge — Fuel System, Gasoline: Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings96V22800018 November 1996180,000
  24. Harley-Davidson — Fuel System, Gasoline: Fuel Injection System96V20400022 October 1996176,515
  25. International Harvester — Exterior Lighting: Switch96V19200012 November 1996171,638

The 25 largest of 341 filed in 1996. See every recall or the largest on record.

← 1995 (355)1997 (317) →

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

About this figure

1996 here is the year the recall was filed with NHTSA, not the model year of the vehicles. A 1996 filing routinely covers vehicles built years earlier, and a car of model year 1996 appears in filings for years afterwards.

“Vehicles covered” sums the manufacturer’s own estimate for each campaign. A vehicle recalled twice in 1996 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 1996 because the flag did not exist then \u2014 not because no 1996 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.