Federal regulators launch series of probes into Ford, General Motors, Honda

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued several probes in recent days in what appears to be a growing routine part of the business, but are vehicle probes and recalls really on the rise?  

First things first: In just the past week, NHTSA has launched three major probes involving mass automakers, following concerns raised with vehicles from General Motors, Honda, and Ford, spanning engine to technology issues.        

• The GM probe – the largest of the three probes – involves 877,710 newer SUVs and full-size trucks from model years 2019 – 2024 equipped with the L87 V8 engine (across various GM brands), stemming from complaints of engine failures by owners.

• NHTSA’s investigation into Honda pertains to about 295,125 Honda Passport and Insight vehicles from model years 2019 - 2022, due to reports of the antilock emergency braking systems triggering inadvertently, causing the vehicles to decelerate.

• The Ford probe involves 129,222 Ford Mustang Mach E crossovers from 2021-2024 model years, stemming from “limitations in the detection of stationary vehicles in certain conditions” when using Ford’s hands-free driver system, BlueCruise. 

NHTSA’s investigation into Ford was largely prompted by two crash fatalities last year involving Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driver assist system. There have been no reported accidents resulting from issues tied to the probe of GM’s L87 V8 engine or Honda’s emergency braking system. 

Between the lines: The NHTSA probes into GM, Ford, and Honda along with the routine number of recalls in the industry could lead one to think that the number of vehicles with a potentially faulty part or feature making their way to dealerships is on the rise, which is only part of the story.

• According to an early 2024 ABC News report, the number of vehicle recalls each year surged 46% over a 10-year period ending in 2022, compared to the average over the preceding 10 years.   

• Over a consecutive five years ending in 2022, the US averaged more than 1,000 vehicle recalls each year, amounting to roughly 27 per data, as reported by ABC News.

• In 2024, there were a total of 27.3 million vehicles recalled, down from 33.6 million in 2023 and 29 million in 2022.    

Looking ahead: Expect software-related probes and recalls to increase as more technology is integrated into vehicles. But overall vehicle recalls will likely continue to decline, especially among mass-market car brands, given that many are now working more aggressively to address quality issues, which can have a significant impact on an automaker’s bottom line.

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