5 Worst Global Car Recalls Ever! From Takata Airbag Recall to VW DSG Issue

Cars are a perfect example of modern engineering but making it completely error-free is a difficult task for many. You might have heard of car recalls just like the one Maruti Suzuki did recently to change the fuel pump for Baleno. This is a minor recall where some part of the manufacturing facility had an error due to which a small number of vehicles were recalled and the manufacturer had to bear a minimal cost. But there are much bigger recalls in the history of the international automotive market where brands had to recall millions of vehicles. Today, we will talk about the 5 worst global car recalls ever!

1. Takata Airbag Recall (4.2Million+ Recalled)
   

   

   This is the largest recall that has taken place in the history of the international automotive industry. Takata Corporation is one of the biggest suppliers of car safety equipment worldwide. The airbag recall affected almost 19 automobile companies resulting in a recall of almost 42 million vehicles! The issue started in 2013 when automakers realised that the ammonium nitrate-based propellant was used without a drying agent. This lead to improper inflation of the airbag when it was required. Therefore, Takata was forced to recall all the vehicles which had those airbags.

   Read New BS6 Honda Activa 125 RECALLED over Cooling Issues

   Takata couldn’t bear the cost of this recall and filed bankruptcy in June 2017. This lead to the largest competitor buying Takata Corporation! Could there be anything worse? We don’t think so!

2. Ford Cruise Control Recall (14.9 Million Recalled)
   

   

   Cruise control is a really convenient feature but what if we told you Ford’s cruise control switches were faulty back in the late ’90s and early 2000s? The Cruise control switches in the Ford vehicles were manufactured by Texas Instruments. This batch of switches came with a defect of overheating. The switch would overheat and could cause a fire even if the car was switched off. Malfunctioning of cruise control, brakes and brake lights were some symptoms that these Ford vehicles displayed.

   Read Maruti Suzuki Recalls 1.34 Lakh units of the Baleno and WagonR

   Ford also issued a statement saying that those vehicles which haven’t been fixed or recalled shouldn’t be parked near homes or in a closed space. This made it stand among the worst global car recalls.

3. Toyota’s Stuck Accelerator (9 Million Recalled)
   

   

   You might be disappointed to see Toyota in this list as Toyota is considered to be one of the most trustworthy brands in the automotive industry. Well, just to let you know this wasn’t an issue with the pedal. The issue was actually there with the floor mats! The accelerator pedal would get stuck in the pressed position because the heavy-duty rubber mats won’t allow it to get back to the normal position.

   The issue was raised by many Toyota and Lexus owners but the most serious issue was reported when a family of 4 died because their accelerator pedal got stuck leaving none of them alive! Toyota recalled almost 55,000 ‘all-weather’ mats which would trap the accelerator pedal otherwise. This made us include it among the worst global car recalls ever.

4. Volkswagen Emission Test Scandal
   

   

   This has been in the history of the international automotive industry for long. Volkswagen used software that modified their car’s pollutant emission readings in accordance with the EPA standards. However, VW couldn’t lie for long. VW not only cheated in terms of software but also advertised their product as “Clean Diesel”. What’s more? There was an additional charge in the name of being clean!

   Read Toyota Recalls over 3.2 Million Vehicles Worldwide!

   This was the biggest scandal in the global auto industry and led to total damage of over $30 Billion to the VW group. Therefore, it is also among the worst global car recalls.

5. Volkswagen Gearbox Recall (3 Million Recalled)
   

   

   VW cars are known to have some or the other problem with the DSG. It was 2013 and the problem started getting bigger and bigger. There were issues with the gearbox which led to a massive power lag. VW employees reported that the 7-speed DSG were the ones affected due to the synthetic gearbox oil that had been used. This was quite surprising as they claimed that the synthetic oil led to electric malfunctions. VW suggested using mineral oil as a remedy.

   However, this recall was worse in small countries. A customer in Egypt reported that he had been waiting for 45 days to get his car back from the service centre and now the workshop asked for 3 additional weeks! On top of that, they also tried to negotiate with him and asked if he would pay something for the repairs.

These were the 5 worst global car recalls that have ever happened in the history of the international automotive market. Well, there are more such incidents which we would definitely like to bring to your notice. Car recalls are normal but such incidents which leave a dent on the automaker’s revenue graphs need to be mentioned for sure!