Cars are incredible pieces of machinery and are one of the most valued and most revolutionary inventions of the past two centuries. No invention has changed human lives so drastically as the modern automobile has, yet, it is not without its flaws. Every year, millions of automobiles are recalled by their manufacturer due to defects that cause the vehicle to breakdown or even get into accidents which could result in injury or death. For this reason, consumers are encouraged to actively look at the news and check for product recalls. With that, here are the 10 biggest car recalls of 2018.
10 Nissan And Infiniti
To start, 2018 resulted in a massive recall for Nissan and its luxury automobile subsidiary, Infiniti. Over 250,000 units were recalled by the Japanese automaker over concerns that some 2015-18 Nissan and Infiniti models may have an issue with the brake actuator.
The antilock brake actuator on the products was defective and allowed for brake fluid to leak through to an internal circuit board. Due to this, officials quickly became concerned over the possibility of a short-circuit and the issue became a fire hazard. Nissan quickly replaced the defective parts and advised owners and drivers to park away from structures and buildings.
9 Honda Accord And Insight
Next up is the Honda Accord and Honda Insight. In September of 2018, the Honda company issued a recall for some models of its popular Honda Accord and Honda Insight line. Over 232,000 models were recalled but the problem was not hazardous or incredibly dangerous.
The problem on the recalled products was with the backup camera display on the center console, was not up to federal standards. The display would often not display the rear-view footage and would often not work as intended. The products were recalled and quickly patched up with a simple display audio unit software update.
8 Chrysler Pacifica
Next up is the Chrysler Pacifica. The Pacifica, for years, has been a trusted family car and is a minivan, which means its typical users are families with young children. So, when the Pacifica was found to be defective, Chrysler was quick to recall over 240,000 defective units.
The recall was issued due to a faulty manual park release plug that is supposed to be removed with a tool, but in some models popped out on its own. The concerns surrounding this issue were that the manual brake could fail and the car could roll away. The plugs were replaced quickly by dealers.
7 Audi A4, A5, A6, Q5
Audi found that 2018 was not a good year in terms of recalls as it had to bring back around 343,000 units of numerous models which include the Audi A4, Audi A5, Audi A6, and the Audi Q5. The Audi recall of 2018 spanned across numerous models and affected cars of all kinds such as SUVs, coupes, and sedans.
The recall was issued because the electric coolant pump would either get blocked with debris or short-circuit from moisture and overheat. The risk of fire increased due to the defective coolant pump and the German brand quickly recalled and replaced the product.
6 Ford Escape And Ford Fusion
In 2018, the Ford Motor Company experienced four recalls due to defective manufacturing and the Ford Escape/Ford Fusion recall was just one of them. The Ford company recalled the Escape sedan and the Fusion, an SUV because of a defective bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission.
This problem resulted in the Escape and Fusion cars being in a different gear than explicitly stated on their displays and especially caused issues when it enabled the operator to move the vehicle while it was in the park. Over 500,000 vehicles were recalled and the Ford company quickly fixed the issue.
5 Kia Forte, Optima, Optima Hybrid, Sedona
Next on this list is another friendly family car, the Kia Sedona. While the Sedona, a trusted minivan was recalled by the company, other models were found to have the same issue such as the Kia Forte, Kia Optima and the Kia Optima Hybrid.
The issue with the Kia Sedona and other models was quite a serious one where the front airbags on both the driver and passenger side would malfunction and not deploy when they were supposed to. The airbag issue was quickly addressed and the company began working on a solution before issuing the recall in July of 2018.
4 Toyota Prius
Another popular vehicle, the Toyota Prius was also the victim of having to recall nearly one million units of the Toyota Prius in 2018. Considering the Prius hybrid is one of Toyota's best sellers, this recall certainly put a dent in their sales.
The issue with the Prius was that the fail-safe driving mode was defective and resulted in some malfunctions that could either cause the vehicle to lose power or stall in some cases. This issue was also present in 2014 when Toyota recalled vehicles for the same issue but they insist it is now fixed.
3 Ford Focus
Yet another Ford recall on this list, we have the Ford Focus. The Ford Focus recall impacted a whopping 1.3 million vehicles and involved the vehicles produced from 2012 through 2018 that were equipped with either a 2 liter GDI engine or a 2-liter GTDI engine.
The problem with these engines was that the canister purge valve in some cars would become stuck in the open position. If this happens, the fuel vapor management system encounters a gaping vacuum and the car is sent into a stall. The issue can be fixed by a simple replacement of the valve.
2 Ford Fusion And Lincoln MKZ
Next up is the third Ford recall out of the four it suffered through in 2018, the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ recall. Although the Ford Fusion was recalled with the Ford Escape, another problem persisted and some other models had to be recalled for a separate issue.
This recall was issued for a very serious issue involving a loose steering-wheel bolt. As a result of this malfunction, two accidents occurred where the steering-wheel detached while the vehicle was in motion. Ford encouraged consumers with either a Fusion or a Lincoln MKZ to quickly get their vehicles checked out.
1 Ford F-150
Finally, this list ends with the Ford F-150 recall. The F-150 is a popular pickup truck that has been in production since the late 1900s. The F-150 is not only powerful but also reliable and trusted and has won numerous accolades for this from organizations such as J.D. Power. Ford ended up recalling 1.6 million Ford -150's due to an issue with seatbelt pretensioners, which, in the event of a crash, were shown to spark and potentially ignite the interior carpeting of the pickup. Luckily, this issue was caught early and dealers solved the issue by installing heat-resistant tape for free.