Components and defects

Where vehicles fail

NHTSA files every campaign under a component. Grouped that way, the record shows which systems keep failing, which are fading, and how often the fix now arrives as a software update rather than a part.

Components tracked27Plain-language groups of NHTSA codes

Software remedies18%of 2026 campaigns

Advisories issued152026 to date

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Manufacturer or make

Model

Model years from

Vehicle type

Component

Filed from

Complaint text

Campaigns by component

Electrical systems and airbags account for more campaigns than the next four components combined

Vehicle recall campaigns by primary component, 2015 to 2026, twelve most frequent.

Electrical system

Airbags

Back-over prevention

Steering

Seat belts

Suspension

Lighting

Seats

Structure

Brakes

Visibility and wipers

Equipment

Source: NHTSA ODI. Each campaign counted once, under its primary component.

Share of vehicles affected

Steering campaigns covered the most vehicles in 2025

Vehicles affected by 2025 campaigns, by primary component.

Source: NHTSA ODI. 745k vehicles or units in 2025.

Component mix by year

Electrical systems remain the leading reason for a recall

Share of vehicle campaigns by primary component, 2016 to 2026. 2026 is through October.

Electrical systemAirbagsBack-over preventionSteeringSeat beltsAll other

Source: NHTSA ODI. The lighter column is a partial year.

Remedy type

Software updates now remedy 17% of campaigns, up from 0% in 2016

Share of campaigns by remedy, 2016 to 2026. Inspections, labels, refunds, pending and unstated remedies make up the remainder.

Physical repair or replacementSoftware update

Source: NHTSA ODI remedy descriptions, classified by rule (see Methodology).

Trends by component

Steering has climbed fastest since 2019

Campaigns per year, 2019 to 2026, with the 2026 count to date.

Electrical system0

Airbags1

Back-over prevention1

Suspension1

Steering0

Seat belts0

Source: NHTSA ODI. The blue bar is 2026 to date.

Advisories

When NHTSA says stop driving

A small number of campaigns carry an advisory to stop driving the vehicle or to park it outdoors until it is repaired. They are tracked separately here because the risk is immediate.

Do-not-drive advisories152026 to date, covering 109k vehicles Park-outside advisories192026 to date, covering 1.71M vehicles Campaigns filed without a remedy21Filed in the last 12 months with the remedy still under development