Does the high recall rate imply that there is a problem with the reliability of this car? A research conducted by iSeeCars.com, an automobile research website, shows that the high recall rate does indicate that the overall reliability of the car may be problematic.
CBS News reported on June 1st that in this research, iSeeCars.com investigated the reliability rating of the authoritative publication Consumer Report for the cars with the largest number of recalls and the least number of recalls. With a few exceptions, the vehicle with high recall rate has a lower reliability rating, and the vehicle with the lowest recall rate has a better reliability rating.
The score of Consumer Report is based on user surveys, and its results are similar to other reliability surveys, such as J.D. Power’s survey.
ISeeCars concluded: “Consumers can take high recall rate as an indicator of poor quality of cars.”
Ten Cars with the Highest and Lowest Recall Rates Affecting Automobile Reliability
A car with a high recall rate
This seminar uses the data of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to see which vehicles have the highest recall rate and which vehicles have the lowest recall rate. The survey object is the car models from 2013 to 2017. The analyst calculates the recall rate based on the investigation.
Dodge Durango SUV, Dodge Ram pickup, Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 are among the ten cars with the highest number of recalls (the highest recall rate). Among them, Fiat Chrysler recently recalled 5.3 million cars because of the risk problem of cruise control system.
The owner reported that some Fiat Chrysler vehicles could not turn off the cruise control, which led to continuous high-speed driving. NHTSA urged the owners of the affected vehicles not to use cruise control until they went to the dealership and repaired the defects.
Fiat Chrysler stressed in the statement that so far there have been no reports of death or injury related to this problem.
Regarding the survey results of iSeeCars, Fiat Chrysler Company issued a statement saying that it refused to accept the selection results, and independent news organizations had awarded many awards to the design, technology and drivability of the brand’s vehicles, and the car models also won a lot of praise from the owners, as well as the third-party safety rating.
The model with the highest recall rate is Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which is seven times that of ordinary models. This car presents serious problems in the aspects of safe airbag and steering column. Mercedes-Benz did not respond to CBS MoneyWatch’s request for comment.
Ten Cars with the Highest and Lowest Recall Rates Affecting Automobile Reliability
The model with the highest recall rate is Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
After Mercedes C-Class, six of the top ten models with the highest recall rate are brands of Detroit automobile manufacturers. In addition to four Fiat Chrysler models, General Motors (GM) also has two models: GMC Sierra pickup truck and Chevrolet Tahoe SUV.
BMW 3/4 Series, Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota)4Runner are also among the top ten cars with the highest recall rate.
Record the best car model
The cars with the least recall rate are mainly Korean and Japanese brands. Hyundai Accent Subcompact Car ranks first, with an average vehicle recall rate of 0.1. Hyundai Elantra compact car is also on the list.
Honda has three models in the top ten: Civic, Accord and CR-V.. There are two Toyota cars on the list: Toyota Corolla and Camry. Subaru has a model on the list: Crosstrek.
In the list of cars with the lowest recall rate, the only domestic models in the United States are Chevrolet Equinox and GMC)Terrain SUV.
Regarding the connection between recall rate and automobile reliability, the top ten cars with the lowest recall rate have a uniform reliability rating of 4.5 in Consumer Report. The uniform reliability rating of the car with the highest recall rate is only 3.
The following is a list of intact cars, their average recall rate and the reliability rating of Consumer Report.
- Modern Accent
Uniform recall rate: 0.10
Reliability rating of Consumer Report: N/A
- Chevrolet Equinox
Uniform recall rate: 0.11
Reliability rating of Consumer Report: 4.2
Chevrolet Equinox (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
- Toyota Corolla
Uniform recall rate: 0.12
Reliability rating of Consumer Report: 4.8
Toyota corolla. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
- Honda Civic
Uniform recall rate: 0.14
Reliability rating of Consumer Report: 4.2
- Honda CR-V
Uniform recall rate: 0.14
Reliability rating of Consumer Report: 4.6
- Honda Accord
Uniform recall rate: 0.16
Reliability rating of Consumer Report: 5.0
- Subaru Crosstrek
Uniform recall rate: 0.18
Reliability rating of Consumer Report: 4.0
- Toyota Camry
Uniform recall rate: 0.23
Reliability rating of Consumer Report: 5.0
- Hyundai Elantra
Uniform recall rate: 0.23
Reliability rating of Consumer Report: 4.2
- GMC Terrain
Uniform recall rate: 0.26
Reliability rating of Consumer Report: 4.2
Ten Cars with the Highest and Lowest Recall Rates Affecting Automobile Reliability
GMC Terrain
The average recall rate of the ten cars with the lowest recall rate is 0.16, and the average reliability rating of Consumer Report is 4.5. The overall average recall rate of all car models is 0.79, and the average reliability rating of Consumer Report is 3.4.
The average recall rate of the ten cars with the highest recall rate is 2.173, and the average reliability rating of Consumer Report is 3.0.
For more information, click on the complete list of recall rates discussed by iSeeCars.
How to compare models when buying a car
In order to clarify the choice of car models when purchasing new or used SUVs, Phong Ly, CEO of iSeeCars.com, compared Chevrolet Equinox, which was on the list with the smallest recall rate, with Dodge Durango, which was on the list with the largest recall rate.
Ly said: “Durango owners must stop the maintenance work related to the recall more frequently than Equinox owners to replace the safe airbag control module, brake calipers and alternator.”
The trouble of recall
Not all recalls are aimed at the safety of risks. But every recall brings trouble to the owner. Although maintenance is free, about 75% car owners usually ignore the notice of sending the car to the dealer to stop repair.
“The recall means that [the owner] will waste hours in dealing with potential safety problems,” Ly said. “At least, if the dealer is ready for repair, it will touch on the steps of booking, going to the dealer and waiting for repair, or it will be necessary to deal with the problem of renting a car.”
If you are planning to buy a new car or a used car, please check how often you want to recall the purchase price. Regarding used cars, materials can be obtained by listing the year, manufacturer and model of the car in the NHTSA recall database. For new cars, please investigate the recall materials of the same car in previous years.
