Recalls

Volkswagen Emissions Scandal: Biggest Recall Ever?

On October 15th, 2015, German auto maker Volkswagen announced that it will recall millions of diesel vehicles across Europe, beginning in 2016. The automaker hasn't yet announced full details yet, but in a statement, Volkswagen said repairs "will begin in January 2016 — at no cost to our customers." The recalled vehicles, including 2.4 million in Germany, contain "defeat devices" that optimize their engines to perform well during emissions testing.

However, if Volkswagen eventually expands its recall to include all 11.5 million of its vehicles around the world said to be affected in this recent scandal, it will become the third-largest car recall in history where the car maker was responsible for the issue.

The recall is massive. However, it doesn't even top the charts as the biggest automobile recall of all time:

#3 Here's a look into some of the largest auto recalls of all time:
1971: General Motors
Number of recalled vehicles: 6.7 Million

More than a dozen models from the 1960's and early 1970's had defective engine mounts that could lead to unexpected acceleration, and not the fun kind.

#2
1996: Ford
Number of recalled vehicles: 15 Million 

Ford is responsible for the second-largest recall of this kind.Beginning in 1999, the US automaker recalled nearly 15 million vehicles separate recalls, because they were equipped with faulty cruise-control switches which occasionally caught fire.


#1
1980: Ford
Number of recalled vehicles: 21 million over 10 model years

Ford is also responsible for the largest auto recall of all time. In 1980, Ford was forced to recall 21 million vehicles over 10 model years for an issue that caused some cars and trucks to slip out of park. It was, and still is, the biggest single-issue car recall on record, in which the auto maker was at fault. (Ford’s initial response was to give owners warning stickers to place on their dashboards, rather than repair the vehicles.)