The recall spree of auto majors such as Toyota and Honda has raised the bar for the quality checks and approvals for the auto industry. It is also interesting to see the history of auto recalls in the US.
Ford started the biggest recall in the US in 1999 and is still working on that. In October 2009, Ford recalled 4.5 million more vehicles because of a malfunctioning cruise control switch that can cause fires, cumulating the total to 14.3 million.
Another substantial recall was from General Motors. It recalled nearly 4 million pickups during the period of 2000-2004 worldwide. The reason was faulty tailgates that can break open anytime.
In another major recall, Ford decided to replace faulty ignition switches for 8 million cars during 1988-1993. It was the single largest recall at that point of time. The malfunctioning switches were capable to produce short circuits that can lead to engine breakdown and brake and steering failures.