Even giants fall: Car brands that had to issue the most number of recalls in 2018

It is not uncommon to make mistakes, especially if you’re a car manufacturer, producing thousands of cars in a day. However, while some faults can be shrugged off as minor slipups other errors cause the company to recall the cars, sometimes in huge numbers, incurring massive financial losses in the process.

Some manufacturers that have a good reputation and enjoy customer loyalty manage to maintain their quality throughout their production line. But some brands suffer the unfortunate “recall phase” and are forced to make amends on a national, sometimes global scale.

Here is a list of five popular car brands that announced the most recalls in 2018:

1. Maruti Suzuki

Not to be excused because of being a local brand, Maruti Suzuki had to bear the brunt of a recall for the Swift and Swift Dzire models, which suffered wiring harness and battery issues.

2. General Motors

You might think that an automobile giant like General Motors would be relatively unaffected by recalls. But it was given a reality check by its subsidiary, Chevrolet, when over 2 lakh cars, specifically the Beat model, had to be recalled due to a possible fault in the clutch pedal, which gave it a tendency to break under extreme stress.

3. Ford

The American carmaker has had its share of troubles, right from the inception of its flagship GT 40. But nothing bugged them more than the recall of the Figo and Fiesta models, which had to be done due to a crack in the Rear Twist Beam, which posed a serious safety hazard.

4. Volkswagen

German giant Volkswagen had everything going good for it. It owns almost half the automobile companies in the world and seems to be doing a steady business.

What changed stars for the automobile giant was the infamous “dieselgate” scandal - where it was found that the company had intentionally programmed turbocharged direct injection diesel engines to activate their emissions controls only during laboratory emissions testing and emit a lot more in the real world. This marred the company's image.

Volkswagen users’ across the world developed doubts about emissions in their vehicles. What did not help at all was the fact that simultaneously Volkswagen called for a recall, claiming it to be “only an update for the engine and not linked to the scandal”.

5. Honda

Even the best car brands aren't immune to recalls. The most suffered brand has surprisingly been Honda, with over half a million cars recalled for a variety of issues.