Recall Units Rose 30 Percent as Campaign Counts Fell 11 Percent
Electrical work and rear cameras led the count. Ford filed 40.8 percent of all units. Many fixes mention software.
Story in Brief
- Units rose 30.4 percent to 36,675,019, while campaigns fell 11.2 percent to 389.
- Electrical led with 74 campaigns. Rear cameras followed with 40.
- Ford filed 40.8 percent of units. Five manufacturers filed 80.1 percent.
- The fix text mentions software in 113 campaigns, including 29 of 40 for rear cameras.
- Run the VIN before you quote a camera, a screen or a seat belt.
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Light vehicle recalls filed from November 2025 through October 2026 covered 36,675,019 units, up 30.4 percent from 28,124,098 a year earlier, the NHTSA recall file shows. The campaign count fell 11.2 percent, from 438 to 389. For a shop, that means fewer recall notices but more cars on the lot with one open.
These are Auto Mechanic USA counts from the federal file dated November 3, 2026. The same data feeds the Recall and Complaint Tracker. One campaign is one NHTSA recall number. Units are the potential units affected, counted once per campaign. The date is the day NHTSA received the report. A unit count is an estimate of cars that may be affected. It is not a count of cars with a problem. Heavy truck and coach makers are left out.
Which Systems Drove the Count
Electrical work led with 74 campaigns and 8,895,553 units. Rear cameras came next with 40 campaigns and 6,416,236 units. A campaign can touch two systems, so the rows below overlap and do not add up to the total.
The 10 named systems with the most campaigns, plus brakes, November 2025 through October 2026. Auto Mechanic USA count from the NHTSA recall file.
| System | Campaigns | Units | Fix Mentions Software | Campaigns a Year Earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 74 | 8,895,553 | 37 | 100 |
| Rear Cameras | 40 | 6,416,236 | 29 | 53 |
| Air Bags | 35 | 2,298,154 | 4 | 33 |
| Power Train | 32 | 2,792,063 | 14 | 34 |
| Seat Belts | 30 | 2,741,095 | 2 | 17 |
| Seats | 25 | 2,317,579 | 6 | 18 |
| Body and Structure | 22 | 2,542,930 | 1 | 27 |
| Exterior Lighting | 19 | 5,647,822 | 6 | 35 |
| Fuel and Propulsion | 17 | 1,676,709 | 4 | 24 |
| Engine and Cooling | 16 | 1,596,017 | 6 | 21 |
| Brakes | 13 | 155,928 | 2 | 34 |
One campaign bends the table. Ford recall 26V104000 covers 4,381,878 units, or 11.9 percent of the year. It touches both the electrical and exterior lighting rows. Take it out and exterior lighting falls to 1,265,944 units. That is about level with 1,264,090 a year earlier.
Seat belts moved the other way on count, from 17 campaigns to 30. Brakes fell by more than half, from 34 campaigns to 13. Brake units dropped from 2,438,641 to 155,928.
Which Makers Drove the Units
Five manufacturers filed 80.1 percent of all units. Ford alone filed 40.8 percent. This table uses the manufacturer that filed each report, so each campaign counts once. The make table on the tracker counts a shared campaign under each brand, so its rows do not add up to the total.
Campaigns and units by filing manufacturer, November 2025 through October 2026. Auto Mechanic USA count from the NHTSA recall file.
| Manufacturer | Campaigns | Units | Fix Mentions Software |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Motor Company | 98 | 14,979,419 | 31 |
| Chrysler (FCA US) | 42 | 6,210,045 | 17 |
| Honda | 20 | 3,412,844 | 3 |
| Toyota | 28 | 2,577,769 | 13 |
| Hyundai | 28 | 2,206,529 | 8 |
| General Motors | 32 | 873,801 | 9 |
The counts and the units tell two stories. General Motors filed 32 campaigns, more than Honda, Toyota or Hyundai, but only 873,801 units. A big campaign count does not always mean a busy service lane.
The four largest after the Ford trailer module recall show the range of work. Ford 26V237000 is a control module software update on 1,392,935 F-150 trucks. Ram 26V495000 is a seat belt anchor check on 1,271,294 trucks. Jeep 26V363000 is pump and wiring work on 1,076,999 vehicles. Honda 26V366000 swaps a tire repair kit part on 1,048,613 vehicles.
What It Means for Shop Bays
Most of this work does not go to an independent shop. Of the 389 fix summaries, 383 say the fix is free of charge, and 359 name dealers. Federal law puts the cost of a safety remedy on the manufacturer. The file shows no pay path for an independent shop.
So the shop's job on a recall is sorting. The recall still touches the bay in three ways.
Do not sell a repair the maker will fix for free. The word software appears in 113 of the 389 fix summaries, or 29 percent. Those campaigns hold 18,097,478 units, or 49.3 percent of the total. For rear cameras it is 29 of 40. A flickering screen can look like a bad camera or a bad head unit. Run the VIN before you quote one. Thirty seven fix summaries also mention an update over the air, on 8,749,306 units, so the fix may reach the car with no shop visit at all.
Plan for the physical ones. The other 276 campaigns, with 18,577,541 units, do not mention software. Seat belts are the clear case, with 2 software mentions in 30 campaigns. A customer with an open seat belt or steering recall needs a clear next stop, even when that stop is not your bay.
Watch the stop advice. In this period 22 campaigns carry a federal advisory, 6 Do Not Drive and 16 Park Outside, on 1,864,263 units. A Park Outside car should not sit in a bay or go inside overnight. A Do Not Drive car should not leave your lot on its own wheels until the owner has a plan.
A short habit covers all three. Check every VIN at write up, print the result, and put any open recall on the ticket before the first quote. It takes less time than explaining a camera you should not have sold.
The file has limits. It does not say how many cars have been repaired, or how many of those units still drive. It also reports what makers filed, so a large unit count says nothing about how many failures happened.
Reader Mail
- Can an independent shop do recall work and get paid by the maker?
- The recall file shows no pay path for an independent shop. Of 389 fix summaries, 359 name dealers. Check with the maker if you have a special program.
- What does units mean here?
- It is the number of vehicles the maker says may be affected, counted once per campaign. It is an estimate. It does not say how many have failed or been fixed.
- Why does the make table on the tracker show different numbers?
- A campaign that covers two brands counts under both on the make table. This story uses the filing manufacturer, so each campaign counts once.
- Does a software fix mean the car does not need a shop?
- Not always. Some fix text says a dealer will do the update, and some adds an over the air option. Read the campaign record for that car.
Record and Data Links
- Recall flat file, FLAT_RCL_POST_2010, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recall campaign record 26V104000, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recall campaign record 26V237000, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recall campaign record 26V495000, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recall campaign record 26V363000, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recall campaign record 26V366000, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- 49 U.S. Code 30120, remedies for defects, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School