How many studies and reliability indices have you looked for when buying a new or used car? Probably more than you remember. When it comes to obtaining this type of information, numbers continue to be the most aseptic source. On other occasions we have reviewed the models that exceed 400,000 kilometers without problems, but today we are going to focus on the calls to review the brands: there is a manufacturer that, in 2022, only made one.
Data from the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals that, in 2022, brands carried out more than 300 safety recalls of some of their models. This affected millions of vehicles in the United States, although there was one manufacturer for which this problem was minimal: it is Japanese, but it is not Honda or Toyota. We are talking about Mazda.
Mazda: a single call in 2022
As collected in ForbesIn all of 2022, Mazda only had to make one recall. Four more brands were in the same situation: Polestar, Bugatti, Ferrari and Maserati. The range of the first, in our country, is reduced to two models. The production of the remaining three represents a fraction of the vehicles sold by the Japanese manufacturer, which stands as one of the most reliable.
The call occurred in early 2022 due to a problem detected in some vehicles manufactured between 2018 and 2020: more than 121,000 vehicles were affected. The fault was in the fuel pump, which was failing causing a loss of power and stalling.
In 2021, Mazda had to fix two issues that affected 24,000 cars. On the one hand, the rear seats of the Mazda CX-9 failed: they could slide during a crash. And on the other, the electric gate of the Mazda CX-30: its software was defective. For now, there have been no calls for the 2022 and 2023 models.
The brands with the most calls
On the other side of the scale, we find the brands that have had to make the most recalls during 2022. Ford leads the ranking with 67 and 8,636,265 affected vehicles: They are followed, in second and third place, by Volkswagen Group (45 and 1,040,885 units) and Fiat-Chrysler-Stellantis (38 withdrawals and 3,041,431 units). Behind, the following manufacturers appear:
- Mercedes: 33 calls and 969,993 units affected
- General Motors: 32 and 3,371,302
- Kia: 24 and 1,458,962
- Hyundai: 22 and 1,452,101
- Tesla: 20 and 3,769,581
- BMW: 19 and 1,000,455
- nissan: 15 and 1,568,385
Recalls in the US
Recalls occur, according to NHTSA, when owners, regulators, or manufacturers determine that a defective component presents a risk to vehicle safety or does not meet standards established.
Among the components that generate the most calls are seat belts, brakes, electrical wiring, tires, door handles, fuel pump, and ignition switches. Of course, not all calls are related to potentially dangerous problems. Sometimes they are repairs as minor as changing a few pages of the vehicle’s manual because information was missing or had an error.
For some, the recalls have a positive point because the brands are constantly aware of the safety of their models. For drivers, however, they can become a nuisance. because it means that you must make an appointment with the dealer’s workshop and, for a period of time, not have a car
In addition, when the failure affects hundreds of thousands of models, this problem can be exacerbated due to a shortage of parts or a slowdown in repair due to the large number of cars. Not surprisingly, according to Carfax, There are more than fifty million vehicles on the roads of the United States with one or more known problems that have not yet been fixed.
