NHTSA ODI recalls - snapshot 2026-06-24
Software is now the most-recalled vehicle component
Across 242,041 current NHTSA recall records in the 2026-06-24 snapshot, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE is the leading component with 20,508 records (8.5% of the file). It is ahead of TIRES:MARKINGS at 19,460. A recall record here means one affected make, model, model year, and campaign row. It is not a unique campaign count, and the study is aggregate-only.
Key findings
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE is the largest NHTSA recall component by recall-record count in the 2026-06-24 snapshot. It appears on 20,508 make-model-year-campaign rows.
Software accounts for 8.5% of all 242,041 current recall records in this snapshot, ahead of every mechanical component-name bucket.
The next component, TIRES:MARKINGS, has 19,460 recall records. The software lead is 1,048 records.
The table contains 242,041 recall records. One record means an affected make, model, model year, and recall campaign row - not a unique campaign.
Mercedes-Benz USA is the largest manufacturer bucket by recall-record count in this snapshot. This is a count of affected-row records, not a finding about unique campaigns or fault.
At a glance
Top recalled components
The ranking is by component_name on current rows of public.nhtsa_recalls. Software has overtaken every mechanical system in this recall-record view: no component-name bucket in the table has more rows.
| Rank | NHTSA component | Recall records | Share of records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE | 20,508 | 8.5% |
| 2 | TIRES:MARKINGS | 19,460 | 8% |
| 3 | COMMUNICATION:AUTO CRASH NOTIFICATION | 16,688 | 6.9% |
| 4 | EQUIPMENT | 9,993 | 4.1% |
| 5 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP | 8,404 | 3.5% |
Top manufacturers by recall-record footprint
Manufacturer counts use the same row unit. A manufacturer bucket can be large because many make-model-year rows sit under one or more campaigns. These are aggregate row counts, not a unique recall-campaign ranking and not a claim about fault.
| Rank | Manufacturer bucket | Recall records | Share of records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes-Benz USA | 44,209 | 18.3% |
| 2 | Prinx Chengshan Tire | 19,321 | 8% |
| 3 | Toyota Motor Eng. & Mfg | 14,123 | 5.8% |
| 4 | Ford | 12,587 | 5.2% |
| 5 | Honda | 12,091 | 5% |
What the row count means
Recall records are affected make x model x model-year x campaign rows under an NHTSA recall campaign; they are not unique campaigns.This is why the page says "recall records" throughout. It does not count unique campaign numbers, affected vehicles, injuries, complaints, or defect narratives.
Reproduce this
The SQL below is the reproducing query served by the SQL download route. It selects only aggregate grouping columns, includes the expected top-five counts as comments, and reads no individual-level material.
- Download SQL - reproducing query as a committed TypeScript constant.
- Download JSON / Download CSV - the committed aggregate snapshot.
-- Software Is Now the Most-Recalled Vehicle Component.
-- Source: NHTSA ODI Recalls flat files loaded to public.nhtsa_recalls.
-- Snapshot checked: 2026-06-24.
-- Unit of analysis: recall records are make x model x model-year x campaign rows,
-- not unique recall campaigns and not affected-vehicle counts.
-- Aggregate-only: no VINs, complaints, individuals, or defect narratives are selected.
WITH current_recalls AS (
SELECT
record_id,
campaign_number,
make,
model,
model_year,
component_name,
manufacturer
FROM public.nhtsa_recalls
WHERE valid_to IS NULL
)
SELECT count(*)::int AS total_recall_records
FROM current_recalls;
-- Expected: 242041
WITH current_recalls AS (
SELECT component_name
FROM public.nhtsa_recalls
WHERE valid_to IS NULL
)
SELECT
component_name AS recalled_component,
count(*)::int AS recall_records
FROM current_recalls
WHERE component_name IS NOT NULL
AND btrim(component_name) <> ''
GROUP BY component_name
ORDER BY recall_records DESC, recalled_component
LIMIT 5;
-- Expected:
-- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE 20508
-- TIRES:MARKINGS 19460
-- COMMUNICATION:AUTO CRASH NOTIFICATION 16688
-- EQUIPMENT 9993
-- FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP 8404
WITH current_recalls AS (
SELECT manufacturer
FROM public.nhtsa_recalls
WHERE valid_to IS NULL
)
SELECT
manufacturer,
count(*)::int AS recall_records
FROM current_recalls
WHERE manufacturer IS NOT NULL
AND btrim(manufacturer) <> ''
GROUP BY manufacturer
ORDER BY recall_records DESC, manufacturer
LIMIT 5;
-- Expected:
-- Mercedes-Benz USA 44209
-- Prinx Chengshan Tire 19321
-- Toyota Motor Eng. & Mfg 14123
-- Ford 12587
-- Honda 12091
Limitations
- This is a count of recall records, not unique campaigns. A single NHTSA campaign can appear on multiple affected make-model-year rows.
- The snapshot uses current rows in
public.nhtsa_recallsas of 2026-06-24. NHTSA can add, amend, or supersede recall data after that date. - Component names are the published NHTSA component buckets. They are not normalized into a custom Fonteum taxonomy for this study.
- Manufacturer counts are affected-row footprints. They are not unique-campaign counts, vehicle counts, severity measures, or fault findings.
Sources
U.S. federal public records (U.S. Government Works, public domain). The study uses the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Recalls flat file, loaded into public.nhtsa_recalls and frozen as a committed aggregate snapshot dated 2026-06-24.
provenance: the source file, snapshot date, SQL, JSON, and CSV stay chained to the same committed aggregate artifact so the counts remain re-checkable against NHTSA's own files.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Recalls flat files, snapshot 2026-06-24. U.S. Government Works. Recall records are make/model/model-year/campaign rows, not unique campaigns; the files are re-checkable at nhtsa.gov.
- NHTSA datasets and APIs →official source
- NHTSA homepage →official source
- ODI recalls flat file →official source
How to cite this
Fonteum (2026). Software Is Now the Most-Recalled Vehicle Component. Derived from NHTSA ODI Recalls flat files (snapshot 2026-06-24). https://fonteum.com/gov/research/software-most-recalled-vehicle-component-2026
Canonical URL: https://fonteum.com/gov/research/software-most-recalled-vehicle-component-2026 · License: U.S. Government Works (public domain; 17 U.S.C. §105)
Frequently asked questions
What is a recall record in this study?
Recall records are affected make x model x model-year x campaign rows under an NHTSA recall campaign; they are not unique campaigns. A campaign that applies to many makes, models, or model years can therefore contribute many recall records. This page does not count unique campaign numbers.
Is software really ahead of mechanical components?
Yes, by recall-record count in this committed NHTSA snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE has 20,508 records, ahead of TIRES:MARKINGS at 19,460 records and all other component-name buckets in the top-five ranking.
Does this page name individual drivers or vehicles?
No. The study uses the NHTSA recalls table only and publishes aggregate counts by component and manufacturer. It includes no VINs, complaints, driver names, addresses, narratives, or individual-level records.
How can I reproduce the numbers?
Use the SQL linked on this page against public.nhtsa_recalls filtered to current rows (valid_to IS NULL). The SQL groups by component_name and manufacturer, and the expected top-five counts are included as comments.
Does a high manufacturer count mean that manufacturer had more unique recalls?
Not necessarily. Manufacturer rows are also recall-record counts, so a campaign covering many make-model-year rows can contribute many records. The count is a measure of affected-row footprint in the NHTSA table, not a unique-campaign count or a fault ranking.
Part of the Fonteum government public-records evidence silo.