Car recalls are increasingly common, in part due to the complexity of systems installed on modern day vehicles. Certain car brands have more recalls than others, with Ford already issuing 19 recalls for the 2026 calendar year by March. If you want to avoid dealing with a recall after buying your car, it might be wise to purchase from a manufacturer that historically has had fewer of them. Studies like one recently published on iSeeCars.com can help you find that out.
To conduct its study, iSeeCars.com aggregated how many recalls were issued for car models between years 2017 and 2025 using National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data. Then, the study projected out how many recalls vehicles were likely to experience over a 30-year lifespan, taking into account when past recalls occurred. In the end, the study concluded Mercedes-Benz was the brand with the least projected recalls. In fact, Mercedes-Benz vehicles took nine places out of the top 10 in the list of models with the fewest projected lifetime recalls.
The number one least likely vehicle to experience a recall on the list was the Mercedes G-Class. Overall, Mercedes-Benz models — including the SL-Class, E-Class, CLA, and GLC, among others — actually took 15 of the top 20 spots on the list. In addition to Mercedes-Benz models, the list of the top 20 vehicles that had the least projected recalls included the MINI Convertible, Chevrolet Suburban, Subaru Crosstrek, Mazda MX-5 Miata RF, and Lexus ES 250.
Ford had the most projected recalls in the iSeeCars study
A second analysis looked at the quantity of vehicles being recalled during the most recent 12-month period and compared it to the same period one year earlier. The number of recalls across the industry was overall three times higher between April 2025 and March 2026 than it was in the previous year. Ford ranked highest on the list of brands with the most vehicles recalled between 2025 and 2026, followed by Toyota, Chrysler, and Hyundai.
While Mercedes-Benz had 122,331 vehicles recalled in that time period, Ford had nearly 20 million vehicles recalled. In fact, Ford’s total number of recalled vehicles was higher than the rest of the industry combined, according to the study. In the first analysis, Ford also had 12 of its vehicles among the top 25 models with the most projected lifetime recalls. The Lincoln Aviator, a part of Ford’s luxury brand, was the vehicle with the most projected recalls overall. Buyers beware, not all cars are created equal recall-wise.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
