Car safety recalls

• Car recalls since 1992 4,797 of 7,495 road vehicle recalls
• Launched in 2025 284 270 in 2024
• 2026 so far 165 to 14 Sept 2026
• Car models with a recall 784 536 with a full list

Car recalls by year

284 recalls launched in 2025 named at least one car model, against 270 in 2024. In 2015 there were 186. The most in a year was 308, in 2019.

More recalls is not the same as less safe cars. The count follows how many models and versions are on sale, how much software they carry, and how manufacturers split their recalls: one recall can cover a handful of cars or hundreds of thousands, and one maker may file a single recall for many models where another files one per model.

Latest car recalls

The 20 most recent, to 14 September 2026. “Vehicles” is the number the manufacturer reported for the whole recall, which may include other models and vans.

Makes and models with the most recalls, 2016 to 2025

Mercedes-Benz had the most recalls naming its cars over these ten years (459), and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class the most of any model (128). Read these as counts, not ratings: makes with more models, more versions and more cars on the road have more recalls, and a recall covering five models counts once for the make and once for each model. Models mostly registered as vans (the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Peugeot Expert, Mercedes-Benz Vito and 69 others) are left out.

Check whether a recall affects your car

Recalls apply to cars built on particular dates or with particular VINs. The details here come from manufacturers through DVSA, which says they may be delayed or incomplete. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check with its registration, or ask the manufacturer or a dealer.