NHTSA records a consequence field for every campaign — what the defect can cause. Across 45,069 recalls with that text filled in, 8,650 mention fire. That's 19.2%.
| Brand | Recalls mentioning fire | |
|---|---|---|
| Kia | 38.2% | 225 of 589 |
| Jaguar | 38.1% | |
| Buick | 30.1% | |
| Hyundai | 25.6% | |
| Ford | 22.6% | |
| All brands | 19.2% | 8,650 of 45,069 |
Where the fires come from
Four systems account for most of it: fuel systems (2,399 campaigns), electrical (1,636), engine and cooling (1,182) and equipment (1,180).
That ordering is worth noting. Fuel is the intuitive one — a leak near a hot surface. But electrical faults are close behind, and they're the category that has grown fastest overall, from 6.1% of owner complaints in the nineties to 29.6% in the 2020s.
The number hasn't moved in 35 years
This is the part I didn't expect. Broken down by decade, the share of recalls citing fire sits between 17% and 21% from 1990 through 2024. No downward trend at all.
Cars got dramatically safer in crashes over that period — crash scores improved, structures got stronger, airbags became universal. Fire risk as a share of admitted defects simply stayed where it was.
Kia and Hyundai together
38.2% and 25.6%, sitting near the top. The two share platforms, engines and suppliers, and both have been through well-documented engine fire campaigns affecting millions of vehicles.
Worth pairing with something else we measured: Kia owners file 61 complaints for every recall campaign, one of the highest ratios on the market. A high fire share and a high complaint ratio describe the same underlying situation from two directions.
What a buyer should take from this
A fire recall is not a historical curiosity. One in five campaigns carries this consequence, across every era, so the odds that a given used car has one in its history are meaningful.
The repair is free and the defect is invisible. Fuel and electrical faults give no warning until they don't. Nothing on the dashboard indicates a chafing harness or a leaking fuel line.
Some of these campaigns include a parking instruction. On the most serious engine fire recalls, manufacturers advise parking away from structures until the repair is done — that's how far the risk extends beyond driving.
Check the specific vehicle. A VIN check lists open campaigns and what each one warns about, so you can see whether an outstanding recall on the car in front of you is a mislabelled sticker or a fuel line. We found that distinction matters enormously — the second most common open recall on our readers' cars is a label.
Frequently asked questions
How many car recalls involve fire risk?
8,650 of 45,069 campaigns with a consequence description mention fire — 19.2%, or roughly one in five. The share has stayed between 17% and 21% every decade since 1990.
Which brand has the most fire-related recalls?
Kia at 38.2% of its campaigns (225 of 589), followed by Jaguar at 38.1%, Buick at 30.1%, Hyundai at 25.6% and Ford at 22.6%.
What causes vehicle fires in recalls?
Fuel systems lead with 2,399 campaigns, followed by electrical at 1,636, engine and cooling at 1,182 and equipment at 1,180. Electrical is the fastest-growing category of defect overall.
Is a fire recall dangerous if the car seems fine?
Fuel and electrical faults give no warning symptoms — nothing indicates a chafing harness or a weeping fuel line until it fails. On the most serious engine fire campaigns manufacturers advise parking away from buildings until the free repair is completed.
Denis Kataev is a serial solopreneur and the founder of ForCar. With 15+ years in software engineering and 10 years in SEO, he builds data-driven products end to end — backed by a sharp eye for design. At ForCar he mines proprietary vehicle datasets, turning raw numbers into buying advice you can actually trust.
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