Autocar has 96 recall campaigns across 3 models. A defect is admitted 2.5 years after the car was built on average, and 18.8% of campaigns come five years or later.
What gets recalled on a Autocar
By number of separate campaigns, not by cars affected — one campaign can cover a million vehicles or a thousand.
| System | Campaigns | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 18.8% | |
| Electrical System | 12.5% | |
| Parking Brake | 8.3% | |
| Power Train | 6.3% | |
| Suspension | 6.3% | |
| Service Brakes, Air | 6.3% | |
| Structure | 5.2% | |
| Equipment | 5.2% |
How long a defect stays unadmitted
Campaign numbers encode the year they were announced, so we can measure how quickly Autocar acts once a defect exists.
| Measure | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Average gap | 2.5 years | Between the car being built and the defect being admitted |
| Admitted 5+ years later | 18.8% | Share of campaigns on cars already well used |
| Campaigns on record | 96 | Across 3 models, 2002–2023 |
Across all brands the average is 3.79 years. Faster is better, but a low figure can also mean a young line-up — read it next to the number of campaigns.
Check your own car
Autocar has 96 campaigns on record across 3 models, but none of them covers a whole model — only a production range inside it, sometimes a few weeks of assembly. So the 96 figure says nothing about any particular Autocar: checking the VIN narrows those 96 down to the handful that touch one car, and shows whether the free fix was already carried out on it.
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| Enter the VIN above | Open campaigns for that exact vehicle, straight from NHTSA |
| Check the repair status | Whether the free fix has already been carried out on this car |
| Book at any franchised dealer | Recall work is free regardless of age, mileage or owner |
Every manufacturer files recalls; what differs is how many and how fast — see where Autocar stands among all makes on record →
A campaign covers a production range. Yours is one car.
- Check whether this exact VIN is affected — and whether the fix was done
- Alerts if a new campaign lands on a car in your garage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
How many recalls does Autocar have?
96 campaigns across 3 models. On its own the number reflects how many models a brand sells — the response time says more.
Is Autocar slow to admit defects?
On average a Autocar defect is admitted 2.5 years after the car was built, against about 3.79 years across all brands. 18.8% of campaigns come five years or later.
Does a recall mean the car is unsafe?
It means a specific fault was found in a specific production range and must be fixed free of charge. A brand with many campaigns is not automatically worse — sometimes it simply reports faster.
How do I check my own Autocar?
By VIN. Campaigns cover production ranges, so the model alone does not tell you whether your car is affected.
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