13 Alarming Car Recalls That Had the Execs Sweating

If at first you don't succeed, you are going to have some angry consumers on your hands. Over the years, car companies have made some pretty big goofs in the manufacturing sector that led to some pretty big recalls. Has your car ever been part of a major recall?

Ford Explorers: 1991-2001

These cars were top heavy and had a tendency to flip over. This vehicle also came with tires that had a problem with the rubber separating. They were recalled because of the tire problem, but the roll-over issue was another big issue.

Ford Pinto and Mercury Bobcat: 1971-1976

Ford wanted to cut corners so they did not protect the fuel tank that was put in the far back end of the car. Almost one and a half million of these cars were recalled to put a plastic protective cover over the fuel tank. They were also sued for millions of dollars for lawsuits for the resulting fires in these cars.

General Motors: 1984

In 1984, GM recalled many vehicles from the Pontiac Grand Prix, Buick Century, Cutlass, and Monte Carlo models, in addition to many others. A little over 3 million of these cars were known to have bad axle assemblies. They were at risk of the wheels becoming detached from the body at any given time. Luckily they caught the problem in time and no one was hurt.

General Motors Trucks: 2004

Many Avalanches, Silverados, Escalades, and Sierras were recalled in 2004. These trucks had faulty tailgate cables that connected the tailgate to the truck. They would age quickly and then break. Over 3.5 million of these trucks had these problems and had to have the tailgate cables replaced.

Volkswagen of America: 1972

Almost four million Volkswagen automobiles made between 1949-1969 had faulty windshield wipers. The main piece of the windshield wipers would come loose so the windshield wipers wouldn’t work and would eventually fall off. Luckily, they were able to replace them.

General Motors Centurions, Electras, Kingswoods, Belairs, and Bonnevilles: 1973

Almost four million of these cars had problems with the cover underneath the car. This was to protect the motor and the underside of the cars from rocks being thrown up into the motor. This could cause the motor to stop working.

Ford Motor Company: 1987

Over three and a half million models including F-Series, Mercury, Lincoln, and multiple vans were recalled due to faulty gas lines. The gas lines leading to the connectors leaked gas which caused fires.

Honda Motor Company: 1995

Almost four million Honda Accords, Civics, and Preludes had problems with the release button on the seatbelts. They would crack and then were unable to work. This was highly dangerous, because if an accident were to occur or the car caught fire, the people inside would not be able to get out of the car. It is also very inconvenient when you aren't able to get out of your car on an everyday basis. The bad seat belt release buttons were replaced.

Ford Mercury’s, Lincolns, Rancheros: 1972

The seat belt harness in these cars would wear out quickly and separate from the holder on the frame of the car. This was dangerous, so Ford had to replace over four million of them.

GM El Camino, Malibu, Monte Carlo, Century, Regal, Pontiac Grand Prix: 1981

The suspension bolts could come loose that control the steering wheel. If the bolts came out, the driver would lose control of the steering wheel. The bolts were replaced on almost six million cars.

Ford Motor Company: 1988-93

In 1996, many Lincoln Town Cars, Escorts, Cougars, Tempos, Crown Victorias, Mustangs, Broncos, F-series trucks, and Thunderbirds were recalled. Almost nine million cars had faulty ignitions and after the car was put into park the car would catch fire.

GM Impala, Camaro, Belair, Chevy II, Nova: 1965-1969

The rubber that was in the middle of the motor mounts would fall apart. This then made the motor mounts push on the accelerator and make the car go at extremely high speeds which the driver had no control of. The seven million people who owned these cars had to pay about $28-30 dollars of their own money to fix the problem during the recall in 1971.

Ford: 2013-2014

Ford has one million 2013-2014 Ford Fusions, Escapes, C-Max MPVs, and Lincoln MKZ automobiles that have a problem with a short in the control mechanism for the air bags. This causes the light on the panel to come on for the air bag unnecessarily. This short might also affect the air bags and seat belts not working in the case of an accident.