Toyota leads US safety recalls

(AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA)

Toyota cars were the most recalled models in the United States in 2009, according to analysis released Wednesday in the Detroit Free Press newspaper.

The Japanese automaker recalled 4,872,583 vehicles throughout the year, reports the paper, many due to the well-publicized problem with unintended acceleration. In September 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warned consumers that the floormat could unintentionally lodge the accelerator down, prompting Toyota to recall around 4 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

Ford took the next highest spot, recalling 4,521,993 vehicles, predominantly over issues with faulty cruise control switches. In the US overall, nearly 15.2 million vehicles were recalled in 117 individual incidents, a sharp jump from the 8.6m recalled in 2008. Data was provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the Detroit Free Press analysis.

http://www.freep.com/

Vehicles recalled in 2009 by automakers for safety related defects (Top 5)
Data from Detroit Free Press/National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

1. Toyota - 4,872,583
2. Ford - 4,521,993
3. General Motors - 2,242,230
4. Hyundai - 1,059,617
5. Nissan - 706,982