Recalls Up 30% For 2007, But Still Below Post-2000 Average

So is it because new cars are getting junkier, or because manufacturers are catching their own slip-ups more efficiently? There are a number of factors potentially affecting the rise in vehicle recalls last year, which might account for otherwise counter-intuitive conclusions: while Ford was responsible for the biggest piece of this year’s recall pie with 5.5 million vehicles, its reliability and quality ratings have also been soaring, earning the manufacturer praise from heavies such as Consumer Reports and JD Power and Associates. When you consider that the lion’s share of Ford recalls (3.8 mil) involved that pesky cruise control switch and affected not only 07’s but older vehicles as well, the apparently staggering statistics are somewhat cut down to size. At the other end of the spectrum, the goody-two-shoes of the recall drama are Toyota and GM, who have enjoyed a relative scarcity of recalls, though possibly through shady means at least one of their plants. Recalls overall have been up since the TREAD Act went into effect in 2000 in response to the Firestone tire fiasco of the 90’s, which resulted in Ford’s Explorer, factory-equipped with Firestones, becoming known as the "Exploder." It seems like a lot more engineering and materials are poured into automotive technology and safety, but you have to wonder: are today’s new cars significantly less garbagey than the showroom models of ten years ago? Ponder the complex ins and outs at Freep.