In the first half of 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued a total of 68 recall notices for cars, an increase of 10 compared to the same period in 2023. The recalls involved 35 car brands, totaling approximately 4.077 million vehicles, a 64.7% increase from the same period in 2023. This recall volume was only second to the first half of 2021, reaching the fourth highest level in history. To help consumers better understand the recall situation in the first half of the year, CheZhi.com sorted the announcements from the State Administration for Market Regulation by recall quantity, ranking them from highest to lowest.
American brand recalls still lead, with Japanese brands showing the largest increase compared to last year. In the first half of 2024, Japanese brand recalls increased compared to the same period in 2023, especially the total number, which rose by 196.3%. American brands continued their impressive performance from the first half of 2023, recalling a total of 1,764,253 vehicles in the first half of 2024, a 47% increase. Tesla recalled the most vehicles in a single recall due to issues with “door unlocking logic control” and “driver assistance functions.” In contrast, in the first half of 2024, Korean and European brand recalls decreased compared to the same period in 2023, with Korean brands showing the largest decrease at 93.1%. Both countries’ recall rates were less than ten percent of the total recalls. Luxury brands dominate the recall scene with material and process issues highlighted In the first half of 2024, luxury brands recalled a total of 36 times, accounting for half of the total recalls during the same period. Mercedes-Benz filed a total of 8 recall notices with the State Administration for Market Regulation, recalling a total of 788,988 vehicles, becoming the luxury brand with the highest number of recalls in the first half of the year. It is worth noting that in the first half of 2024, many ultra-luxury brands appeared in the recalls, including Aston Martin, Porsche, Lamborghini, and Rolls-Royce, reflecting the increasing attention of ultra-luxury brands to product quality issues. Looking at the specific recall situation, material and process issues have become the main reasons for recalls of luxury brands. Among them, Mercedes-Benz recalled a total of 283,060 imported C-Class, E-Class, and other models “due to the impeller of the fuel pump not meeting the requirements of material characteristics, causing the impeller to deform and friction with the fuel pump housing, increasing resistance”, becoming the luxury brand with the highest single recall quantity due to material issues in the first half of the year. In addition, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have recalled vehicles due to nut and bolt fixing issues. This reflects the relatively complete measures of luxury brands in defect product monitoring, verification, and recall, but also shows that there is still room for improvement in materials and processes. The increase in passive recalls for independent brands has become a trend.
In recent years, expanding recalls has become a trend. In the first half of 2024, there were 7 instances of expanded recall activities involving mainstream joint venture brands, luxury brands, and even the presence of niche overseas brands. Honda recalled multiple imported and domestically produced models, including the Acura brand, due to insufficient resin density in the fuel pump impeller, which may cause the impeller to deform due to fuel impact and interfere with the fuel pump housing, causing the fuel pump to malfunction. The total number of recalls reached 520,624 vehicles, making it the only brand in the first half of 2024 with a single recall total exceeding 500,000 vehicles. In addition to expanding recalls, there were also 2 instances of re-recalls in the first half of 2024, both from the Chrysler brand, involving the imported Dodge Journey 2.4L Travel Edition and the imported Jeep Cherokee. By identifying issues from previous recall activities and promptly adjusting and optimizing recall plans, seeking more reasonable solutions, continuous improvement of product reliability will be achieved, which also helps enhance brand competitiveness.