Ford, Toyota lead 2009 recall increase

Washington -- The number of recalled vehicles jumped in 2009 by nearly 50 percent from the previous year, largely due to two massive recalls by Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co.

In 2008, nearly 10.5 million vehicles -- including cars, motorcycles, buses and campers -- were called back for fixes.

Through nearly all of 2009, about 15 million vehicles have been recalled, according to a preliminary Detroit News review of government recall data.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will release final numbers next month.

Automakers and other manufacturers have called 481 recall campaigns through Dec. 28, compared with 684 in 2008.

Toyota Motor Corp. reported nearly 4.9 million vehicles called back, largely due to the recall of 4.26 million vehicles due to reports of "sudden acceleration." It was the largest recall of the year.

Last month, Toyota said it will reconfigure gas pedals on the vehicles, shortening them so they're less likely to be jammed by loose or ill-fitting floor mats, causing the vehicle to accelerate.

The recall, the largest in Toyota history, follows hundreds of reports of unintended acceleration of Toyota and Lexus vehicles in recent years, and several accidents.

The Japanese automaker has promised to start repairing vehicles in January.

Toyota spokesman Mike Michels said the company isn't happy with the spike in recalls "but the important thing is we do the right thing and fix the problem."

Ford Motor Co. recalled 4.5 million vehicles in 2009. Most, 4.3 million, were called back in October for a faulty switch linked to hundreds of vehicle fires.

The action followed an 18-month federal investigation. The automaker has recalled 14.1 million vehicles in eight separate recalls over 10 years.

The switches have been linked to at least 550 vehicle fires and 1,500 complaints, and linked to several suspicious deaths.

Chrysler Group LLC and General Motors Co. reported smaller increases.

GM recalled 2.97 million vehicles this year, compared with 1.93 million in 2008, said spokesman Alan Adler. But that's still down from many previous years.

"We are catching most problems before they affect large numbers of customers," Adler said.

"The important thing is to eliminate these issues and improve reliability in the view of the people who purchase our vehicles."

Chrysler's recalls jumped to nearly 600,000, from 360,000 in 2008. Honda Motor Co.'s recalls fell to about 450,000, from 797,000 in 2008.

Recalls hit their all-time high in 2004, at 30.4 million vehicles.