Vehicle Recalls Hit 17-Year High in 1993

Nearly 11 million vehicles were recalled in 1993, a 17-year high, but that doesn’t necessarily mean quality is decreasing, a federal official and a consumer advocate said Thursday.

The number is up from 10.1 million in 1992 and 9.7 million in 1991, according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and compiled by Auto Service Monitor, an Ohio-based consulting company.

New, complex auto technology and the popularity of a consumer complaint hot line have contributed to the rise, said Bill Boehly, associate administrator of the highway agency.

More detailed government investigations of consumer complaints and improved self-monitoring by the auto industry are also factors, he said.

“If someone is looking over your shoulder, we all have a tendency to make sure we’re doing the right thing,” Boehly said.

“You are seeing recalls today you would not have seen yesterday because manufacturers have changed their attitude about safety,” said Clarence Ditlow of the Center for Auto Safety, a public interest advocacy group.

“It’s not because they have undergone some moral change or change in values. It’s simply because the marketplace dictates you take care of problems today,” Ditlow said.

General Motors Corp., which builds more vehicles than any other company, topped the list, with 4 million vehicles recalled last year. That included 1.7 million 1988 though 1993 Chevrolet and GMC pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles with defective transmission hoses that could cause fires.

Next was Ford Motor Co. which recalled 3 million vehicles, mostly 1986-through-1993 Tauruses, Mercury Sables and Lincoln Continentals. On snowy, salt-covered roads, subframes on those vehicles could corrode and cause a loss of steering. Ford also recalled 1990 though 1993 pickup trucks with faulty valves that could leak fuel and cause fires.

In third place was Honda, recalling 966,500 vehicles, mostly 1983 though 1987 Preludes and 1986 though 1987 Accords with potential fuel filler pipe leaks that could cause fires.

Roughly a third of all recalled vehicles go unrepaired, said Boehly of the safety agency.

From 10% to 30% of all traffic accident reports list a safety defect as a contributing factor to the accident, said Ditlow.

Ed Lechtzin, spokesman for General Motors Corp., said concern for safety is driving recalls. In fact, GM initiated about 85% of its own recalls last year without pressure from the government, he said.

Ford spokeswoman Joy Wolfe noted that although the number of vehicles recalled by Ford was up in 1993, the number of actual recall announcements was down to 17 from 20 in 1992.

GM, with 31 recall announcements in 1993, and Chrysler, with 15, were up slightly from 1992 but down from 1991.

Chrysler has recalled its new Neon subcompact twice so far this year to repair a problem that could cause the cars to stall. But a company official said that should not hurt the public perception of quality.

“We decided to react quickly. Instead of letting people get in their cars and break down, we’re better at jumping on it and fixing it,” said Francois Castaing, Chrysler engineering vice president.

However, he added, “Obviously if we have too many of them, they would start asking the question of whether we know what we are doing.”