Nearly 64 million vehicles recalled in US last year

© PÃ?©ter Gudella – 123RF.com

Automakers issued 803 recalls last year affecting 63.95 million vehicles, the highest number dating back to 1966, the National Highway Transportation Highway Safety Administration said in an email to AFP Friday.

The year was marked by massive General Motors recalls for defective ignition switches and other problems, as well as multi-company recalls for faulty airbags made by Japanese firm Takata.

"These figures demonstrate the need for vigorous, effective oversight to remove safety defects from our highways," said Mark Rosekind, head of the NHTSA, in a statement cited in the email.

Of the 803 recalls, 123 were influenced by NHTSA investigation and enforcement efforts, the agency said.

General Motors, the largest US automaker, began a recall of 2.6 million cars in February 2014 for defective ignition switches that it now has acknowledged caused at least 52 deaths.

The US Congress and the Justice Department are investigating why GM waited more than a decade after uncovering the problem to start recalling cars. In total, GM recalled nearly 27 million vehicles last year in the United States for various defects.

Takata's faulty airbags, linked to at least five deaths in the US and overseas, led to the recall of millions of vehicles worldwide by 10 major automakers.

In November, the NHTSA ordered a recall of all cars in the US with the suspect Takata airbags. Honda, Takata's biggest airbag customer, recalled about nine million automobiles in the US.

Takata is under investigation over the airbag defect. The company denies having hidden the problem.

Source: AFP