Volkswagen Beetles – 1,000,000
Ford Motor Company – 3,600,000
Toyota – 533,124

No, these aren’t car production figures at some of the major auto makers these years. These are the number of vehicles that were recalled by these companies in 2007 which will soon end as something for a record year as far as auto recalls are concerned.

Most of the outrage this past year has been about the other major recalls of the year – million of toys recalled by companies like Mattel. But the auto industry has also reeled under the effect of vehicle recalls, and many like Ford have found that decades old reputations have been tarnished.

So, what have the recalls been about? Well, they’ve covered pretty much every part of a vehicle that can possibly malfunction which essentially is every part. Malfunctioning sensors that cause engines to die in the middle of a freeway, anti-lock brake modules that could burn, air bag sensors that could be disabled by a mixture of water with road salt – the list goes on. Seemingly small problems on the surface, but with big enough risks to cause auto makers to panic.

No other auto maker has been bitten by the recall bug as much as Ford, the company that continues to face lawsuits over its accident prone Explorer and its use of Firestone tires. The tires were responsible for at least 25 deaths and 50 injuries according to the NHTSA. And it’s not just consumer vehicle recalls Ford has grappled with. In March this year, the company recalled more than 100,000 Ford Police Interceptors after complaints that some of them were developing cracks in their wheel welds.

Ford is also known for some spectacularly poor compensation offered to users of its vehicles. This year, Ford users who complained about how their vehicle prices nosedived after all the scandal over the Explorer, were offered the princely settlement of a $500 voucher on future Explorer purchases that in effect puts more money in Ford’s coffers.

In the case of the Crown Police Interceptors, when cops complained that the design of the car made the gas tank dangerously prone to an explosion in the event of a rear end collision, Ford magnanimously provided shield kits to protect the gas tank in case of an accident. Where product liability is concerned, Ford really does seem to be the king of the roads.

If you have been injured or a loved-one has been killed as the result of a recalled product, contact the California personal injury and recalled products attorneys at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.