Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.It's become a weekly occurrence, sometimes coming on a daily basis. Barely mid-August, we've already seen a safety recall from Stellantis covering nearly 1 million vehicles due to faulty backup cameras, while Ford, Volkswagen, Toyota, Lexus and Subaru have announced smaller service actions of their own over the past couple of months.Related: Ford's Recall Count Keeps Climbing With Another F-Series Camera IssueAdvertisementAdvertisementSo far this year, more than 23 million vehicles have been recalled, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – roughly twice the number we saw at this point last year. At the current pace, experts warn, the industry seems certain to exceed the previous full-year record of 31.3 million vehicles reached in 2025.A4B Creative/YouTubeWhat's ironic is that the ongoing surge in recalls is coming at a point when research suggests new vehicle quality is also at an all-time record. One only has to look at Ford Motor Co. to see that seeming contradiction. After years of struggling to address design and production problems, Ford showed up as the top-ranked mainstream brand in the latest JD Power Initial Quality Study, just behind the luxury brands Porsche and Genesis which led the industry. Yet, Ford has so far recalled about 10.3 million vehicles this year, putting it on track to beat the full-year record of 13.6 million vehicles set by General Motors back in 2014.Related: Toyota Recalls Its Quickest SUV Because Stability Control Can Shut OffLagging v Leading IndicatorsIt might seem like a complete contradiction: how can quality be better than ever at a time when recalls are setting new records. Yet, that's what we're seeing with a variety of studies like Power's IQS – which asks consumers to report on the problems they've experienced during the first 90 days of ownership. The 2026 results released in June found the industry collectively delivering the best year-over-year improvement in their quality scores since 1997. Yet the recall count continues to rise, sometimes by millions of vehicles at a time.Recalls and warranty repairs cost Ford about $10 billion last year, according to CEO Jim Farley.Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty ImagesIn reality, there are some logical explanations. For one thing, quality studies like the IQS– are "leading indicators," said Paul Waati, director of industry analysis for AutoPacific, Inc. On the other hand, recalls are "a lagging indicator," he added. "With recalls, we're looking into the past."AdvertisementAdvertisementFord is a good example. Over the last decade, it's been dragging near the bottom on most quality studies. Two years ago, it was 15th among mainstream brands in the IQS, hardly something to brag about. So, while CEO Jim Farley called the latest showing "a proud day for everyone at Ford," the company's past quality problems will continue to cause it headaches for years to come, cautioned Sam Abuelsamid, principal analyst with Telemetry Research. Most recalls cover vehicles that were built two, three, four, even 10 years ago," he explained. As such, "recent improvements in quality aren't reflected in most recalls." (The Stellantis backup camera problem is an outlier, covering mostly new or recent models.)Related: Subaru Recalls Over 541,000 Vehicles Due to StickersCracking the CodeHardware-related recalls – like the ones involving Toyota's twin-turbo iForce Max V-6 – are becoming increasingly uncommon.There are other reasons why recalls are rising, even as quality improves. In their search for improved economies of scale, automakers today rely on common platforms and shared parts and components. In some cases, faulty hardware can be installed across a wide spectrum of products. A full 42 million vehicles sold in the U.S. have been recalled due to defective Takata airbags sold under 34 different brands by 19 automakers. The flawed V-6 engine that's triggered a pair of Toyota recalls? It's used not only for the Tundra pickup but the Lexus LX and GX models. The new Stellantis rearview camera recall? It covers models including the Chrysler Pacifica and Voyager vans, the Dodge Charger, the Jeep Cherokee, Compass, Gladiator and Grand Wagoneer, and the Ram 1500 pickup and ProMaster vans.The recalls at Toyota and Stellantis offer further insight into the recall issue. The sort of hardware headaches that plagued the industry in the past – in Toyota's case, failures involving a turbocharged V-6 engine used in products like the Tundra pickup – have become increasingly uncommon. That's reflected in NHTSA data. Sure, there are still recalls triggered by reports of vehicle fires and loss of engine power – but more and more are triggered by digital defects.As vehicles like this 2026 Lexus ES become increasingly complex more recalls involve digital defects.Lexus"The car is becoming increasingly more complex with millions of lines of code that can become a safety issue," said Waati. The good news is that manufacturers often can address these high-tech problems with a minimal amount of disruption for owners. Stellantis will update the faulty code on those Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram models, fixing their cameras using smartphone-style over-the-air updates. An approach first pioneered by Tesla, almost all new models coming to market these days now allow OTA fixes.A Shift in StrategyHere's what may seem the oddest explanation for the rise in recalls. In many cases, automakers are actually increasing the numbers intentionally, suggested Frank Hanley, Senior Director, Automotive Benchmarking at JD Power.A mechanic prepares to replace an airbag module made by the Japanese manufacturer Takata in a garage. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP) (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images)Getty ImagesIn years past, automakers would often go out of their way to avoid recalls, whether due to the cost or the potential hit to their image. General Motors in 1984 took NHTSA to court block the recall of its compact X-Car family due to alleged brake problems. It won that case but lost another battle with NHTSA in 2014 over defective ignition switches blamed for 124 deaths. That cost the company about $5 billion in lost profits – in part due to a $900 million settlement fund for owners. GM also came under much tighter federal scrutiny – and that's led to changes across the industry.AdvertisementAdvertisementAutomakers' "recall strategies are evolving as more manufacturers take a proactive approach, initiating recalls for known issues before customers experience them," said Hanley. "For example, if an OEM identifies a faulty fuel sensor or a required software update, the issue may be corrected during a service visit before it creates a customer problem. As a result, the customer does not experience the issue and is less likely to report it in IQS. This proactive approach can have a stronger positive impact on the customer experience than the more reactive recall practices used in the past. Fix it before it becomes an actual issue for the consumer."There's no question manufacturers would prefer to avoid recalls by simply preventing problems in the first place. Ford, for example, revealed it spent about $10 billion on warranty fixes and recall-related repairs last year. That doesn't even take into account the marketing challenges such issues create when they impact brand loyalty. The latest industry quality numbers offer hope that we may be reaching the peak in the recall surge. But the increasing reliance on digital technology is just one reason why owners should continue to expect finding recall notices waiting in their mail for years to come.This story was originally published by Autoblog on Aug 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the Features section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.