In 2024, the European Safety Gate system (formerly Rapex) issued a total of 249 recalls from 41 automotive brands, affecting 256 models and impacting millions of cars across Europe.
In addition to the Safety Gate system, we now also use data from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt – KBA), which showed as many as 387 recalls in 2024, covering 258 models from 44 brands. The recalls were not limited to newer models, but also included some vehicles more than ten years old.
What are recalls and why are they conducted?
Safety Recalls are official measures that car manufacturers are legally required to initiate upon discovering that their vehicles may pose risks to safety, health, or the environment. These recalls can cover various vehicle components, including the engine, brakes, suspension, steering, electronics or safety systems such as airbags and driver assistance systems.
Recalls vs. service campaigns
In addition to recalls, car manufacturers also carry out service campaigns (Technical Service Bulletins – TSB). These campaigns are not officially reported to safety authorities such as Safety Gate and are usually carried out discreetly during routine visits to authorised service centres. Owners who do not visit authorised workshops may not be aware of them. TSB often involve software updates, technical improvements or minor preventative repairs aimed at avoiding potential future problems. The basic differences between these two terms are explained in detail in this article.
Overview of brands with the highest number of recalls
As shown in the table below, in 2024, as in the previous year, Mercedes-Benz was the most active manufacturer in the European Safety Gate system in terms of the number of recalls reported, with 24 recalls. This was followed by BMW with 23 and Citroen with 15 recalls. Ford (13), Volkswagen (12), Hyundai (12), Opel (12), Lexus (12), Peugeot (11) and Toyota (11) followed.
German statistics based on the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt – KBA database show a slightly different order in the top ten. Mercedes-Benz remains at the top with 43 recalls, but Ford ranks second with 35, surpassing BMW‘s 24. Volkswagen (22) is fourth, followed by Fiat (19), Porsche (18), Audi (17), Jeep (16), Peugeot (15) and Hyundai (12).
The difference may be due to the fact that the KBA also reports less dangerous recalls and only those with a serious risk are reported to the Safety Gate system.
Top10 – Most Recalls in 2024
The links with the manufacturers’ names on the left side of the table lead to an overview of Safety Gate recalls by model. Links on the right side direct you to KBA recalls summary.
| Safety Gate (EU) | KBA (Germany) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # (2023) | Make | Recalls | Models | # | Make | Recalls | Models | |
| 1 (1) | Mercedes-Benz | 24 | 23 | 1 | Mercedes-Benz | 43 | 24 | |
| 2 (3) | BMW | 23 | 21 | 2 | Ford | 35 | 17 | |
| 3 (5) | Citroen | 15 | 12 | 3 | BMW | 24 | 20 | |
| 4 (7) | Ford | 13 | 12 | 4 | Volkswagen | 22 | 13 | |
| 5 (9) | Volkswagen | 12 | 16 | 5 | Fiat | 19 | 8 | |
| 6 (14) | Hyundai | 12 | 12 | 6 | Porsche | 18 | 8 | |
| 7 (4) | Opel | 12 | 10 | 7 | Audi | 17 | 10 | |
| 8 (29) | Lexus | 12 | 7 | 8 | Jeep | 16 | 8 | |
| 9 (2) | Peugeot | 11 | 12 | 9 | Peugeot | 15 | 8 | |
| 10 (6) | Toyota | 11 | 14 | 10 | Hyundai | 12 | 12 | |
Large-Scale recall actions
Several manufacturers announced recalls in 2024 affecting hundreds of thousands, and in some cases, millions of vehicles. We wrote about them in the following articles. For more, see our summary of The most read articles on 2024 recalls.
- BMW’s massive recall: 6.5 million cars affected
- Volkswagen recalls over 1,2 million cars due to the EGR system
- Opel recalls nearly six million cars for faulty driver airbags
- Ford recalls over 760,000 diesel vehicles for faulty DPF
- BMW recalls 1,5 million cars of 17 model series due to brake problems
- Mercedes recalls a quarter of a million cars due to fire risk
Most Recalled Models
Seven recalls
In 2024, the BMW 3 Series across different production years had the highest number of recalls in the Safety Gate system, with a total of seven records.
Five recalls
Four recalls
- BMW 1 Series
- BMW 2 Series
- BMW X5
- Citroen Berlingo
- Ford Kuga
- Ford Transit
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- Mercedes-Benz EQS
- Opel Corsa
- Peugeot 208
- Toyota Corolla/Cross
Reasons for Recalls
The Safety Gate system lists injury risks (193 cases), fire hazards (69) and environmental risks (11) as the most common issues. However, our database provides a more detailed categorisation. In 2024, the most common defects were related to airbags (89 cases), engines (74), brakes (56), electronics and software (52), steering (30), suspension (20) and body parts (15). Although Safety Gate does not have a specific category for electric vehicles, we have tagged 54 recalls as “EV/Hybrid“. However, this is not the number of recalls with this risk, as multiple models may be affected in a single recall and each gets its own label.
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Reporting of defects and country of origin
In 2024, only 10 EU countries actively participated in the Safety Gate rapid alert system. Germany reported the highest number of recalls (161), followed by France (41), Portugal (22), and Poland (12). Regarding the origins of recalled vehicles, Germany leads again (75), with France (44), the UK (24), the USA (19), Japan (18), South Korea (17), Spain (9), Italy (7), Sweden (6), and Romania (5) following.
How to Track Recalls and Stay Safe
Since 2017, we have been tracking vehicle recalls in Europe and the US, and regularly produce annual European summaries of the most frequently recalled makes and models. In addition to Safety Gate, we also use data from the German Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA) and US regulators. For further details, please visit our dedicated websites car-recalls.eu/kba/ and car-recalls.com for up-to-date information.
Why Should You Pay Attention to Recalls?
Ignoring a recall can have serious consequences. Issues highlighted by manufacturers may lead to dangerous situations on the road or damage your vehicle. Participating in a recall is free for vehicle owners and typically includes repairs, replacement of faulty parts, or software updates. Regularly checking recalls and maintaining your vehicle improves safety and extends its lifespan.
The recall numbers cited are sourced from open official datasets. Some recalls affect only a small number of vehicles, sometimes just a few units. Such recalls may not be recorded in our archives, so the official figures may differ slightly from the number of recalls listed on our website.
Anyway, the purpose of this summary is not to provide exhaustive information on all recalls announced, but to encourage owners of older cars to contact an authorised workshop to enquire whether a recall or service campaign has been announced for a particular car. Advice on how to do this can be found here.
This overview summarises the year 2024, with more recalls to come in the meantime. See also the latest ones. You can also follow us on Facebook, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Source 1: opendatasoft.com
Source 2: kba-online.de