Feds: Huge auto recalls mark 2014

Two of the biggest auto recalls in history took place last year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration summary of 2014 recall activity, published today.

They were General Motors' recall of 5.88 million U.S. vehicles for possibly faulty ignition switches that can disable airbags, and Honda's recall of 5.39 million for potentially defective Takata-brand airbags.

Fifty-seven deaths are linked to the GM defect by an independent compensation fund that's paying survivors of people killed in accidents involving the switches, as well as people injured in such accidents.

The fund has dozens more death claims to evaluate, so the total could rise.

The Takata-Honda defect is linked to five deaths.

The GM recall is significant far beyond the recall tally. The episode provoked federal fines, lawsuits, government investigations, an embarrassingly candid internal probe at the automaker, Senate and House subcommittee hearings and an overhaul of how GM regards safety concerns.

Shortly after GM recall announcement in February 2014, USA TODAY was first to disclose that the automaker knew about the faulty switches at least since 2004 -- 10 years before the recall. A subsequent story said that that GM's first recall left as many potentially flawed vehicles unrecalled as were recalled. GM shortly afterwards recalled cars cited in the USA TODAY story.

Honda's Takata recall is among similar action by 10 automakers, but Honda is Takata's biggest customer, so its tally is highest.

The NHTSA summary of 2014 recalls shows there were 803 separate vehicle recalls last year, involving 63.9 million vehicles. NHTSA says its enforcement actions influenced 123 of the recalls, affecting 19.1 million vehicles.

In providing a list of recalls, NHTSA emphasizes that automakers who make the most vehicles naturally tend to have the most vehicles recalled, and that "should not be interpreted as an indication of what NHTSA thinks of any particular manufacturer or
its products."

The 10 biggest recalls in history, according to NHTSA, follows.

The first digits in the recall identification number designate the year the recall began, 1981 in the first one listed, for example. The defect is listed next, then the number of vehicles involved, as provided by NHTSA:

•Ford Motor, 81V008, parking gear, 21 million.

•Ford Motor, 96V071, ignition, 7.9 million.

•General Motors, 71V235, engine mounts, 6,682,084.

•General Motors, 14V400, ignition switch, 5,877,718.

•General Motors, 81V025, control arm, 5,821,160.

•American Honda, 14V351, airbags, 5,394,000.

•Ford Motor, 05V388, deactivation switch, 4.5 million.

•Ford Motor, 09V399, deactivation switch, 4.5 million.

•Toyota Motor, 09V388, pedal entrapment, 4,445,056.

•Ford Motor, 72V160, shoulder belts, 4,072,000.

You can find more information at the NHTSA website.