According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2010 had the fourth largest number of recalls since the agency started keeping track in 1966. The total amount of recalls reached 20.3 million vehicles with Toyota leading the pack with 6.7 million vehicles recalled. Though this may seem like a record amount, in 2004 the auto industry had the highest recalls with almost 31 million units recalled. While Japanese vehicles have always been known for quality and safety, 2010 was the first year that three Japanese automakers ended up in the top five.

Safety recalls have become more common since 2000, when Congress passed legislation to spot safety defects more quickly. This was in direct response to a massive Firestone recall for defective tires. In 2010, as a result of Toyota’s unintended acceleration recall, Congress, not only increased penalties against automobile companies, but also increased safety standards for vehicles as well as gave the government more power when it comes to recalls. As a resulted more and more recalls are being initiated by automakers, also known as “voluntary recalls.” This does not mean that automakers have the choice to initiate a recall, it only means the recall was not enforced by the NHTSA.

Below is a list of the top automakers number of recalls from 2010:

• Toyota: 17 recalls – 6.7 million vehicles
• General Motors: 21 recalls – 4 million vehicles
• Honda: 15 recalls – 2.4 million vehicles
• Nissan: 16 recalls – 2.1 million vehicles
• Chrysler Group: 17 recalls – 1.6 million vehicles
• Ford Motor: 9 recalls – 581,107 vehicles
• Volkswagen: 2 recalls – 393,188 vehicles
• BMW: 15 recalls – 288,503 vehicles
• Mazda: 3 recalls – 243,500 vehicles

Whether it be the increased involvement of government in the auto industry or the the increased safety features in today’s automobiles, traffic deaths last year also fell to the lowest level in 60 years.