The first quarter of 2026 has been a busy one for auto recalls.

According to BizzyCar’s Q1 2026 Recall Report, 11.6 million vehicles were recalled in the U.S. during the quarter, the most of any quarter since the company began keeping records in 2022.

But that surge was driven by relatively few actual recall campaigns affecting large numbers of vehicles, the report found, rather than a steady flow of smaller events.

In fact, a single campaign — an issue with trailer lighting and brakes on Ford F-150s, Lincoln Navigators and several other Ford/Lincoln models — included almost 4.4 million units, representing about 38% of all recalled vehicles in Q1.

Ford had the four largest recalls of the quarter, according to the report, and its recalls accounted for about two-thirds of total U.S. recall volume, with 7.6 million units. In all, 92% of recalled vehicles came from just five manufacturers: Ford, Toyota, Hyundai, Chrysler and Nissan.

Electrical system issues dominated recall activity, cited by 47% of campaigns, including the giant Ford recall, with back-over prevention systems next at 20%. Almost half of all recalled vehicles (49%) in Q1 were eligible for over-the-air software updates, representing what BizzyCar called a sharp increase to 5.7 million units. Again, though, most of the vehicles were part of the Ford campaign.

The quarter also included five “Park Outside” advisories, from Subaru, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Nissan and Volvo, due to fire risk from high-voltage batteries or leaky gas caps, as well as a “Do Not Drive” on a Ford recall for potential loss of brake function.

In a news release, BizzyCar said the shift toward more periodic, high-impact events instead of a consistent cadence creates more variability in recalls, noting dealerships that can quickly identify affected vehicles, respond with consistent outreach and see repairs through to completion will be better positioned to capture immediate and long-term value.

“As recall activity becomes more concentrated, it puts more pressure on how quickly dealerships respond,” BizzyCar CEO Ryan Maher said. “The stores that are staying on top of it are the ones that can keep track of what’s coming in, stay in front of the customer with follow-up and ensure the repair is completed. That comes down to having a process in place that removes manual work and keeps outreach and scheduling moving forward without adding more strain on the team.

“What we’re seeing is a shift in how recalls show up in the market. There are thousands of vehicles with open recalls sitting in dealer databases today. When dealers can identify those vehicles and act on them quickly, it improves completion rates and gets more unsafe vehicles off the road.”

The full report is available here.