EV Recalls: What Goes Wrong in Electric Vehicles, From NHTSA Data

Electric vehicle recalls are safety recalls for battery-electric cars, SUVs and pickups. Most fix software, electrical systems and displays rather than the battery itself, and a growing share are fixed by an over-the-air update. This guide uses NHTSA’s recall file to show how many EV recalls there are, which automakers file the most, what goes wrong, which battery recalls carry a fire warning, and what to do if yours is recalled.

How we counted EV recalls

NHTSA doesn’t label recalls as “EV” or “gas,” so we built the list ourselves. We matched each campaign’s vehicles against the models in our catalog and kept the campaigns where every vehicle covered is battery-electric: the Tesla range, Rivian, Lucid, Polestar, the Chevrolet Bolt and Equinox EV, Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and 6, Kia EV6 and EV9, Nissan Leaf and Ariya, Volkswagen ID.4 and others. Plug-in hybrids and nameplates sold with both gas and electric versions are left out.

That gives a clean list, but a conservative one: a campaign that covers an EV and a gas model, such as a shared air bag or seat part, isn’t counted. Counting those too would raise the total to 440 campaigns, though the vehicle numbers would then include many gas cars.

EV recalls by the numbers

The rise tracks the number of EV models on sale. A few years ago, EV recalls came almost entirely from Tesla, Nissan and GM. Today Rivian, Lucid, Polestar, Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and others each file several a year. As a share of all recall campaigns for cars, SUVs, pickups and vans, EV-only campaigns have grown quickly:

Counts campaigns, not vehicles: a recall of 20 cars and one of 2 million each count once. Source: NHTSA recalls file, retrieved Oct 6, 2026; computed by PlainVIN.

That share counts campaigns, not vehicles. Newer EV makers often file small campaigns for a few hundred or a few thousand vehicles, which raises the count without meaning that a large number of cars are affected.

Which EV makers have the most recalls

“Repaired” weights each campaign’s reported completion rate by its vehicle count; “not yet repaired” is the matching estimate. A vehicle in several campaigns is counted in each. Source: NHTSA recalls file and US DOT completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026; computed by PlainVIN.

Tesla dominates by vehicles because many of its recalls cover almost every car it built across several model years. Its largest campaigns, covering two million cars or more, were software changes sent over the air, which is also why its repair rate is so high. Smaller makers such as Rivian and Lucid file many campaigns for fewer vehicles each.

Look up any model’s recall history, complaints and ratings by year, for example the Tesla Model Y, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Chevrolet Bolt EV, Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Rivian R1S, or browse every Tesla recall.

The most common EV recall problems

Grouped by the first component NHTSA lists. Source: NHTSA recalls file, retrieved Oct 6, 2026; computed by PlainVIN.

Electrical problems lead by a wide margin, and many are really software faults in displays, warning lights and control modules. Some of the most common EV recall themes in NHTSA’s file:

• Displays and warning lights. A blank instrument panel, a warning light shown too small or not staying lit, or a rearview camera image that doesn’t appear. These break federal display and visibility standards, so they are recalled even when the car drives normally.
• Loss of drive power. An inverter, drive unit, half-shaft or battery control fault that cuts propulsion, sometimes at speed. Recent examples include certain Lucid Air, Toyota bZ, Subaru Solterra and Lexus RZ, and Mustang Mach-E vehicles.
• Driver-assistance software. Tesla’s December 2023 Autosteer recall covered about two million cars, because the feature’s controls might not be enough to prevent driver misuse; the fix was an over-the-air update.
• Pedestrian warning sounds. EVs are quiet at low speed, so they must make an alert sound. Campaigns from GM, Tesla, Stellantis, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have fixed alert sounds that were too quiet, missing or could be drowned out.
• Ordinary hardware. Seat belts, air bags, brakes, suspension links, trim and lighting go wrong on EVs just as on any car.

The pedestrian alert rule shows how a recall can involve no mechanical fault at all. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 141 states its purpose:

“The purpose of this standard is to reduce the number of injuries that result from electric and hybrid vehicle crashes with pedestrians by providing a sound level and sound characteristics necessary for these vehicles to be detected and recognized by pedestrians.”49 CFR 571.141, S2

In 2022 Tesla recalled about 595,000 vehicles because its “Boombox” feature could play sounds through the external speaker while driving and obscure that alert. The remedy was an over-the-air update that disables Boombox in Drive, Neutral and Reverse (campaign 22V235).

Battery fire recalls

Recalls of the high-voltage battery itself are a small part of the total, but they are the most serious, and they often come with interim instructions to limit charging or park outside.

Vehicle descriptions are NHTSA’s own summary wording; “repaired” is the share the manufacturer reports as fixed, and new campaigns start near zero. Source: NHTSA recalls file and US DOT completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

The Chevrolet Bolt is the best-known case. GM recalled every 2017–2018 Bolt EV and certain 2019 models in November 2020, recalled those cars again in July 2021, and in August 2021 expanded the recall to 2020–2022 Bolt EVs and the 2022 Bolt EUV. NHTSA’s record says the battery “could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.” Until the repair, owners were told to cap charging at 90%, avoid running the battery down below about 70 miles of range, park outside after charging and not charge indoors overnight. GM replaced the defective battery modules free (campaign 21V650).

Repair rates vary widely. Most older battery campaigns are almost fully repaired, but some recent ones are phased, meaning owner letters go out in stages as parts or software become ready. That is why certain Nissan Leaf quick-charging campaigns show low completion: the letters for the 2024 campaign weren’t mailed until June 2026. Our park outside recall list covers every fire warning, gas and electric.

Over-the-air recalls: fixed without a dealer visit

An over-the-air (OTA) recall is fixed by a software update sent to the car over its mobile data or Wi-Fi connection. Since 2020, 19% of EV-only recall campaigns had an OTA remedy, against 5% of all recent car, SUV, pickup and van recalls. Tesla files about half of them, but Lucid, Rivian, GM, Ford, Polestar and others now fix recalls over the air too.

It makes a measurable difference. Among EV recalls filed more than a year ago, OTA campaigns are 99% repaired, against 87% for those that need a dealer visit. Even so, an OTA recall is still a real recall: the automaker must file it with NHTSA and must mail a notice to registered owners within 60 days (49 CFR 577.7). Your car must be connected and the update installed for the recall to count as fixed.

Recent EV recalls

Vehicle descriptions are NHTSA’s own summary wording; “repaired” is the share the manufacturer reports as fixed, and new campaigns start near zero. Source: NHTSA recalls file and US DOT completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

Each campaign number links to NHTSA’s official record, which lists the remedy and the date owner letters go out. Campaigns that also cover gas models don’t appear here; use the VIN check to see every recall for your car.

Are EVs recalled more than gas cars?

By campaign count, EV-only recalls made up about one in five recalls for cars, SUVs, pickups and vans in 2024 and 2025, as the table above shows. That sounds high, but a count of campaigns can’t tell you how likely your car is to be recalled, for three reasons:

• Many small campaigns. Newer EV makers file separate campaigns for small batches, sometimes fewer than 100 vehicles.
• Software is easy to recall. A display or warning-light fault that would once have been a quiet software update is now a formal recall, and an OTA fix makes it cheap to file.
• Shared parts aren’t counted. Campaigns that cover both EVs and gas models are left out of the EV-only count, as explained above.

What the data does show is that EV recalls are repaired at a higher rate, largely thanks to OTA updates, and that battery recalls are a small but serious part of the total. For reliability rather than recalls, check a model’s owner complaints by year on its report page.

What to do if your EV is recalled

1. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or in your automaker’s app; our guide shows where to find the VIN. You can also decode the VIN to confirm the model, year and plant.
2. Install OTA updates promptly. Keep the car connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data and accept pending software updates; the app usually shows when a recall update is ready.
3. Follow interim instructions. For battery recalls these can include a charge limit, parking outside or not charging indoors overnight until the repair is done.
4. Book dealer repairs early. Hardware and battery fixes are free but can be phased by VIN; you’ll get a second letter when the remedy is ready.
5. Report a problem that isn’t covered. If you see a safety fault that no recall covers, file a complaint with NHTSA. Owner complaints are one of the things NHTSA reviews when it opens defect investigations.

Buying a used EV? Check open recalls by VIN, confirm OTA recalls show as completed in the car’s software screen, and read our used car inspection checklist. For how recalls work in general, see our recall guide.

EV recall counts are PlainVIN’s analysis of NHTSA’s recall file: campaigns where every vehicle in our catalog is a battery-electric model. “Over the air” and “software” come from NHTSA’s summary and remedy text. This guide is general information; NHTSA’s VIN lookup and your automaker are the authority for your vehicle.