Through the first three quarters of 2025, recalls already covered nearly 19.3 million vehicles—and that’s before the year even finished. That’s the pace behind the numbers in BizzyCar’s Q3 recall report, more than 8 millions cars recalled only for Q3, which frankly reads less like a spreadsheet and more like a warning label for trucks.
Now roll into 2026 and the vibe doesn’t magically improve. One early-January example: Rivian filed a recall campaign for certain R1T/R1S vehicles tied to a front turn-signal/hazard issue, laid out in its NHTSA Part 573 filing.
The Truck Recall Trap Most Buyers Walk Into
Here’s the ugly truth: most “truck recalls” aren’t about one dramatic failure that screams at you in the driveway. They’re often the kind of issue you only discover when the truck is doing truck things—highway speed, towing load, bad weather, a dark road, or the one morning you’re late and your patience is already gone. The worst times to find out.
In 2025, Ford recalled more than 103,000 F-150 pickups over a rear axle hub bolt concern that could lead to axle hub spline damage. That’s the kind of problem you don’t want to “learn” about by feel.
And recalls don’t politely stay inside one model year. Ford also issued a large recall on 2024–2026 Rangers tied to curtain airbags—again, the kind of hardware you only notice when you really, really need it.
So how do you avoid the “recall hell” loop without turning into the guy who never buys anything new?
You stop gambling on the feelings you get about a truck. You treat every truck purchase like a quick pre-flight check. You do the boring stuff first—because the boring stuff saves you.
My Verdict
If you want fewer recall headaches in 2026, do one thing before you buy and before a road trip: run the VIN and read the open campaigns like you’re reading the weather. Use the official NHTSA lookup, then decide if you’re still happy being the test pilot. (NHTSA recall/VIN lookup)
And if you’re shopping, don’t obsess over “new” as a flex. Obsess over revision. Buy the truck after the first wave of fixes, after the early service bulletins settle, and after the recall pattern shows its hand. If 2025 taught us anything is that in 2026, first truck off the line is not the best truck off the line. You’ll still get the truck you want—just with fewer dealer “updates” stealing your weekends.
