Ford Explorers, Honda Civics and Chevrolet Silverados are known entities for much of the car buying public. New car shoppers are aware of their names, body styles and potential pain points of ownership, including the possibility of recalls. The Fisker Oceans, Lucid Airs and Polestar 2s of the world are far less known.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and automakers are responsible for recalling vehicles, equipment and technology that can be dangerous for drivers on the road. NHTSA's authority to recall vehicles that do not meet Federal Safety Standards comes from the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Since the Act was enacted in 1966, NHTSA has recalled more than 390 million cars, trucks, buses, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, and mopeds.
From 2018 through 2022 there were about 32 million recalls, including both internal combustion engine and electric vehicles (EVs). Of those, 8.6 percent (2.74 million) were EVs. Looking straight at the numbers, EVs were disproportionately affected considering they were just about 2.5 percent of vehicles on the road over the same time period.
Each year, the NHTSA does a full report on the issued recalls of all flagged vehicles sold in the U.S. When looking at that report next to J.D. Power's annual Initial Quality Survey, it's clear that EVs have more recalls and lower initial quality than the internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles they are replacing. However, that doesn't mean all EVs are built poorly.
The 2022 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study found that hybrid and EV owners reported more problems (240 and 239 per 100 vehicles, respectively) than ICE vehicles that only had 173 problems per 100 vehicles. It also found that electric sport utility vehicles (SUVs) were the least reliable category of vehicles. However, these problems are rarely connected to the drivetrain.
"The relatively lower IQS scores observed for EVs can predominantly be attributed to the intricate technology in those vehicles. The innovative features can pose challenges due to their increased complexity. This is exemplified by issues even in seemingly straightforward components like the retractable door handles," Tony Salerno, vice president at J.D. Power told Newsweek.
"It is noteworthy that the frequency of quality issues tends to be higher during the initial rollout of new vehicle models as opposed to those that have been in production for a substantial period. Given the recent introduction of most EV models, it is not surprising that certain quality issues might not be entirely resolved during the initial launch phase," he said.
EV adoption is in its teething phase. As making, using, maintaining and servicing become more commonplace, recall news is likely to fade into the crowd of news coverage unless it involves big numbers, like recalls of today's internal combustion-engined cars, trucks, vans and SUVs.
It also helps that EVs have less parts than ICE vehicles, meaning that the chance for a recall is slimmer. They lack parts like a gasoline engine, transmission, ignition and fuel systems. They also don't need oil or spark plug changes, nor fuel and exhaust system maintenance. Even the brakes last long because of electric motor energy regeneration.
And, with connected car technology, many fixes can be pushed via over-the-air updates, like they can be with modern smartphones and computers, updating overnight when not in use.
"Mechanically, EVs have substantially fewer moving parts than internal combustion vehicles. To that end, most quality issues EV owners experience are not mechanical. EVs rely on significant amounts of software and wiring, which are notorious areas for problems," Paul Waatti, manager of industry analysis at AutoPacific, told Newsweek.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto topped the most recent list of problems with in-car entertainment. The now ubiquitous technology ranks ahead of voice control, touchscreen problems and Bluetooth problems.
"EVs are a great opportunity for automakers to introduce the latest tech and features. Issues that escape thorough original equipment manufacturer testing will inevitably pop up whenever cutting-edge tech and new features roll out to the public en masse," said Waatti.
Established automakers have decades of manufacturing, parts procurement and testing practices under their belts. Newer companies have struggled with those bits, as shown by the recalls.
"It's worth noting that the EV market has a growing number of start-ups like Rivian, Lucid, Fisker, Polestar, and VinFast. These start-ups are using advanced technologies and building vehicles at scale for the first time. Not to mention, Tesla - the most prominent player in the EV game - is notorious for quality issues all over the board," said Waatti.
There's good news for buyers who want the get an EV in the future. Salerno believes that as those startups gets new knowledge and are able to establish better practices, these problems will ease.
"Over time, a natural progression towards enhanced EV quality is to be anticipated as the industry gains experience and refines manufacturing processes," Salerno said.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jake Lingeman is the Managing Editor for the Autos team at Newsweek. He has previously worked for Autoweek, The Detroit ... Read more
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