The total number of vehicles recalled this year in Europe is already 38% up on 2015’s total.

Stericycle ExpertSolutions, automotive and product recall solutions provider, today released its Q3 2016 index, showing that the total number of recall events in 2016 is 322, the highest number ever recorded since the RAPEX* rapid alert system began.

While motor vehicle recalls for the third quarter of 2016 decreased by 12% over Q2, this is still higher than any quarter from 2013 to 2015.

The total number of recalls for the quarter was 100, which reflects strong growth in car sales across Europe this year.

The Q3 Index, based on data from the EU’s RAPEX and RASFF rapid alert systems, reports that 51.5% of auto recalls were notified by Germany. 

The UK was second with 11.7% of notifications.

The most common hazard was injuries which accounted for 84.5% of recalls and the top cause of recalls in passenger vehicles related to air bags at 19.7% followed by brakes at 11.3%.

Farzad Henareh, European vice president at Stericycle ExpertSolutions, said: “We are only three quarters of the way through this year and already auto recalls are up by more than a third over last year.

“What we now have to consider is the broader issues of this trend, including responsibility for safety throughout every part of the supply chain, the ramifications on compliance and regulations, and the long-term impact of repeated recalls on auto brands.

“As consumer demand for more connected vehicles increases, so too does the potential for problems. This could further push recalls to new highs.”

* The Rapid Alert System for non-food dangerous products facilitates the rapid exchange of information between national authorities of 31 countries and the European Commission on dangerous products found on the market.