DETROIT, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. defied the 2005 industry trend of recalling far fewer vehicles for safety repairs, the Detroit Free Press reported.
In 2005, U.S. automakers recalled 17 million cars and trucks, down sharply from the 30 million recalls in 2004.
Ford's industry-leading 6 million recalls and Toyota's 2.2 million recalls last year each were 1 million greater than 2004, the newspaper said of federal data it analyzed.
General Motors Corp., while still No. 2 in 2005 recalls, nearly halved is 2004 recall total of 11 million vehicles.
Ford's recalls helped boost warranty costs by $500 million, adding pressure to Ford's cost-cutting plan due Jan. 23 that likely will include closing plants and cutting jobs, the newspaper reported.
Toyota's recall surge threatened the automaker's longtime reputation for building high-quality vehicles.
Syncata Corp.'s Marianne Grant, who helps automakers comply with federal law, said 2004 may have been the peak year for recalls.
