Other automakers have recalls all the time too. Why is it that every single Tesla recall becomes national news, but virtually no recalls by other automakers ever do? (I can only think of two exceptions in recent history: Takata airbags and Chevy Bolt batteries.)
> virtually no recalls by other automakers ever do
That's wrong. There are regularly national news stories about recalls from other car brands. However, you'd still expect to see more Tesla news on HN because of the intersection with tech and startups.
Why is it that every single Tesla recall becomes national news, but virtually no recalls by other automakers ever do? (I can only think of two exceptions in recent history: Takata airbags and Chevy Bolt batteries.)
Maybe you don't read enough legitimate/mainstream media? I see them all the time.
but how notable was it? In other words was it on the front page either online or in print? The nature of publishing nowadays is that virtually unlimited amounts of articles can be published, but unless you're seeking them out you're not going to stumble upon them like this post.
You only stumbled across this post because you are part of the relatively niche community of HN. It is not a sign of notability. At most its a sign of targeting this demographic.
y'all ever notice that the internet seems to have introduced entire new classes of fallacy, or at least that the structure of debating online tends to surface fallacies that aren't as common in real life? This is one that I call the redditor fallacy and at its base it's the presumption that if one particular group of people isn't currently talking about something in one particular thread that no one anywhere is talking about it and it's a subtype of whataboutism. The truth is that if I google the phrase "automobile recall" I don't see tesla in the first three pages of results but I do see Ford, GM, Nissan, Dodge and Volkswagen.
What about the Hyundai/Kia antitheft recalls? Those dominated the news for /years/.
You’re not actually asking about media fairness. You’re defending Elon Musk under the usual “everyone’s unfair to Elon” routine. Now think about the difference in public visibility between the Ford CEO and the Tesla CEO. Which one’s name alone drives more clicks and engagement?
Musk injects himself into the news constantly. When you build your brand on publicity, you also get the scrutiny that comes with it. No need to play at the victim narrative.
...... Huh? Kia and Hyundai's recalls for the trailer hitch wiring fire recall made national news. Toyota's recall of the rear view camera issue on the 2025 trucks too.
Granted I'm Canadian so that might make a difference, but Tesla recalls aren't the only one making national new. They just don't typically appear on Hacker News.
I've owned three Audis over the last decade with no recalls
Tesla deliberately pushes boundaries and breaks from tradition. That's admirable, but traditional manufacturers have decades of engineering knowledge behind their approaches for good reasons. Push the envelope enough and you'll have more misses and in Tesla's case more recalls
You are making things up out of thin air. These are recalls from JAN 2024- MAR 2025
Ford Motor Company, 94 (7%)
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC), 78 (6%)
Forest River, Inc., 67 (5%)
General Motors, LLC, 41 (3%)
BMW of North America, LLC, 39 (3%)
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, 33 (3%)
Hyundai Motor America, 28 (2%)
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC, 26 (2%)
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., 25 (2%)
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC, 24 (2%)
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.), 24 (2%)
Kia America, Inc., 24 (2%)
Jayco, Inc., 22 (2%)
International Motors, LLC, 21 (2%)
Nova Bus (US) Inc., 21 (2%)
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing, 21 (2%)
Nissan North America, Inc., 20 (2%)
Tesla, Inc., 20 (2%)
Mack Trucks, Inc., 17 (1%)
Winnebago Industries, Inc., 16 (1%)
Ratio of U.S. vehicles recalled in 2024 → 2024 U.S. sales
Tesla: 5,135,991 → 516,597 ≈ 9.94.
Ford: 4,777,161 → 2,078,832 ≈ 2.30.
GM: 1,872,567 → 2,700,000 ≈ 0.69.
Toyota: 1,221,666 → 2,330,000 ≈ 0.52.
Honda: 3,794,113 → 1,291,490 ≈ 2.94.
A Tesla sold in 2024 was roughly 4 times more likely than a Ford to be involved in a recall campaign that year.
Despite selling far fewer vehicles, Tesla’s recalls affected nearly ten times its annual U.S. sales volume.
This reflects a structural difference, not media bias. Tesla initiates fewer recall campaigns overall, but those campaigns routinely involve millions of vehicles. When normalized for sales volume, Tesla’s recall exposure is the highest of any major automaker. “Innovation risk” cuts both ways.
Not OP but not really. Recalls are pretty rare in most cars.
I own lots of cars and I've only had two recalls in the last 33 years. One for a Mazda minivan to replace a rear hatch shock (i.e. nothing safety related) and one for a Dodge truck (I don't remember what it was).
