Why have so many cars been recalled in South Africa recently? Even Toyota, the brand known for durability and build quality, has suffered this fate…
There’s no denying the statistical reality: there are more car recalls now than in the early 2000s. Are cars becoming less reliable? Is build quality deteriorating? Or are we potentially misunderstanding the difference between mechanical or structural recalls, and simple software upgrades?
When your smartphone updates, it’s mostly seamless. Continuous updates build confidence between users and brands, knowing that their devices are ‘renewed’. But doesn’t the same thing apply to cars? Does that explain why it feels like there are many more recalls now than in the past? Is it a simple case of updating electronic architecture?
More electronics mean regular updates
The infotainment in your new Swift would shame an S-Class from the early 2010s.
Cars have more advanced electronics and sensors than ever before. An entry-level hatchback like a Hyundai i10 or Suzuki Swift has a touchscreen infotainment system that is more advanced, with deeper functionality, than an S-Class had in the early 2010s.
With all cars now featuring more smartphone-linked in-car features through the infotainment system, the need for smartphone-like update cycles has also entered the car world. And that means a lot of small updates that aren’t really recalls…
There are recalls and then there are recalls
Many contemporary ‘recalls’ are actually digital operating system upgrades, not mechanical failures.
Not all recalls are the same. If a vehicle has a structural defect, such as a welding issue or a suspension component known to fail, or a safety feature like an airbag that’s faulty, the recall issued is essential or critical. So are issues with engines, transmissions and brakes.
But if a recall doesn’t involve mechanical disassembly and component replacement, can it be referred to as a recall, or an update? That’s the real question. Since over-the-air updates (OTAs) have become possible, it’s seamless and easy to address certain issues on vehicles that, in the early 2000s, would require a full dealer visit, diagnostics, and hours of inconvenience for the owner.
Traditional car companies have struggled to integrate high-end UX into their cars, unlike Chinese brands, which are masters at it. Infotainment glitches, laggy menu selections and overall UX frustration create significant annoyance for drivers and passengers. But they can hardly be classified in the same vein as, for example, a weak weld point on the chassis.
Structural safety is the recall issue that matters most. Here you can include chassis design flaws, potential steering failure, issues around braking system integrity or a transmission that might lock-up at speed. But such extreme mechanical engineering issues are exceedingly rare.
Most non-digital recalls are due to assembly concerns, often caused by misunderstandings between suppliers and manufacturers. It happens when industrial engineering teams fail to properly integrate component upgrades or rigorously enforce batch specification standards for parts.
What is happening with SA car recalls?
Trusted like few other luxury all-terrain SUVs, but the Lexus LX has suffered a recall.
Toyota is South Africa’s most influential car company. It has double the market share of its nearest rival and the Hilux has been South Africa’s best-selling light-commercial vehicle for decades. When Toyota starts recalling, it’s noteworthy – but it also proves that consumer accountability works.
There is an ongoing recall of legacy products throughout Toyota’s South African product line, which has also affected many other Japanese brands. It’s not structural, it’s an airbag issue, and it’s not of Toyota’s making. Japanese company Takata is the global airbag supplier of choice, and it has admitted a fault with several of its airbag production batches.
There have been other instances involving Toyota, however. The most recent recall has concerned its ultra-luxury all-terrain SUVs: the Land Cruiser 300 and its twin, the Lexus LX. These are two of South Africa’s most in-demand full-size luxury SUVs. And both are built on the famed Land Cruiser platform, perhaps the most regarded off-road vehicle architecture available.
The Land Cruiser 300 and Lexus LX recall relates to the ECU software and control unit integrated within the 10-speed Aisin automatic transmission. It affects 1,846 vehicles sold between January 2025 and January 2026.
When traditional tech fails
The Polo Vivo parking brake issue – would an electronic parking brake have been better?
Ford’s most important vehicle, the Ranger, has also been affected. Ford has recalled 438 Ranger XLTs and Wildtraks from 2025. The issue? Failing exhaust-gas recirculation valves, limiting engine power at low speeds and potentially causing engine start-up failures.
Last year, Ford faced a challenging period of recalls. And this year, it’s VW’s turn, with a big recall of its locally made, highly popular Polo Vivo. The issue? Handbrake integrity.
VW discovered a rivet height issue that could cause the parking brake to disengage unexpectedly when a Vivo is parked. This is what triggered the company to engage with Polo Vivo owners who bought their vehicles new between February 2025 and February 2026.
The Polo Vivo is valued for its combination of simplicity and functional design, but this recall would probably never have happened if it had an electronic parking brake. It’s a feature that is increasingly standardised in more passenger vehicles.
Fewer recalls in future?
Will huge screens still seamlessly update in 10 years’ time, or become a software recall nightmare?
There was a time when vehicle rust was the primary concern for owners. But the industry’s coating, primer, and paint specialists solved that. You rarely, if ever, hear of a corrosion issue on a new vehicle.
The increase in software-defined vehicle architectures will make many non-structural or mechanical recall issues irrelevant, solved by seamless monthly OTA updates. But in the hot, dusty and demanding South African driving environment, modern engines will continue to be tested.
Engineering diesel engines for emissions compliance is expensive and complicated. That matters in the South African context because, for most buyers in the country’s most popular full-size vehicle categories (double cabs and SUVs), the overwhelming majority still choose turbodiesel engines.
Stop-start city traffic doesn’t allow diesel engines to reach the operating temperature required for their emissions-control components to trigger the chemical reactions that purge carbon build-up and soot. And over time, that can degrade engine performance and ultimately lead to premature wear and component failures.
This article was originally published on Cars.co.za...
