Why Massive Auto Recalls Are Becoming the Norm

Why Massive Auto Recalls Are Becoming the Norm | Motherboard:

That last point is key. 
The average number of vehicles per recall has increased since the NHTSA first started instituting recalls in the 1960s, and it's in large part because of the increased sharing of parts across models. 
Designing and testing auto parts is a laborious, expensive process, and it's a hell of a lot cheaper to make one windshield wiper motor and share it across as many cars as possible as it is to design a bespoke model each time. 
But that means if a part fails, it affects a lot of vehicles.
.....There's a third factor that ties in as well: Automakers are also recalling more cars because regulators have taken a much more aggressive stance.