FEATURE Providing Insight into Opportunities for Tomorrow I n its 2020 State of Recalls report, Recall Masters revealed that more than 29.2 million affected vehicles were accounted for in 278 recall campaigns mandated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in calendar year 2020. Another estimated 266 " voluntary manufacturer notice " campaigns affected the passenger cars and light trucks framed in this report. While many vehicles have more than one defect present, the addition of 2020 data brings the estimated number of vehicles affected by a recall to 83.2 million. This translates to more than one in four vehicles on US roads with at least one open recall. With an estimated 286.9 million registered vehicles in the country, the threat to drivers and passengers is greater than ever. RECALL RESOLUTION HUB: FRANCHISE DEALERSHIPS Franchise dealerships are the hub for resolving the recall crisis. However, only those innovative dealers 32 who transform their operations will reap the customer acquisition opportunity and the bulk of the revenue. What are the Top 5 dealership takeaways from the 2020 State of Recalls? TOP 5 DEALERSHIP TAKEAWAYS 5. Voluntaries - The Hidden Danger For most, government-mandated National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recalls represent the greatest risk to driver safety. Primarily, voluntary OEM recalls were limited to manufacturing defects that were relatively harmless. Our industry has been transparent about all defects as part of a public/private partnership - all in the name of consumer safety. Up until now, it has worked. Perhaps due to the volume or complexity of system defects, NHTSA investigations have fallen to historic low numbers. While NHTSA recalls were down (278 for 2020 vs. 316 in 2019), voluntary recalls were up (266 in 2020