22 million vehicles recalled in 2013: US safety agency

Toyota had the largest number of car recalls at 5.3 mn vehicles

Automakers recalled nearly 22 million cars and trucks in 2013, the most in nearly a decade, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a report released on Monday.

The manufacturer with the largest number of safety actions was Toyota Motor Corp, followed by Chrysler Group LLC , Honda Motor Co, Hyundai Motor Co and Ford Motor Co .

Toyota recalled 5.3 million vehicles in 15 safety actions last year, including more 844,000 older-model Corolla cars, Sequoia SUVs and Tundra pick-up trucks for faulty airbags.

About 15 million vehicles were recalled by automakers after they spotted a problem, while about 7 million cars and trucks were recalled following an NHTSA investigation.

The number of vehicles involved in a safety recall last year rose by more than one-third from 2012, when 16.4 million models were recalled for safety defects and other reasons. Overall, safety recalls totaled 632 in 2013, up from 581 in 2012.

Last year marked the largest number of vehicles recalled for safety defects since 2004, when 30.8 million models were affected, according to the report.