WASHINGTON - Automakers, led by battered Toyota Motor Corp., recalled more than 19 million vehicles in about 600 U.S. recall campaigns this year - the most since 2004.

Of the six automakers selling the most cars in the United States, only Ford Motor Co. recorded a decline in the number of vehicles compared with 2009, according to figures tallied by The Detroit News through Tuesday.

The government will release final numbers next month.

In addition to the massive Toyota recalls, this year's spike reflects a growing number of complaints from consumers, increased scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and a "better safe than sorry" stance from automakers eager to move faster to minimize bad publicity.

Toyota has recalled 7 million vehicles in 18 campaigns this year. Both are records for the Japanese automaker, whose image was stung by the safety questions they raised. Prior to 2010, Toyota's worst year for recalls was 2009, when it called back 4.8 million vehicles in nine campaigns.

"We're moving more quickly," said Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons, explaining the company's push to quickly address safety issues and recall vehicles when necessary.

But Lyons said it's important to put the numbers in context.

"Some of Toyota's biggest competitors have had twice as many recalls as we have over the past five years," he said. "Toyota has had the lowest number of recalls of any major manufacturer over the past 10 years."

After calling back 4.5 million vehicles in eight 2009 recall campaigns, Dearborn-based Ford recalled about 570,000 vehicles innine campaigns in the past 12 months.

Ford's numbers were higher in 2009 than this year, largely because it recalled 4.5 million vehicles for faulty cruise control deactivation switches, including 1.7 million 1995-2003 Ford Windstars. The automaker recalled about 14 million vehicles in eight separate recalls over a 10-year period to address the issue.

Ford isn't gloating about this year's recall decline.

"The quantity of recalls is not something we pay a whole lot of attention to," said Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood. "Whenever we're looking at safety issues, first and foremost we're committed to our customers."

Ford's crosstown rival, General Motors Co., which had 16 recalls covering 2.2 million vehicles in 2009, reported 21 recalls covering 4 million vehicles this year.

Aiming for zero

"The only satisfactory number of recalls is zero, but the important thing is that we identify and correct any problems quickly and completely with as little inconvenience to customers as possible," said Dan Nicholson, GM vice president of global quality.

Auburn Hills-based Chrysler Group LLC had 15 campaigns covering 589,000 vehicles in 2009, and this year called back 1.5 million vehicles in 13 campaigns.

"We have been one of the lowest recall rate companies as a percent of our vehicles on the road for the last several years and expect to continue that performance going forward," said Doug Betts, senior vice president, quality, at Chrysler.

Ups, downs of recalls

Since 1966, automakers have recalled more than 470 million vehicles. The number of recalls has bounced around in recent years.

In 2004, the auto industry recalled a record 30.8 million vehicles in 600 campaigns. The record-setting pace was led by Detroit's Big Three.

GM recalled 4 million pickups in 2004 for tailgate cables that could corrode — one of the 10 largest recalls of all time — and called back10.8 million vehicles in all of the year — the most of any automaker.

Then-DaimlerChrysler recalled 5.8 million vehicles, while Ford Motor Co. recalled 5 million vehicles.

By 2008, recalls fell to 10.5 million in 684 campaigns, as automakers tried to fix problems earlier in the model year. That was the lowest number since 1994.

The landscape for recalls changed in late August 2009, when an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer and three passengers died when a floor mat became trapped in the accelerator pedal of his loaner Lexus, and the out-of-control car crashed.

In the aftermath, Toyota recalled 5.6 million vehicles for that issue. It also recalled 2.3 million vehicles for sticky accelerator pedals — a move that forced it to temporarily stop selling eight models.

Toyota was fined $16.4 million by NHTSA for delaying the sticky pedal recall in April, and last week agreed to pay $32.4 million after NHTSA said the automaker delayed the pedal entrapment and a 2005 steering rod recalls.

NHTSA more aggressive

NHTSA, which was harshly criticized by Congress early in the year for not forcing Toyota to take broader actions in the face of complaints of sudden acceleration, has assumed a more aggressive stance on recalls in general.

It is opening investigations faster, sometimes based on fewer complaints, and is pushing automakers to recall more vehicles, faster.

In addition, more than 64,000 complaints have been filed this year, up from about 35,000 a year in recent years, and NHTSA is giving them a closer look.

'Profits above safety'

Auto safety advocates say the higher number of recalls and complaints this year are evidence that Congress should act on long-stalled legislation to give NHTSA more power — including ability to invoke an "imminent hazard" — to get unsafe vehicles off the roads if an automaker refuses.

"NHTSA does not have the authority or resources to stand up to an auto industry that always has and always will place profits above safety," Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Automotive Safety, who advocates giving the government greater authority in auto safety matters.

Edmunds.com said its analysis of NHTSA recall data showed that recallsare "up dramatically from the 13.4 million vehicle annual average from 2005-09."

"The Toyota recalls cast a much brighter spotlight on this process," said Edmunds analystPanee Segal. "It will be interesting to see if the trend continues into the future when recalls aren't earning front page headlines."