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868,605 cars were recalled in the UK over 2013, of which 171,394 were attributed to problems with the Honda Jazz; a fire risk on an electrical window switch triggered the recall.

514,000 of the recalled vehicles were from Japanese brands Honda, Nissan and Toyota. While the news paints Japanese firms in a bad light, it is tempered by the fact they sell the majority of cars in the UK. In addition, the heavily recalled Jazz was built in Swindon.

According to the data from the Vehicle and Operating Services Agency (VOSA) there was a 25,000-unit rise in recalls over 2013 compared to 2012, which saw 843,000 recalls. 886,000 vehicles were recalled in 2011.

142,097 Nissan Micras were also recalled due to concerns over a loose wheel bolt, while the BMW 3-Series completed the top trio; 24,752 cars required an airbag check.

In terms of brand-wide data, Nissan suffered the most recalls with 210,926, followed closely by Honda with 188,025 and Toyota with 115,163.

Korea's Hyundai came in fourth with 93,624, and in conjunction with Kia recalls ensured that South Korea's marques were second in the national brand chart – with 119,000 recalls between them.

Nearly 10 per cent of all recalls – 87,000 – were manufactured in the UK.

Chevrolet, Subaru and Smart did not recall any cars.

Here are the top ten recalls by model – fascinating data for drivers and vehicle recovery operators alike…

1 Honda Jazz 171,394

2 Nissan Micra 142,097

3 BMW 3 Series 24,752

4 Suzuki Alto 24,219

5 Renault Megane II Sp Tourer 22,739

6 Nissan Pixo 14,548

7 Jaguar XF 14,458

8 Lexus RX 400h 9,559

9 Jeep Cherokee 7,149

10 VW up! 6,395