Brakes are an essential safety feature in any car, and when they malfunction accidents can happen, causing serious injury or even death. That said, you would think more people would be concerned about ensuring their brakes are working properly in hopes of avoiding serious accidents like this; however, a recent survey showed that low or contaminated brake fluid affected 18% of cars.

While car owners should be concerned with the well–being of their cars and be conscious of potential issues that may arise, not all the blame can be put on them. The number of recalls by car companies in just the last few years is astounding.

Recently, Hyundai, GM, Ford and Toyota have all acknowledged issues with certain vehicle models, all of which involved faulty brakes.

Not only did Hyundai recall 43,500 2009 to 2012 Genesis sedans, it was also hit with a major fine from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Totaling $17.35 million, the fine is due to the excessively long time that Hyundai took to recall vehicles after being informed about the issue by its brake supplier. The defect resulted in six crashes and two injuries.

GM was also notified back in 2012 about brake issues from the same supplier but did not issue a recall of vehicles in the U.S. Instead, they notified dealers and owners of the issue and so far have faced no penalties related to the problem.

Toyota issued a “service campaign,” not a recall, to fix a problem with brake fluid reservoirs in nearly 177,000 Camry hybrid sedans from 2007-2011, and Ford recalled 1,300 Transits last week due to the potential for a break fluid leak.

Consumers can’t be responsible for manufacturing defects in their cars, but it is still important to be aware of potential issues and have problems looked at before they result in a serious accident.