The Softening Index: which manufacturers made a recall notice milder after publishing it

How the calls are made. The classification is mechanical. A short list of words is checked in the old and the new text, and the verdict follows from which words moved. No person read the two versions for meaning.

Remedy. Softer when the text moves from replacement (replace, replaced, replacing, replacement) to inspection (inspect, inspected, inspecting, inspection), or from a physical fix (replacement, or repair, repaired, repairing, rework, reworked) to software (software, over the air, ota, reprogram, reprogrammed, reprogramming, reflash, reflashed, firmware, recalibrate, recalibration). Firmer when it moves the other way.

Consequence. Softer when a harm word (crash, fire, injury, injuries, death, loss of control, loss of vehicle control) is removed, or when hedging increases (may, might, could, potentially, possibly, in rare cases, in rare instances, under certain conditions, in certain circumstances, in some cases) or the word "will" is used less. Firmer when the reverse happens.

Any field. Firmer when a stop-driving or park-outside instruction (do not drive, not drive, should not be driven, stop driving, park outside, park the vehicle outside, park outdoors, away from structures) appears. Softer when one disappears.

Everything else is neutral. A neutral rewrite may still matter; it just did not move any listed word. Every row links to a page showing both versions, so the call can be checked against the text.

Small numbers. Only 61 rewrites have been caught so far. One more rewrite can move a manufacturer several places. Treat the table as a running count, not a ranking that will hold.

Source: this site's own record of every version of each notice it has read, kept by the rewrite tracker and listed at the change log. The current notice for any campaign is linked from its campaign page. This site is independent and is not a register. Data in this table is CC BY 4.0 and available at cmvsi/v1/index.