Honda's issuing a recall on the new CB1000 Hornet SP over piston and ring specs that can starve the engine of oil, seizing the connecting rod bearing. It's the kind of catastrophic failure that ends rides permanently. Early production run issue—if you've got one, get it sorted before it turns into a $15K bottom-end rebuild.

Hyundai's decision to cheap out on the Theta II engine cost them billions in recalls and lawsuits—a master class in false economy. The engine's metal debris issues and premature failure rates became so widespread that owners started documenting failures before the company admitted the scope. This is what happens when corporate accountants design powerplants instead of engineers.