U.S. automobile recalls surpassed the 60 million mark for the first time in a single year. The 60.5 million total in 2014 is almost double the previous annual record of 30.8 million recalled vehicles set in 2004, according to an analysis of data on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The number is expected to rise further as recalls announced by automakers in the last few weeks of 2014 are formally recorded in the database.