Tips For Keeping Up With Automotive Recalls

By: Jeff Dragt

You hear about automotive recalls all the time in the newspaper,
on the Internet, as well as on the nightly news. Amazingly, one
in 12 cars traveling the roads today were recalled for one
reason or another in 2003. However, even more amazing is the
fact that only one third of the owners of the recalled vehicles
chose to take their car in for the needed repairs. The car
manufacturers are required to send out letters informing owners
of these vehicles of the recall, regardless of whether it is a
major or minor event. Also, the information regarding the recall
is delivered to consumers in so many different mediums it is
almost impossible that owners of the affected vehicles do not
learn of the problems. However, people seem to think that if
they are not experiencing any problems at the moment then the
recall affects all of the other vehicles instead of theirs and
end up ignoring the recall. This is negligence and simply asking
for the problem with the car to crop up. However, if this
happens after the recall then it is the owners fault because
they were given the information and allowed to fix the problem
free of charge yet they simply ignored it. As long as car
manufactures report the recall and inform owners of the vehicles
as they are required to do by law, it is up to the consumer to
take advantage of the recall and have their automobile fixed. If
not, then the owner is taking the risk. If you have not heard
anything about car recalls or just bought a used vehicle and
want to find out if the manufacturer issued any recalls then you
should check out www.nhtsa.gov or www.autorecalls.org to see
if your car is listed.

Both of these websites have all the information about recalls
over the past years so you can search through the year, make,
and model of a vehicle to see if yours is listed. It is very
likely you will see your car listed on one of these website
because more than 31 million cars were recalled in 2004. That is
almost unbelievable considering the amount of technology used in
developing cars as well as the fact that cars are safer than
they have ever been. However, it is true that mistakes are still
taking places and consumers are buying vehicles with basic
problems like fuses or major problems with gas lines, tires, and
seats buckling in crashes. Regardless of whether or not you
believe you are driving a safe car you need to check out the
websites stated above every few months just to make sure your
vehicle has not ended up on the list. If it has, don't fall into
the two thirds of individuals who never respond to the recall.
Instead, head to the nearest dealership or authorized mechanic
who can make the free repairs to your vehicle. Why so many
people don't have time for free repairs is beyond me, but
knowing your vehicle has a problem that could be potentially
fatal for you and your family and that a free repair is
available should be enough to motivate you to have the repair
taken care of.

Another thing to keep in mind is that simple problems with your
vehicle that result in a visit to the mechanic may not be a
problem you are required to pay for. Millions of Americans each
year take their cars to the mechanic for a basic repair, or even
a major one, assuming something went wrong and they simply need
to fix it. Unfortunately, many of these individuals never check
to see if the problem was due to a recall and end up paying for
a repair that might be free or discounted by the automobile
manufacturer. So, armed with this knowledge the next time your
vehicle has even the slightest problem make sure you check and
see if the car has been recalled for similar problems and if you
can get free repairs or discounted ones at the least. It is
certainly worth checking out and could save you hundreds or even
thousands of dollars.

Who Issues Recalls?

In general, the reason so many people don't respond to recalls
is because they simply don't understand the recall process. The
NHTSA , National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, is
responsible for investigating consumer complaints regarding
specific vehicles and problems associated with them. After
several consumers have reported the same or similar problem to
the NHTSA for the same model vehicle an investigation is
launched. The point of the NHTSA investigation is to determine
whether the consumer caused the problem or malfunction in some
way or if the manufacturer of the vehicle is at fault. If the
manufacturer is determined to be at fault then the owners of
affected models will receive information in the mail regarding
the recall of the vehicle with information included on how they
can have the problem corrected free of charge. However, the
NHTSA is not always the one who issues a recall.

Occasionally, the manufacturer realizes a problem exists in a
certain model vehicle and will voluntarily issue a recall. Of
course, the NHTSA is informed as well, and the same letter is
sent to owners of the vehicle letting them know the problem with
the vehicle and how to correct it. Many times, however, a recall
does not affect all models of a particular year. For example, if
a recall is issued on 2005 Ford Explorers more than likely it
will only affect a certain batch of these vehicles and not all
of them. However, if you own a vehicle of that make and year
then you can take it to the dealership and the service
department will run the VIN, or vehicle identification number,
to determine if in fact your vehicle is affected by the recall.
If so, then you can have the repairs made at no cost. If not,
then you can head home knowing your vehicle is safe and sound.

Just keep in mind, however, each year millions of cars are
recalled for various reasons and you should always take your car
in if you suspect the recall might apply to your vehicle or if
you receive a recall letter. Don't take your safety for granted,
especially if the repair for the recalled vehicle is free.

About the author:
Jeff Dragt runs an automotive recall website called Auto
Recalls. For more information please visit
http://www.autorecalls.org