What Do Recalls Mean to You?
Even though today's vehicles are precision-engineered modes of transportation, problems sometimes crop up after they've entered the real world. About 10.5 million cars were recalled in 2006, and in 2007, manufacturers recalled about 14 million vehicles. If your car is recalled this year, there are some things you should know.
Voluntary and Involuntary Recalls
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are two general types of recalls: voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary recalls are initiated by the automaker, while involuntary recalls are issued by NHTSA and are often triggered by safety-related complaints from consumers. At this point, NHTSA will ask the automaker to fix the problem.
Car owners will usually receive a letter from the manufacturer alerting them to a recall, according to NHTSA, but automakers have developed additional ways to notify consumers. Alan Adler, GM's manager of product safety communications, says owners of GM vehicles can sign up at MyGMLink.com to get recall information; if your car has OnStar, you can then make an appointment to get the recall addressed.
If My Car is Recalled, Will it Cost Me Anything?
No matter how high-tech the assembly process is, it's still possible for there to be defects in any new car.
The cost of a recall falls to the manufacturer, said Joan Claybrook, president of nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. If a dealership attempts to charge you for work done to address a recall, "first of all, [you] should refuse to pay," Claybrook said. She said the next step is to seek out the person in charge at the dealership. If that fails, a call to the manufacturer's corporate offices is warranted, she said.
"Sometimes when manufacturers notify people, they don't have the parts for six months," Claybrook said. "I believe that it's very, very important for the parts to be available right away. Consumers should be demanding."
Recalls involving a large number of vehicles can take additional time. When GM recalled more than 4 million pickup trucks to replace tailgate cables, "we did a phased plan, four phases," Adler said. "We always encourage customers to call and make an appointment. Dealers are individual business people, so they're all going to do it different."
Is a Technical Service Bulletin the Same as a Recall?
Technical Service Bulletins are different from recalls in that they're issued by a manufacturer to its service personnel to address a consumer complaint, according to NHTSA. Adler said TSBs can be issued for all types of things, and it's often up to the dealer to decide whether or not the consumer has to pay for any work suggested in a TSB. "Dealers always have discretion," he said. "They have a certain amount of leeway."
Participate in the Process
If you've had a problem with your vehicle that you think warrants a safety recall, you can file a complaint with NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation or search the agency's recall database to see if your car has been recalled.
