Cars have never been as good as they are right now; safer, easier to drive, feature rich, amazing levels of driving feedback and (in some cases) jaw-dropping fuel economy. However, despite all of these advancements, it’s likely that future automotive historians may refer to this period as “the decade of recalls.” It seems that every other week another car manufacturer recall has been announced to fix some sort of issue, and it can be hard to keep up with the latest developments. All of this may seem overwhelming, so what do you do if you get a recall?
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A Typical Safety Recall Process
A safety recall process begins when a car manufacturer has been found to be violating the lengthy vehicle safety standards for our country. Since the recall system came into place back in 1966 around a half a billion vehicles have been recalled. Some recalls are not related to safety, but most are, and the investigations often originate from customer complaints and feedback. The issue first came into the modern public consciousness after the Takata airbag inflator and GM ignitions issues in 2015 and 2014 respectively.
How Do You Know if Your Car Has a Recall?
Every car has a Vehicle Identification Number or VIN that is located on a plate somewhere in your car. This number can be entered into an online recall search tool to find out if your car has a recall that needs to be fixed. If a recall is issued the car manufacturer will attempt to track down the owners, but this may not always be possible. After all, people buy cars from private buyers, and they can change their addresses without informing their dealership. If the company can arrange a fix, they will, but increasingly we’re seeing repurchases up to a “reasonable allowance” to include depreciation. Many people use a car recall service to help them during the recall, and certain services and dealers may even offer a loan car to keep customers on the road during a repair.
What Do You Do if You Get a Recall Notice?
A recall notice will arrive from the manufacturer of your car via mail. If you get one of these letters, read it straight away and find out if there is a fix available. If there is, call your local AHG Auto & Tyre Service Centre and explain the situation to them in detail. Schedule an appointment as soon as you can as you may be driving around in an unsafe car. If the dealership can’t or won’t help, get in touch with your manufacturer and ask for advice. The recall notice will have a customer service number that you can call but have your VIN on hand because they will ask for it before they can offer any help. A safety recall is effective for the life of your car or associated equipment. The only exceptions are tyres. If you get a recall related to tyres the repairs must be completed within 180 days of the recall notification.
If you need a recall service for your car get in touch with us here at AHG Auto & Tyre Service for expert help and advice.
