New Car

Car Safety Recalls

If you have a car, you probably have a safety net recall notices-mail to receive the point. Manufacturers are obliged to try to inform the owners of recalled products, as well as create a free remedy. You can choose to ignore the letter of recall - especially if it contains confusing jargon, or believe they are a little less.

But here at a news flash: in the field of security, do not remember enough. According to Rae Tyson, spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Federal Motor Vehicle that questions like, everyone recalls the serious consequences of security defects. «The deficit is a security issue, and it should be corrected,» said Tyson. «There are some worse than others, yes, but in a sense, they have the potential to cause injury or death.»

A Cautionary Tale

In 1996, Ford recalled cruise control switch for all models of its line of travel affects about 16 million vehicles on and is one of the largest vehicle safety recalls in the protocol. Although Ford sent notification letters, relatively few people actually take their cars to be corrected immediately. Tyson, NHTSA suggests that owners are likely to read that comment affected cruise control, and suggested that it was not a big problem, because their cruise control works perfectly.

But it will be a bit more attention to detail that the review was quite serious. «This problem was manifested after the car stopped, and stopped the car,» said Tyson. «Defects caused the car to catch fire.» As a result, some car owners started a fire in a garage in the middle of the night, and then have their houses on fire.

Currently, lawyers are still advertising for potential clients who are injured or lost personal property in the fires. According to the law firm Lieff said Cabras Heimann and Bernstein LLP, NHTSA has received 1,472 complaints related to the defect, including 65 fires.

Moral of this story is obvious: There are no small or insignificant safety recalls. «What is really innocent and harmless to be a real tragedy it seems», says Tyson. «And that's why people respond to remember and take their car in need immediately corrected.»

Recall Apathy

In fact, recall completion rates car owners pretty apathetic when it comes to response, recalls. In some cases, prices for the completion of repairs to recall only 20 to 40 percent.

Only outstanding success (degree-wise) was the Firestone tire recall of 2001, which was one of the most tragic events of the call-related. In this case, that the tread design error caused by layoffs in certain Firestone tires in more than 174 deaths and 700 injuries. The tragedy of the situation, so much advertising that the driver could not remember most of them took their tires to the replacement of lead.

Recall Trends

So how can you avoid the security remember? The answer is simple: you can not. There's really no rhyme or reason to vehicle recalls. For millions of cars every year built something, no matter how small or large, can not go wrong at some point.

In 2008, NHTSA Recalls 684 registered vehicles, which more than 10 million vehicles. This figure is the highest in history, although the number fluctuated around this point for several years. In 2007, there had been 587 recalled (and not only 58 vehicles recalled before), when records began in 1966. Number of vehicles affects each recall campaign also vary. Some should only contain a few hundred cars, while others, such as the Ford cruise control switch can participate millions.

There is no tendency for manufacturers and models, too. Of course, the report provides a reminder of the biggest producers, as they make more cars than for small producers. In 2008, Ford Motor Company announced 11 recalls affecting 1,604,819 vehicles. Contrary to reports, Hyundai Motor Company, much less three automakers recalls affecting 293,910 vehicles.

Note that resembles anything to do with quality. Manufactured with high quality credit rating affected, recalled as often as those with a poor quality assessment. Even expensive exotic to be safety recalls. Bentley Motors Ltd in particular, recalled that three more than 13,000 cars in 2008, while Ferrari North America Inc. reported a recall of 366 cars affected.

If A Recall Happens to You

You have received a notice of withdrawal by mail. So what now? First, make sure to read this letter carefully. At NHTSA, each letter must contain the following: suppose a description of the defect, a note on the risks and hazards, including warning signs, provided a description free repair, even if it is available and how long it will take time, as well as a description, that can make you, if the problem is not corrected within a reasonable time and without charge have.

Your next step is to take the car must be repaired, follow the instructions in the letter as soon as possible.

Moreover, not even waiting for a letter to the post office - where he can get lost or confused to get junk mail. You can check back regularly to see if it looks like a car online with NHTSA Recall search, which allows you to search the year, make and model.

back to Tips Home