You don't need to be a car junkie to be dismayed knowing that the car industry is currently trying to speed up replacing nearly 53 million of potentially deadly airbags worldwide. Some even suggest 2014 to be the biggest year for vehicle recalls. That's a huge number of motorists affected in other words. And unless you don't want to be the one seriously injured by the shrapnel that these faulty airbags will deploy following a crash, we at Kelly CDJR in Easton believe youve every reason to know what such a recall means for you in 2015.
What is a Car Recall
So, you may have heard of the term ôrecall but might not have been really interested to know what it actually means for you. Simply put, it's a manufacturer voluntarily calling a repair to a part or the complete vehicle given that it's not qualified for the federal safety standards, thereby threatening the safety of the public. Knowing that even the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration can issue a recall as it investigates based on the ratio of consumer claims.
What Sort of Vehicle Risk Cause an Auto Recall
Regulators or manufacturers are liable to recall a vehicle under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards if it doesn't meet the requirements on parts or equipments including airbags, warning devices, tires, seatbelts, seating, etc.
It doesn't matter if you're being told that the recall is part of some safety improvement campaign or if the effort's regional, they are essentially the one and same thing: the faulty part is going to be repaired. This covers everything from wiring that makes taillights to go out to airbags that are accidentally deployed.
What to do if Your Car's Recalled
Car recalls have become common since 1966 when the NHTSA was allowed to issue one in order to ensure both the drivers and passengers remain safe. If your car's one, youd be receiving a letter as well as monthly follow-up notifications for one-and-a-half year. What you need to do after that is to get in touch with the dealership and schedule the respective repair immediately with a service manager.
However, it's possible that the dealership is short of that replacement part and therefore unable to make the repair at the time. You may not have much of a choice except to wait, following which you may opt to continue driving your vehicle; it's unusual that the recall notice will be particular on suggesting to you not drive it and unless they do, you can enjoy your car.
But this is not to suggest that you should avoid the repairs, thinking youd save some money on it. Most people dread the situation because they aren't aware that they won't be charged the bill of repairs if the car's less than 10 years old. The NHTSA encourages other individuals driving a 10+ year old vehicle to have it repaired at their own expense. There's mobile apps and email alerts provided by the NHTSA to get updated on whether the vehicle you own or any of its components are being recalled.
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