Recalls cost manufactures billions of dollars each year and put consumers at risk for not only lost time, but more importantly the risk of lost life. According to the National Highghway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 42,000 Americans lose their lives to unsafe vehicles each year. The economic loss to society is estimated at more than $150 billion.
How a Recall Works
Usually a recall is a legal demand by the Federal Government to have a manufacturer provide specific repairs to a particular make and model of vehicle that does not meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. These repairs can only be safety related. Non safety defects are not included.
- Types of safety defects
- Types of non-safety defects
[/ul It is the manufacturer's responsibility to contact all owners by first class mail. Recalls don't expire, so the manufacturer is always responsible to repair, replace or repurchase the defective vehicle, even if the car was bought pre-owned. However, there is an exception to the automaker's responsibility: they are not required to repair defects for free if they are first discovered more than 8 years after the vehicle was made -- thus protecting manufacturers from having to repair old cars for which the safety technology did not exist at the time it was built. But once there is a recall, it stays in effect forever.