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Auto Recall Questions Answered AUTOMAKERS RECALL tens of millions of vehicles annually to correct faults that threaten safety. Often these issues aren’t discovered until a model has been on the road for months or even years. They can range from software problems that could cause a car to stall unexpectedly to fuel leaks that could lead to a fire. Some recalls affect millions of vehicles, while others might include only a dozen or so. But every safety recall, no matter how small it seems, is important and needs to be addressed. “A safety recall means that a problem has been identified that puts people at risk,” says William Wallace, manager of safety policy at CR. “Every recall should be taken seriously.” Below, our auto experts answer some of the most common questions about recalls and share advice on how to find out— and what to do—if a car you own or want to buy has a recall.
How Are Recalls Announced?
Are Recall Repairs Free?
Can a Car for Sale Have an Open Recall?
Should I Worry If My Car Is Recalled?
Car companies are required to send recall notices by first-class mail, but these can arrive weeks after a recall is first announced online (or may never arrive if the owner has moved). For the fastest alert, sign up for a recall reminder service—such as our Car Recall Tracker, at CR.org/carrecalls—or through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s SaferCar app. To learn whether your car has an outstanding recall, go to nhtsa.gov/recalls and enter its 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN), usually found on the driver’sside dashboard and viewable through the windshield.
Most of the time. Federal law requires all safety recall repairs to be provided free of charge up to 15 years after a car was sold to the first owner. But if your car is older than that, you’re not necessarily out of luck, Wallace says. “Automakers and dealers will often voluntarily provide a safety recall repair for free, even for cars older than 15 years, so always ask.” The automaker is not obligated to provide a loaner vehicle while the recall repair is being made, but some do anyway, when extensive work is needed. Many recall repairs can be completed in just an hour or two.
Unfortunately, yes. Federal law specifically bans the sale of new cars with open recalls, but no similar law exists to protect people who purchase used cars. Before you buy a used car, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to find out whether it has any recalls that have not been addressed. If you’re buying from a used-car dealership, ask it to remedy any open recalls before you take delivery. If you’re buying from a private seller, you might need to take the car to the dealer yourself to have the recallrelated issue repaired. If that’s the case, make sure to do it as soon as you can.
Not as long as you have the recall repair made in a timely way. “Recalls can be inconvenient, but they’re evidence that automakers and regulators are taking safety seriously, and they help keep the vehicles we’re driving as safe as they can possibly be,” says Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center. “While recalls can vary in terms of the possible risk posed, manufacturers do not issue them unless safety is somehow threatened, so you should always have the repairs made as soon as possible.”
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CR.ORG FEBRUARY 2021
ILLUSTRATION BY MATTHEW HOLLISTER
