Do any of the recent vehicle recalls affect your safety on the road?
Safety is likely your first concern when you get behind the wheel. You fasten your seat belt, check your mirrors and monitor the traffic around you so that you don’t contribute to a crash. You likely think of other drivers as the biggest source of risk on the road, and often that is true.
However, for a percentage of drivers, the danger they face stems not from driving habits but rather mechanical issues with their vehicles. There have already been multiple major recalls in 2021 involving popular vehicles.
These vehicle recalls can stem from issues ranging from defective airbags to wiring issues that cause fires when the vehicles aren’t in use. How do you know if a recall has affected your vehicle?
You can check online or reach out to the dealership
There are online resources that can quickly help you determine whether your vehicle is among those involved in a current recall. Manufacturers are usually clear about what models are involved. They can often limit recalls to specific production batches of vehicles or components that turn out to be flawed.
If you look online and you aren’t completely certain whether your vehicle is part of a recall or not, the simplest solution may be to reach out to the dealership where you bought the vehicle. They will likely be the ones helping coordinate any necessary repairs or part replacements involved in the recall anyway.
A recall can’t undo the damage caused
Many automotive recalls are voluntary, meaning manufacturers initiate them because they recognize a production issue or discover that design flaws or specific components make the vehicles more dangerous than they anticipated.
Recalls are often not instantaneous; consumers can still get hurt even after a recall starts. Even if someone knows they need to fix their vehicle, there could be a long wait for an appointment to have replacement parts installed, and the faulty component could fail during that waiting period.
If a manufacturer fails to take timely action, doesn’t notify appropriate parties or doesn’t recall a vehicle before someone gets hurt, those affected by defective components in the vehicles or bad design may be able to take legal action against the manufacturer of the defective part or the vehicle itself.