Is your recalled vehicle safe to drive?

Airbags are back in the news, with Honda announcing yet another round of recalls to replace defective Takata inflators.

If there’s one thing consistent with recalls, it’s the fact that required parts are almost always in short supply.

Another common situation is when Transport Canada or the U.S. NHTSA publicizes campaigns long before dealerships receive any notifications on repairs and required parts.

This latter frustration — on the part of both consumers and dealers — often stems from government mandates to notify the public as soon as the problem is identified, even if a repair strategy hasn’t been developed.

But if your vehicle is the subject of a recall, should you be driving it?

There are several different types of recalls. They range from government-ordered safety callbacks to cosmetic or non-safety campaigns. Fortunately, most automakers seldom wait for a government order to rectify any safety defects. In order to receive recall notifications, your automaker has to have your contact information on file.

For owners who purchased their vehicles new from an authorized dealer, this isn’t much of a concern, but if you bought yours used, you need to get those files updated.

Usually all this takes is a phone call to an automaker’s customer service line, plus a scan and email of the ownership papers. This doesn’t cost anything. If you don’t do this, you’re very likely to miss out on critical information as recalls seem to be issued at higher rates every year.

You can get instant updates on outstanding recalls for almost any vehicle by logging on to its manufacturer’s website and plugging in your VIN. Transport Canada also maintains a recall database online.

When replacement parts are required but unavailable, some recalls will include instructions on precautions that drivers can take while they wait. For example, on certain recent airbag recalls involving passenger-side front inflators, some automakers just recommended not using the passenger seat, which is not terribly helpful for owners who ferry around more than just themselves.

But only in rare circumstances, when the risk of a safety-related failure is high, will an automaker recommend not driving a vehicle at all, and will offer alternate transportation. In these cases, required parts are often expedited with little delay. For the majority of cases, though, car owners are expected to accept any risk and continue to operate their ride.

In cases where parts are delayed, it’s best to work with your original dealer, if at all possible.