What you need to know about recall notices
Some service work on your vehicle is performed at no charge to the customer
Few car owners enjoy spending money to fix or repair their vehicles. There are, however, instances where service work is performed at no charge to the customer.
Manufacturers frequently issue notices to dealerships in the form of “technical service bulletins” (TSBs), and recall notices. These are meant to address mechanical defects that come to light after a vehicle has experienced real world driving conditions.
A TSB is an advisory to new car dealer service departments, which instructs dealers about how to make the necessary repairs to vehicles, and are usually issued within two or three years after a model is released.
A TSB can relate to a wide range of non-safety items, such as hard starts, rough idles, stalling engines, rattling noises, abnormal heater performance, inoperative power door locks, etc. It could even be used to inform dealerships about new and improved parts, service manual and/or warranty updates.
When a TSB relates to your vehicle, the work is usually performed when the vehicle comes into the service department at a franchised new car dealer for any service reason or the customer comes and asks about a specific problem. This is another good reason to always have your vehicles serviced at your local new car dealership.
If a TSB has been issued for your make and model year, and your vehicle still qualifies to have the repairs made, your new car dealership will perform this repair at no charge.
The other type of notice issued by auto manufacturers is a recall notice, which is classified as safetyrelated or non safety-related. Safetyrelated items include faulty wiring, steering components, airbags and child restraints, while non safetyrelated items include air conditioning systems, rust, radios and paint blemishes. Recalls are not unique to the automobile industry. Food, furniture, children’s toys and power tools are among the many consumer items that have been recalled for safety-related issues.
No single issue determines whether a recall notice should be issued. All reports and alleged safety issues are reviewed by experienced investigators. If Transport Canada receives enough reports about an alleged defect, a formal investigation is launched.
Auto manufacturers are required by law to notify owners if their vehicle is the subject of a recall. Although manufacturers may fulfil their legal requirements in trying to contact owners, there are situations where owners don’t always get the message.
Despite the inconvenience that recalls represent to motorists, they are a fact of life and should be regarded as a good thing for the consumer.
Sometimes, recalls are issued without parts being available — they come out a reasonable amount of time later, in order to make the affected owners know about it immediately.
If you receive a recall notice for your vehicle, bring it in to your local new car dealer as soon as possible. This applies to purchased and leased vehicles. The longer you wait, the greater the risk of doing damage to the vehicle and compromising your safety.
According to Transport Canada, 22 per cent of vehicle recall fixes in Canada are never completed, and in the U.S., an estimated 25 per cent of recalled vehicles never get fixed.
You can find out about possible recall notices affecting your vehicle by contacting Transport Canada or contacting your local new car dealer. The statute of limitations for all no-charge auto recalls is eight years from the original sale date of the vehicle. If a consumer believes that a vehicle has an inherent flaw that could jeopardize the vehicle’s safety or performance, which hasn’t already been addressed, they can report it to Transport Canada (www.tc.gc.ca). This column represents the views of the TADA. Email president@tada.ca or go to tada.ca. Bob Redinger is president of the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association and is a new-car dealer in the GTA.