I have a recall notice (actually 2) on one of my vehicles but the manufacturer says that parts are not available to address the issue. It has been almost 12 months since the initial notice was received and still no pats are avaiable to address the recall issue. While manufacturers may be required to issue the recall notices there sems little requirement or at least followup to verify they complete the corrections stated in the recall.
If the company sends a recall notice today but doesn’t have parts to fix the issue until 2 years from now you’re going to refuse to allow me to renew my registration on that vehicle for something completely out of my control?
While the initial proposal may ‘sound’ good, its like most everything else that is ‘feel good’ law – the unintended consequences will be exponential. Now if you couple this with another law that says a manufacturer must actually complete the recall repair with X days of the notice being sent then we can talk. If X days is missed then the manufacturer should have to pay both the government and the customer.
I ran into a similar problem with my Honda. I made an appointment, arrived, waited and then after an hour was told they didn’t have the right part. I was called 6 months later that the part arrived. Made another appointment, arrived, waited and then after almost two hours was told it wasn’t the correct part. What’s a consumer to do?
This proposal seems good on paper, but it is smoke and mirrors.
What I’ve seen handling defect claims:
1) Manufacturers intentionally try to limit the recalled vehicles on their report. There are other model/years that have the same defect as a recall but are not added to the list.
2) Notifying an owner is a nightmare: If you’re not the original owner–you most likely won’t get a recall notice, because the manufacturer doesn’t have you listed in their system. If you *are* the original owner, but have moved, you still may not get a recall notice.
3) Getting a recall notice and having it fixed are two wildly separate things. There are several recalls currently extant that have “no remedy yet.” Or the shop is out of the required part, and it could take several months to get it. Which leads to…
4) Repair shops saying they completed the recall, but actually didn’t do a damned thing. Doesn’t stop them from billing the manufacturer for the recall work though. And when the defective part fails, and you’re suddenly wondering why your car is on fire/ina a ditch/you’re bleeding out, etc. the manufacturer will state that you had the recall repaired, so it couldn’t have been that. Murky legal waters ahead for anyone in that position.
It’s a more complex issue than Honda would like to make everyone think.
While I understand the issues with the manufacturers reporting and not having parts, realize that this is a product of the litigiousness of our society. They are trying to limit liability. Nissan (I have two) has always repaired any defects (free of charge) on my autos without a recall. My old Nissan (2001) had $1800+ in repairs with no charge and that was not a recalled issue. I called them recently on my two vehicles and was lucky in that my vehicles did not have the Takata airbags. I guess we must do a lot of homework before buying. Look at multiple vehicles and never buy on the first trip. After finding what you like, we will have to do research (a lot of it and this includes me) before buying.
The most common sense proposal I have heard to date, which tells me politicians won’t allow it to go through
I have a recall notice (actually 2) on one of my vehicles but the manufacturer says that parts are not available to address the issue. It has been almost 12 months since the initial notice was received and still no pats are avaiable to address the recall issue. While manufacturers may be required to issue the recall notices there sems little requirement or at least followup to verify they complete the corrections stated in the recall.
If the company sends a recall notice today but doesn’t have parts to fix the issue until 2 years from now you’re going to refuse to allow me to renew my registration on that vehicle for something completely out of my control?
While the initial proposal may ‘sound’ good, its like most everything else that is ‘feel good’ law – the unintended consequences will be exponential. Now if you couple this with another law that says a manufacturer must actually complete the recall repair with X days of the notice being sent then we can talk. If X days is missed then the manufacturer should have to pay both the government and the customer.
I ran into a similar problem with my Honda. I made an appointment, arrived, waited and then after an hour was told they didn’t have the right part. I was called 6 months later that the part arrived. Made another appointment, arrived, waited and then after almost two hours was told it wasn’t the correct part. What’s a consumer to do?
This proposal seems good on paper, but it is smoke and mirrors.
What I’ve seen handling defect claims:
1) Manufacturers intentionally try to limit the recalled vehicles on their report. There are other model/years that have the same defect as a recall but are not added to the list.
2) Notifying an owner is a nightmare: If you’re not the original owner–you most likely won’t get a recall notice, because the manufacturer doesn’t have you listed in their system. If you *are* the original owner, but have moved, you still may not get a recall notice.
3) Getting a recall notice and having it fixed are two wildly separate things. There are several recalls currently extant that have “no remedy yet.” Or the shop is out of the required part, and it could take several months to get it. Which leads to…
4) Repair shops saying they completed the recall, but actually didn’t do a damned thing. Doesn’t stop them from billing the manufacturer for the recall work though. And when the defective part fails, and you’re suddenly wondering why your car is on fire/ina a ditch/you’re bleeding out, etc. the manufacturer will state that you had the recall repaired, so it couldn’t have been that. Murky legal waters ahead for anyone in that position.
It’s a more complex issue than Honda would like to make everyone think.
While I understand the issues with the manufacturers reporting and not having parts, realize that this is a product of the litigiousness of our society. They are trying to limit liability. Nissan (I have two) has always repaired any defects (free of charge) on my autos without a recall. My old Nissan (2001) had $1800+ in repairs with no charge and that was not a recalled issue. I called them recently on my two vehicles and was lucky in that my vehicles did not have the Takata airbags. I guess we must do a lot of homework before buying. Look at multiple vehicles and never buy on the first trip. After finding what you like, we will have to do research (a lot of it and this includes me) before buying.