A vehicle recall means that an automaker calls on a range of products with the intention to fix some minor manufacturing defects, replace a certain component which may not meet federal safety standards, or eliminate other glaring safety-related issues. Basically, a recall can be initiated for numerous reasons.
Depending on the root of the problem, all car and motorcycle recalls are split up into two categories: safety and non-safety recalls. Safety recalls are highly important as they relate to our safety and lives. It covers issues such as defective wheels, gas pedal sticking or breaking, broken seats as well as other loss of critical components that break down or separate that result in loss of control or cause of serious injuries to passengers or others. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) operates vehicle safety recalls and controls the manufacture remedy performance. Annually, billions of vehicles are returned and repaired for free due to various safety issues.
Meanwhile, non-safety recalls are out of NHTSA administration which means the government isn’t authorized to bind the manufacturer to provide a free remedy if the defect does not pose any risks. However, particular elements may still affect overall vehicle safety. Therefore, car owners can always apply for a remedy in a local official dealership.
Some cases which be categorized as non-safety recall:
- Excessive gas consumption;
- Failure of air conditioner or radio components;
- Untimely and frequent wear of equipment such as shock absorbers, accumulators, exhaust and braking systems;
- Various exterior blemishes such as rust, poor paint, etc.
The non-safety related recalls are important actions towards vehicles that may even help to identify safety-related problems in time. For that reason, we recommend performing a vehicle technical inspection once a year.
If you plan to purchase a used vehicle, be sure to check for recalls prior to completing your sale. A VIN Report, like those provided by ClearVin, in addition to title information and sales history, includes detailed recall descriptions. Also, you can check your car for open recalls by year, make and model for free. If you proceed with the purchase of a used vehicle, contact the vehicle manufacturer to sign up for any future recalls. To reveal a list of the previous car recalls, use a VIN decoder from ClearVIN and protect yourself from fraudulent deals. For business representatives, we offer a car dealer report to meet bulk access needs.
