When the word recall is used in relationship with vehicles we sometimes panic. The questions arise in our minds as to why the vehicle was not sent off the production line in perfect condition and made to be the best it can possibly be? The reality is vehicles are sent of the line in great condition but there are always still questions that could arise from a vehicle as its being used. The positive side of recalls is actually two-fold; identification and repairing of the recalls to make sure vehicle owners have fewer issues in the future.
A recall of a vehicle doesn’t always mean something bad has happened, but continued studies find that specific parts could cause a problem and make vehicles unsafe. This can be as simple as a new ignition switch or as complicated as an entire onboard computer system. We all want to see vehicles come off the line at the factory ready to drive and free of recalls, but the simple fact is there are going to be errors and there are certainly some cars and their parts that end up performing differently than expected which then needs to be corrected for further use.
The communication of recalls is much better than it has ever been as more owners are able to be notified electronically and then bring their vehicles in to have the parts fixed or repaired as needed. This is really the uphill battle that automakers face is having owner actually bring their vehicles in to be repaired. With this new communication and the understanding by more owners that their vehicles are better off being fixed, we do see more vehicles make it to the repair shop to get the items fixed and replaced that need to be, giving us even more vehicles on the road that are safe.
To give some numbers to the conversation, for 2014 there was officially just below 51 million vehicles recalled and that number rose for 2015 to just over 51 million. This is across cost to 900 campaigns, which is also a record. When you think about this in terms of sales, the US consumers purchased a record number of vehicles for 2015, which means that many more vehicles had to be produced and put on the road, which may mean even more recalls in the future as these new cars spend time on the road and some parts eventually start to break down.
As the improvements continue to be made to the recall system and we continue to buy vehicles at an every-increasing record setting pace we will see more vehicles that need to be recalled, but that is still a good thing. As long as recalled vehicles are able to be repaired and then put back on the road to be safer than before the right improvements are being made. The negative only comes in when items are not identified to be recalled and those recalls that are identified do not get repaired. Don’t think negative about a recall, if you receive a notice that is a proactive action on the part of the manufacturer that can hopefully prevent problems with your vehicle in the future.
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