If you have owned several cars, it is likely that you have gotten an auto recall notice in the mail before. It is tempting to toss that auto recall notice in the trash with the junk mail, but experts advise against ignore the recall notice.
First, an auto recall happens when an auto manufacturer or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determines that there is a major safety issue with a vehicle that might pose a safety hazard.
In some cases, an automaker may conduct a customer satisfaction campaign to repair problems that are not related to safety. these might include problems with paint or a bug with the infotainment system. These issues, however, are unrelated to safety, so they are not actually termed ‘recalls.’
Also, those types of repairs do not involve any involvement by the federal government.
You should know that if an auto manufacturer or the NHTSA has issues an official recall notice for your vehicle, it has been determined that there is a potential safety hazard that must be addressed on your vehicle. It is unwise to ignore the recall for this reason.
Our View
The above article sums up the matter well: You should never ignore an auto recall notice sent to you by the auto manufacturer or auto dealership. If they went to the trouble to issue the recall, there is a very good reason for doing so.
First of all, the company does want to look after the safety of its customers and to keep them happy. But also, if there is hazard with a vehicle that leads to an injury or death, the auto manufacturer is protecting its interests by issuing the recall.
Let’s say for example that there is an auto recall on your car that involves the brakes. There is a critical component, such as a brake line, that needs to be upgraded and replaced because the line can deteriorate over time, which can lead to a loss of brake fluid.
If that problem happens, there is an injury, and you failed to take the car in to get the recall item fixed, this could complicate matters in a personal injury lawsuit.
Normally, if it is found that the auto manufacturer and/or the part manufacturer produced a product that led to an injury, they can be held liable in a personal injury suit. By not getting the recall item repaired, this opens the possibility of reduced compensation.
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