I was under the impression that auto manufacturers are legally obligated to notify owners of safety-related recalls. Is this correct?

Reason I'm asking: My wife bought a 2019 Toyota RAV4. She bought it new, she is the original owner.

She is at the Toyota dealer as I write this, for regularly scheduled preventive maintenance.

When she checked in, the service writer informed her that there is a recall that requires replacing the fuel pump, a potentially dangerous situation.

I am surprised that she never received any notification of this situation from Toyota.

Not quite the same as your situation, however my vehicle was recalled for a fuel line issue. Supposedly it can crack and leak and thus cause a fire. In my case I was notified. The notification said when parts are available, I will get a second letter and at that time I can bring my vehicle in for the service. First letter was a year ago. According to the dealer, manufacturer , and others I’ve spoken to in the same affected vehicle, parts are still not available…

So I was notified, but not doing much good in my situation.

Not an expert



I believe you will get notices if the recall was ordered by the gubmint, this may have been voluntary.

Interesting. I got tons of postcards about the airbags needing replacment, even after I had them replaced. I would ask this question at the Toyota dealership. I can go online anytime and see if there any any recalls. They are posted online first.

A few years ago GM sent us probably a dozen or more postcards about the ignition switch recall on a 2006 Cadillac we inherited.

It was going to be a cheap fix for them, though. I think they were just going to plug the hole in the head of the ignition key so we couldn’t have 5 lbs of other keys hanging from the switch.

There are "TSB/service bulletins" and safety recalls. I am betting it was a service bulletin, meaning they are aware there is a problem and will fix it under warranty, but not dangerous.

The airbags on my Ford were recalled and they sent me texts, letters, and postcards till I took it in.

quote:

Originally posted by ibanda:
There are "TSB/service bulletins" and safety recalls. I am betting it was a service bulletin, meaning they are aware there is a problem and will fix it under warranty, but not dangerous.

I looked up the recall and it was listed as a safety recall. The fuel pump could have low volume and the vehicle could stall out at highway speeds.

Vtail, I assume you didn’t move since the vehicle was purchased. It could also be a USPS issue as several million of those postcard sized notices could get lost

Get an account and register your cars at Carfax. Not a scam site, but tracks your services, upcoming services, current value and recalls.

Yes, manufactures are supposed to inform you of recalls. If it's a critical safety issue they will attempt to contact you, but if you've not given them the means to do that it may be awhile. Most of these are plastered all over the evening news. So, you go in for service and they see there's something that needs attention. I've got an open issue on my wife's Avalon. Something to do with the door sticker showing a few pounds over the capacity. I'm not too interested in spending 2 hours at the dealership getting a new sticker.

quote:

Originally posted by ibanda:

There are "TSB/service bulletins" and safety recalls. I am betting it was a service bulletin, meaning they are aware there is a problem and will fix it under warranty, but not dangerous.

The service writer specifically used the words "recall" and "dangerous."

My wife waited for an hour, then they decided that they did not have all of the needed parts in stock, so they sent her home in a loaner. It was going to be a Highlander, but somebody else grabbed it, so she wound up with a Corolla.

She will need to go back for her RAV4 when they get the needed parts installed.

quote:

Originally posted by NavyGuy:

Yes, manufactures are supposed to inform you of recalls. If it's a critical safety issue they will attempt to contact you, but if you've not given them the means to do that it may be awhile.

Responding to gpbst3, nope, same address for the past 35+ years.

NavyGuy -- the dealer's sales department has no problem reaching us. They bombard us with offers to buy the vehicle back, as it is "in high demand" and very desirable, according to them. If the sales department can find us, it seems that Toyota should be able to find us for a recall notice.

I have a stack of notices for my Toyota airbag. But it's the passenger side. In the 13 years I have had the car (the longest I have ever had a vehicle), maybe three people have ridden there.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by NavyGuy:

Yes, manufactures are supposed to inform you of recalls. If it's a critical safety issue they will attempt to contact you, but if you've not given them the means to do that it may be awhile.

Responding to gpbst3, nope, same address for the past 35+ years.

NavyGuy -- the dealer's sales department has no problem reaching us. They bombard us with offers to buy the vehicle back, as it is "in high demand" and very desirable, according to them. If the sales department can find us, it seems that Toyota should be able to find us for a recall notice.

I guess it boils down to who is responsible to communicate such situations. The dealership the vehicle was purchased at? the dealership that has been servicing the vehicle? (could different then the selling dealership) Some department at the corporate headquarters? What if the vehicle has been sold several times? I'm guessing there is some central place owners can be tracked via the VIN but does that department have the resources to track down every single car and contract the correct current owner. Seems like a monumental task. I think the best bet is to log into the Dept of transportation web site now and again and see if your car is affected

Link

I received recall notices for my Lexus GS350. They came from the manufacturer. I don't know how they got my address except through the dealer or registration records.

It's not like I filled out a warranty card.

Recently, I got a safety recall for my Olight flashlight by email.

So if they do it for a flashlight, it seems reasonable a car manufacturer would do the same.

We bought a new RAV4 in 2011 and have received a few notifications about Toyota about things needing fixing. Nothing I would call major, but the dealership took care of them all. I believe they all came in the mail.

I think they satisfy the legal notification obligation if they mention it over coffee at Fran's Diner, in Poughkeepsie, but only if they have the special and split the check.

But I have been mistaken before, so don't hold me to it.

BMW calls me and sends a text.

quote:

Originally posted by NavyGuy:

What if the vehicle has been sold several times? I'm guessing there is some central place owners can be tracked via the VIN but does that department have the resources to track down every single car and contract the correct current owner. Seems like a monumental task. I think the best bet is to log into the Dept of transportation web site now and again and see if your car is affected

In this case, the car was purchased new. My wife is the original (and only) owner. No change of address, we have lived in the same house since it was built in July 1986.

Log in to DOT website to see if the car is included in the recall? How would she know to do that? She had absolutely no knowledge that a recall existed. That's what I'm bitching about. Wife took the car in for routine scheduled preventive maintenance and the service writer told her that there was a recall for a dangerous situation. That was her first clue.

I believe that Toyota should have notified her, but that never happened.

[quote]service writer told her that there was a recall for a dangerous situation.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
That is a phrase mechanics like to use. It energizes the customer. Tire places use the same line. Kind of like when your doctor says suspicious and wants to do more tests. Hope it is not a serious problem with your fuel pump.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
[quote]service writer told her that there was a recall for a dangerous situation.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
That is a phrase mechanics like to use. It energizes the customer.

A better way to "energize the customer" would be to proactively notify her about the recall, instead of mentioning it when she came in for unrelated routine service.

What is the motivation for the service writer to "energize the customer?" The recall fix is free to the customer, paid for by the manufacturer at a lower billing rate than customers pay.

Its a habit that's what they do automatically. You know when the doctor's receptionist says "Have a seat." Most service writers are robots.