Auto recalls may be the ānew normal.ā
Which also means that vehicle owners need to be vigilant.
After a record-setting year in 2014 ā almost 64 million vehicles in 803 campaigns ā automakers already had recalled more than 32.4 million through early August, according to a Detroit News analysis of government data and manufacturer reports.
āSeveral automakers are on pace for a record-setting number of recalls, and the total number of campaigns this year could come close to last year,ā the News reported.
Vehicle recalls include many for defective air bags.
So, then, how will you know if your vehicle has been recalled by the manufacturer?
Well, if you havenāt moved to a new address since buying your new vehicle, itās easy, because new-vehicle owners typically are notified of a recall by mail.
(Just be sure you donāt throw it out with your junk mail before looking at it!)
Just to keep things interesting, though, letās say that you have relocated since you purchased your vehicle ā or didnāt notify the manufacturer after buying it used. Then itās possible that you will not receive the aforementioned notification.
In this case, youāll need to obtain the 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN) for your vehicle. You can find that on your purchase documents, insurance card, title/registration or the VIN plate of your vehicle (found most easily on the driverās side of the vehicleās dashboard, near the windshield).
Once you have your VIN, you have several choices:
Visit the website of your vehicle manufacturer, such as General Motors, Ford, FIAT Chrysler Automobiles, Toyota and Honda.
Visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, which provides a recall look-up by VIN for most light vehicle manufacturers.
Call NHTSA at 888-327-4236. You still will need your VIN.
Download the NHTSA Safercar mobile app for iPhone or Android, so you can check your VIN on the go. This could be particularly helpful if youāre shopping for a used vehicle and would like to check for outstanding recalls.
In any case, itās important to not panic. Read the details of the notification so youāre familiar with any special instructions regarding the recall.
āThere is a new normal,ā Sean Kane, president of Safety Research and Strategies, an auto safety advocacy group, told the newspaper.
āManufacturers are becoming much more diligent about fixing things that they would have been able to get away with doing customer satisfaction or dealer bulletins that [the government] would have accepted in the past.ā
Next week, weāll tell you what to do if your vehicle has been recalled.
ā Linda Steil contributed to this post.
