Record-Breaking Recall Talk
This was a record year in the automobile industry… but not in a good way! There were more auto safety recalls in 2014 than ever before. Recalls topped 60 million vehicles this year, that’s one in four cars on the road in the United States were called back for a safety defect.
Here are a few of the big recalls in 2014:
1. While Takata Airbag Recall currently includes 14.6 million vehicles, if the company does cooperate with US government requests, the recall will extend to other regions of the US and include more than 80 million vehicles. Many automakers are replacing the airbags anyway.
2. General Motors recalled 2.6 million vehicles for an ignition switch defect. In the effected Saturn, Pontiac and Chevrolet models, the switch shuts off the engine and can impair the airbags from deploying.
3. Fiat Chrysler also finalized a major recall on Jeeps because of the rear gas tanks that can easily burst into flames when hit from behind. There were nearly 2.5 million cars involved in this recall.
Consumer Reports says that the enormous number of recalls does not indicate that cars are less safe than they used to be. In fact, they might be safer! What they do show is that there is much more safety scrutiny by the US Government than ever before.
Normally, an automaker will notify you via a certified letter if you own an affected vehicle. Recently, some companies have hired outside companies to track hard to find car owners down. But, if you want to check to see if your car has a recall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website tracks the announcements each day. You can look up your own vehicle using the VIN number at this website.
Here’s hoping that next year is a cleaner year for these automakers. Walker Smith Body Shop would like to wish our customers and community a Happy and safe New Year!
Walker Smith Body Shop
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