Are You At Risk? - It Could Be Dangerous If You Don't Recall
Have you ever gotten a letter in the mail about your vehicle having a recall? You think to yourself oh it's just junk mail and trash it. But what if that letter was legitimate and your vehicle needed a recall because of an issue with the seatbelts or airbags?
If you ignored that letter, you could be putting yourself and your family at risk in the event of an accident. So what is a recall and why do automakers issue them?
If an automaker discovers a safety issue, it will report the problem to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NHTSA investigates the issue and if it finds the problem poses a safety risk, it can order the automaker to issue a recall.
Do You Have To Pay For Recall Repairs Yourself?
Another reason people ignore recall letters is because they think they will have to pay for the repairs themselves. But that is not the case, automakers have to foot the bill for all recall-related repairs.
If you get a recall letter in the mail, don't ignore it. Bring your vehicle to a dealer and get it fixed as soon as possible. It could end up saving your life.
Do Recalls On Cars Affect Trade In Value?
According to Motor Biscuit
"A dealer may choose to offer you less for a trade-in with an open recall. But a savvy shopper can have most recalls rectified before trading. This way, recalls won’t hurt the used car’s value. Sometimes, a resolved recall can improve the value of a vehicle on the used car market. However, owning a car with a recent recall that the manufacturer has not yet solved may trap you with a low trade-in value for several months"
Regardless of how a recall notice affects your trade in value, you should still get the recall repaired as it could be a serious safety issue.
How to Check If Your Car Has a Recall
The best way to find out if your car has a recall is to enter your VIN (vehicle identification number) on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website.
