It’s been a difficult — and telling — year for car manufacturers. GM officials are in court, after recalling 1.6 million compact cars for defective airbags and faulty ignition switches. Toyota recently followed suit, recalling an additional 6.4 million vehicles. With the safety of millions of automobiles in question, concern about the car you drive every day is understandable. How do you know if your vehicle is affected, and what do you do if it’s among the millions of recalled cars?
Check The Status of Your Car
There are several different ways to check to see if your vehicle is affected by recent recalls. First, if you are the original owner of your car, the dealership will most likely send you a notice in the mail. If you haven’t received a notice and believe you still may be affected, verify the status of your car on “National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) recall and defects website,” Recalls.gov, the car manufacturers’ official sites, or using Consumer Reports free online tool, ABC News recommends.
What To Do If You’re On the Recall List
If your GM or Toyota is among the recalled models, the dealership will fix it for you — for free. For some dealerships, there may be an extended wait — a few weeks up to a few months — while manufacturers ship them the parts necessary for repairs. If you feel uncomfortable driving your car in the meantime, you should be able to rent or loan a vehicle free of charge. “Regardless of whether you are the original owner or not, you still qualify for any recalls, including those that have occurred before you bought the car. The statute of limitations for all no-charge recalls is eight years from the original sale date of the vehicle,” Kelley Blue Book adds.
Are You Eligible For An Auto Accident Settlement?
If you sustained car accident injuries — or if you lost loved ones to accidental death — owing to the defective models, talk to auto accident attorneys. Although legal recourse does little to relieve grief for lost loved ones, practicalities and expenses will come up. Auto accident attorneys can advise you about injury and wrongful death settlements.
Don’t risk your safety. Make certain your car is not one of the recently recalled vehicles, and — if it is — get repairs as soon as possible. For more about this, go here.