What you need to know if your car is under recall

No matter what you drive, you should know about them

Jan 30, 2010

Special to the Star

Vehicle safety recalls have been making headlines recently, mostly because of the large one affecting Toyota, announced this week. But no matter what you drive, you should know about recalls – how they work, what they cover, and just as importantly, what they don't.

Safety-related recalls are considered those likely to affect the safe operation of a vehicle, a tire or a child restraint without any prior warning. This includes component failures that could cause fires or loss of control, or airbags that deploy when they shouldn't. Not covered are non-safety items: squeaks and rattles, ordinary wear and tear, non-structural rust, cosmetic blemishes, air conditioners or radios that don't work, and airbags that didn't go off in low-severity, non-injury collisions.

Once a recall is issued, you should receive a notice in the mail. You can also call a dealer or the manufacturer to see if your vehicle is affected. You'll need the vehicle information number, or VIN, the 17-digit number found on your ownership, or on a plate on the dash visible through the driver's side of the windshield. Have it handy before you call.

While it can be scary to hear about a recall, it's likely that your car is fine, and it's being done as a precaution. The manufacturer has identified a group of vehicles that might have a problem, or could develop that specific problem in the future, and is inspecting or repairing all potentially affected vehicles to be sure. And not all recalls are for major problems: several have been issued for cars carrying warning labels written only in English, when bilingual labels are required by law.

If you do get a recall notice, make an appointment with a dealer for the vehicle brand. In many cases, the vehicle is inspected first, and is only repaired if it's found to contain the parts that could be at fault. If the recall specifies this, and your car doesn't have the problem, don't expect the parts to be replaced anyway. If replacement is necessary and a large number of vehicles are involved, you may have to wait for the new parts to be built and then distributed to dealers.

It's also common for only specific vehicles to be affected – they might have received a bad batch of parts, or were built before an assembly problem was detected and fixed at the factory. Because of this, it's entirely possible that your neighbour could own exactly the same year and model as your vehicle, but he gets a recall notice, and you don't. Your vehicle's VIN will positively identify it against any recalls.

While recalls cover safety defects, and are registered with Transport Canada, you may also hear about Technical Service Bulletins, or TSBs. These are internal bulletins automakers use to identify symptoms and possible causes and repairs. For example, if your car makes a specific noise when you start it, the TSB tells the technician what component to check first. The bulletins are not warranties, and you'll have to pay for the repair if the factory warranty has expired.

Transport Canada maintains an online database of recalls, and you can check to see if your model is covered, although it's likely you'll still have to check your VIN with a dealer or the manufacturer to verify if your specific vehicle is affected. Transport Canada also documents and reviews safety-related complaints from vehicle owners, and may investigate if warranted. To check for recalls or file a complaint, visit www.tinyurl.com/recall-info, or call 1-800-333-0510.

Toronto Star