Recent automotive recalls - is your car affected?

Hearing about a recall that affects your car is a bummer. Besides, what happens next…? Will it cost you anything to fix? Will you need to buy a whole new car altogether? You might not even be sure what a recall actually means. Let’s start at the beginning…

what are car recalls?

Recalls happen when a manufacturer or the folks at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) flag a vehicle, a car part, or a piece of kit related to driving because it poses a safety risk, or falls below the minimum safety standards.

how common are car recalls?

Car recalls are actually surprisingly common—we’re talking about millions of cars and parts every year. In 2019, around 39 million vehicles and about 14 million motor vehicle parts were recalled. The NHTSA even has a handy tool to check if your car is affected —just enter the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and hit enter.

Announcements about recalls are put out all the time, but here are five recent ones that have affected popular car models.

toyota camry

In November, the NHTSA recalled 200,000 Toyota Camry vehicles due to a problem with the braking system affecting the 2018-2019 models.

honda accord

Hundreds of thousands of Honda Accords were recalled in 2021, including the 2019-2020 model, due to a fuel pump defect that could cause the pump to crack and fail, and potentially lead to dangerous stalling.

kia soul

A problem with the airbag caused Kia to recall over 400,000 Souls, Sedonas, and Fortes in February, affecting models from 2017-2019. The fault is with the airbag control unit and could lead to non-deployment in a crash.

nissan rogue

A ton of Nissan Rogues were recalled at the start of 2022—around 700,000—due to a fire risk caused by a problem with the dashboard harness connector.

Subaru Crosstrek vehicles from 2017-2019 were recalled last April due to a faulty ignition system. The Impreza model was also affected so in total nearly half a million cars were recalled.

what happens if my car is recalled?

If it turns out that your car is affected by a recall, federal law requires that the manufacturer fix it for you. This could mean a repair, replacement, or refund. For obvious reasons (safety,) it’s super important to get the problem part sorted ASAP. Dealerships should take care of the repairs for you.

But if you have an older car, the rules are a bit different. After 15 years, manufacturers are no longer obligated to repair the car—so if something breaks, it could be up to the owner to replace. It’s always worth double checking as in some cases the dealer, or manufacturer, will still provide a recall repair service free of charge. But if not, unfortunately, the buck stops with you.

If that’s the case, it may be easier to sell your car to Peddle and buy a newer, more reliable model. Whether a major recall issue is covered by the manufacturer or not, we’d be happy to buy it.