Auto Recalls Continue To Hit All-Time Highs
Brian O Sutter
Recalls
Since 2011, the number of vehicles affected by auto-recalls has been increasing. Although this may sound concerning, it’s actually indicative of awareness by drivers, auto manufacturers, and government officials, who have then taken steps to correct potentially fatal mistakes. However, there are a number of vehicles in the United States that have been subject to recall, but have gone unrepaired. As a result, auto companies have recently begun making efforts to reach out to affected customers.
Auto Recalls At An All-Time High
In 2011, there were 13.6 million vehicles in the United States impacted by auto recalls. This year, there have been 53 million vehicles involved in 927 recalls, although most of that is thanks to the Takata airbag recall. The Takata recall is responsible for 42 million recalls, impacting 19 automakers.
Unfortunately, recent statistics have indicated that nearly a third of vehicles on American roads have been a part of a recall but have gone unrepaired, even though auto recall repairs do not cost the driver anything. There are a number of reasons why this may be the case. Some drivers may openly ignore the recall, but most are unaware that a part of their vehicle has been involved in a recall.
Some Companies Will Go Out Of Their Way To Inform You
There are some automakers that have been going out of their way to inform drivers of recent auto recalls. Honda Motor Company has taken innovative approaches to reach customers who have been affected by the Takata recall, which involved faulty airbag inflators.
Honda immediately focused on building an inventory surplus of new inflators. Generally, auto recalls can take months to complete because there is a shortage of replacement parts. Honda was aggressive contacting other suppliers to build a replacement supply.
What’s most impressive about this is the fact that Takata previously had a stronghold on the inflator market. In order to build a supply to complete the recall for impacted vehicles, Honda had to ensure that other companies would ramp up their manufacturing output.
Additionally, last summer Honda requested that the Florida Division of Motor Vehicles send letters to all Honda owners in their database, urging them to have a repair completed. Honda had the letters sent from the imprimatur of the state because they felt more drivers would take the recall seriously.
Utilizing Motor Vehicle Administration databases seems like a logical step to gain access to vehicle information.
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently offered a grant that would allow state departments to contact customers when there is an open recall with a registered vehicle. Unfortunately, only Maryland applied for the grant.
Honda has also made efforts to reach second or third-generation owners of older vehicles. They have offered events that doubled as free vehicle emissions tests and have sent “recall pit crews” door-to-door in search of owners of used Hondas. Honda has also worked with insurance companies to repair vehicles that have been affected.
Honda’s Efforts Are A Start
The efforts that Honda has taken is not to say the company is completely without fault. Some had accused Honda of ignoring, or at the very least denying, the Takata problem when it was presented to them. If they had addressed the issue when it was first brought to their attention, they would not have had needed to take such drastic measures now. It took Honda nearly five years to upgrade a repair campaign to a widespread recall. Honda has blamed this problem on poor information from Takata.
Regardless, the fact that Honda has gone out of their way to correct the problem and keep drivers safe is a blessing for those impacted by the recall. There’s no telling how many injuries or fatalities were prevented because of Honda’s recent aggressiveness correcting the problem. Of the 18 deaths that have occurred due to Takata airbags, 17 have occurred in Honda vehicles. Those that drive Hondas are obviously more susceptible to injury, which Honda has been trying to prevent.
This situation is unique because there has never been an American recall that has affected so many vehicles, nor has been there a recall that involved so much risk to drivers. Although it’s a situation that has previously been unseen, some positive could come from the way Honda has made efforts to handle the situation over the past few months.
Honda could have set a good example for future recalls. As Honda was ramping up their recall efforts, Ford Motor Company was in the middle of having a delay request rejected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Companies have tried to delay auto recalls in the past to protect their bottom line or to protect against bad publicity. Hopefully, Honda’s recent efforts show that a company can be proactive and accountable for faulty parts while attempting to offer a quick solution to the problem.