Are automotive recalls ever closed???

[Drew99GT]

I have a friend who bought an 08 Pontiac G8 GT that has 5 recalls according to the NHTSA website, one of which is for defective power steering that her car has. A local dealer refuses to acknowledge these recalls and says according to their system, the recalls are "closed". I called them today and the service writer continues to claim this and I said that is an outright lie and preposterous and that my friend demands these recalls be performed when parts are available, and they basically said to pound sand. i can not find anywhere online about recalls being "closed".

What are the options? Sue?

I have had it up to my eyeballs with General Motors and their [censored] cars, and now that they are recalling almost everything they've made in the last 10 years, their dealers are giving people the run around.

 

[Bud_One]

Have they tried another dealer ?

 

[Cardenio327]

Yes. The manufacturer makes a reasonable effort to contact all of the owners of the affected cars. If the owners don't find out or don't take advantage of the recall, after a certain time period the recall is closed. If the owners still want the repair done, it will be on their own dime.

 

[exranger06]

I don't know about GM, but I know Ford is good with honoring old recalls (maybe I have a good dealer?). Back in 2006, I brought my 1994 Explorer in for a recall that was issued about 7 years prior. They did it without any hassle. EDIT: I just remembered: The dealer actually contacted Ford corporate to see if they would approve the repair. Ford corporate approved it, and the dealer fixed it for free.

About 4 months ago, I brought my 1994 Bronco (that's a 20 year old vehicle!) in for the cruise control recall that was issued about 14 years ago. Again, no problem. A few weeks after I had it done, I actually received a letter in the mail from Ford corporate urging me to bring it in. I guess it takes a while for them to update their records.

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: Bud_One
Have they tried another dealer ?


That is next.

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: Cardenio327
Yes. The manufacturer makes a reasonable effort to contact all of the owners of the affected cars. If the owners don't find out or don't take advantage of the recall, after a certain time period the recall is closed. If the owners still want the repair done, it will be on their own dime.


They are not listed as closed on the NHTSA website. They are new recalls.

 

[mcrn]

I have heard that there is a time frame on things like this. I had a Yukon that had a recall on the dash gauges and there was a mileage frame that it had to fail in to get it replaced. That is a little different I guess in that if it doesn't fail within that time frame I guess its safe to assume you got a good one.

 

[Oil Changer]

Nothing is absolute. I bought an 1999 last December. Took it to the dealer for a "safety inspection". There were FOUR recalls. They took care of all four, no charge, no questions.

OP, go to a different dealer.

Originally Posted By: Cardenio327
Yes. The manufacturer makes a reasonable effort to contact all of the owners of the affected cars. If the owners don't find out or don't take advantage of the recall, after a certain time period the recall is closed. If the owners still want the repair done, it will be on their own dime.

 

[exranger06]

Originally Posted By: mcrn
I have heard that there is a time frame on things like this. I had a Yukon that had a recall on the dash gauges and there was a mileage frame that it had to fail in to get it replaced. That is a little different I guess in that if it doesn't fail within that time frame I guess its safe to assume you got a good one.

That sounds more like a TSB to me, not a recall. If a manufacturer issues a TSB for a part, they may extend the warranty on that part. But if it's out of the warranty period, the customer must pay to have it fixed.

 

[Bud_One]

I worked at a dealer service dept from 1995 thru 2006 - I remember even in 2005 that we performed many recalls on seats for 1993/1994 GMC trucks with bolts breaking. A campaign is what they call them. I'd call another dealer to set the record strait.

 

[hypervish]

I had no idea that recalls had a time limit. I've been fortunate enough to not have any real recalls on any of my current cars.

 

[mcrn]

Originally Posted By: exranger06

I have heard that there is a time frame on things like this. I had a Yukon that had a recall on the dash gauges and there was a mileage frame that it had to fail in to get it replaced. That is a little different I guess in that if it doesn't fail within that time frame I guess its safe to assume you got a good one.

That sounds more like a TSB to me, not a recall. If a manufacturer issues a TSB for a part, they may extend the warranty on that part. But if it's out of the warranty period, the customer must pay to have it fixed. [/quote


You are probably right!

 

[Drew99GT]

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallprocess.cfm

"Yes. There is a limitation based on the age of the vehicle. In order to be eligible for a free remedy, the vehicle cannot be more than 10 years old on the date the defect or noncompliance is determined. Under the law, the age of the vehicle is calculated from the date of sale to the first purchaser. For example, if a defect is found in 2003 and a recall ordered, manufacturers are required to make the correction available at no charge only for vehicles purchased new in 1994 through 2003. However, consumers should realize that even though manufacturers are not obligated to remedy safety defects in older cars, a safety problem might still exist. If you receive notification of a defect on a vehicle older than 10 years, take the responsibility to have your car repaired at your own expense – and eliminate unnecessary safety risks."

That to me means recalls are unlimited if the defect is found within 10 years of manufacture date. I also found some things online that says Federal State of Limitations is for 8 years after a recall is announced. All the recalls on her car were announced this year.

 

[IndyIan]

On my Tracker, the front sub frame recall was limited to 10 years, or 240,000km after the purchase date, which was clearly stated in the letter they sent me. Most recalls I've read don't state a time limit though.

 

[Wolf359]

Depends on the recall. Some are open ended and some have deadlines of either time or mileage.

 

[bdcardinal]

There are some recalls with a time limit.

Now the recalls on this vehicle may have already been performed which would show as being closed. I had a shop call saying they sent a customer over because that NHTSA webpage showed a recall on a part for their customer's car. I ran the VIN on OASIS and the recall had already been performed so it was closed and would no longer be honored.

 

[Nick1994]

My great aunt has a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. She bought it from a Hyundai dealer in California in 2011 but she took it in to an Arizona Hyundai dealer for an oil change last month nth and they did some recall repairs. One of the recalls was from 2005 (car was bought brand new in 2005 apparently) it was a recall for the seatbelt could bump into the seat recliner handle.

 

[OneEyeJack]

Go to the safercar.gov website to register your VIN and determine what recalls apply to your vehicle. They can answer the question about a recall being active.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

At my job, we had a recall.

had to replace 60,000 pairs of assemblies. We ramped up all summer running 3 shifts/ 6 days a week to build the parts that needed replacing.

What I though was strange, is the records/logs will be kept for TWENTY years.
That is a long time.

 

[2oldtommy]

IMO your Pontiac G8 is not over the age limit to have either a recall or a TSB completed. Certain dealers were appointed as service centers for Pontiac (as well as Saturn) to have factory recalls, etc. completed. Find the appointed dealer in your area and I am sure you will be treated in a professional way. FWIW

Oldtommy