Recall

Here’s how to check if your car has a recall

By Michael J. Moody 1 year ago
Car Dealership's Service Center

Don Mason/Getty Images

Car recalls happen far more often than you may realize, and the truth is, your car may be part of one at any moment. Whether you purchased a car new or used, owned it for months or years, open recalls happen all the time — and you’re entitled to a repair for your car, truck or SUV. Automakers are required by law to send out recall alerts to owners, including via mail, email and sometimes over the phone, but these notices can be pretty easy to miss. Thankfully, keeping tabs on open recalls is actually a very simple process.

If you’re wondering if your vehicle is part of a recall, read on to follow the simple steps to check.

1. Locate your VIN

Your unique 17-character vehicle identification number, or VIN, can be found in a number of places on your vehicle. Think of it like your

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GM Hesitant on Truck Brake Lines Despite Massive Recall Campaign

By Michael J. Moody 1 year ago

Under scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Congress, and the car-buying public, General Motors has issued an unprecedented number of recalls in 2014, now affecting nearly 26 million vehicles. But Bloomberg reports the company has been hesitant to take action on a safety issue that has been under investigation by NHTSA since 2011. The agency received reports of brake line corrosion and failure in ’99-’03–model fullsize trucks and SUVs. A total of 1.8 million vehicles could be potentially affected. The agency has received reports of 26 crashes, three injuries, and 10 instances where the vehicle had to be steered off the road or into another lane to avoid a collision.

According to the report, GM offers a repair kit for the brake lines available to both dealerships as well as independent repair shops. The repair typically costs $500. GM says regular inspection of the brake lines is

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Buying a Car That Comes from Canada Sounds Fun, Until There’s a Recall

By Jaime E. Love 2 years ago

From Car and Driver

  • Local TV station KEYT in California helped the owner of a Mercedes C63 AMG S, which originated in Canada, get needed recall work done.
  • At first, the owner was told the dealer wouldn’t touch the recall work, since the car has a Canadian VIN, and that he should take it to Canada for service.
  • The Mercedes dealer did update the car’s software in the end, but this dilemma points out that gray-market vehicles can cause their owners some red tape.

Importing a car means bringing roughly equal amounts of excitement and challenge across the border. When the car in question is a Canadian 2015 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG S, or any other car that originated in Canada and is being brought into the United States, it might come with enough automotive cooties that your local dealer may be hesitant to work on it.

That’s what happened

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