So Your Vehicle Has a Recall? Don’t Panic, Here’s What To Know

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My Mazda CX-3 has multiple recalls. One is for the fuel pump. The other is for electronics related to the smart display or dashboard panel. In the time since that’s been discovered, by parties outside my control, I’ve received several warnings, both via email and through regular snail mail. They seem serious and scary. What do I do? I love my car, and I don’t want to send it back. I don’t want to lose out on my investment either. There’s no defined vehicle recall guide to follow in these cases.

With the recent news that over 800,000 Ford and Lincoln vehicles have been recalled, and it’s not the first time high-profile brands have been involved, it certainly seems like a dire update. Some of the models affected in that recall include the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, for brake fluid concerns, Ford Explorer and Lincoln Navigator for tail light issues, and the Ford Ranger because of airbags that may not deploy.

Recalls are usually delivered as notices, communicated by manufacturers to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That bureau, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, then posts the recall information on its site for all of us. You can look up recalls in the NHTSA’s online directory — including for vehicles, tires, car seats and various equipment.

If you've been affected or if you've received a notice about your vehicle's recall, don't panic. It’s not the end of the world. You don’t necessarily have to turn in your vehicle, and likely won’t lose it. But here’s what you should do.

Mind the Recalled Systems or Components

While recalls should always be addressed, some are much more serious and dangerous than others. For example, a recall on mission-critical parts, like something to do with the fuel pump, engine, or transmission, should be dealt with immediately. Airbag issues have to do with the safety of the vehicle, so they’re also extremely important. Niche or confined issues, like tail lights that don’t work when a trailer is attached, are really only immediate concerns if you use a trailer regularly.

You can kind of pick up on what’s important and what’s not through those examples.

So, step one is to consider and address the recalled systems or components, understand why they’re recalled, and determine their importance. If they help the vehicle run or affect your and your family’s safety, you shouldn’t drive the vehicle often unless you can get those issues fixed. Some issues may require you to find temporary transportation until technicians can remedy the problem.

How Do You Handle a Vehicle Recall?

For the most part, it’s not the entire vehicle being recalled but rather a small system, component or element of that machinery. A car is nothing more than a well-oiled machine, after all. The easiest and best way to address recalled parts is to take the vehicle back to the manufacturer through an approved location or center. That could be a local repair shop that handles a specific brand, a brand-owned dealership, or various service centers.

Most of the time, the recall notices will explain what you should do to take action. Mine, for example, for my Mazda, recommends scheduling an appointment at a local Mazda dealership to have the parts replaced. When there is a recall, usually the service and repair processes come at no cost to you.

With the Ford recalls mentioned above, you would take the affected vehicle to a Ford-approved service center to receive the appropriate fixes. With some of the recalls, the brand doesn’t expect to have a fix available until later, so if you are affected, you will receive notices around that time.

In some extremely rare cases, when the affected parts or systems are severe, you may have to turn in the entire vehicle. In these instances, manufacturers will provide you with additional instructions.

Why Aren’t Recall Issues Discovered Earlier?

Essentially, vehicle recalls are discovered months or years after hundreds or even thousands of owners have used the car. Sure, they go through rigorous safety and performance testing before being released to market. However, those testing solutions cannot capture or assess every single process, component, or system built into a vehicle with 100% certainty.

Some niche or even smaller issues will appear after many hours of use, after parts wear or break down, or after vehicle owners interact with their car in various, unique ways.

Owners make complaints to programs like the NHTSA’s reporting channels. After the agency receives “reports from a number of people about the same product,” meaning it’s repetitive, they will open an investigation into safety matters.

Some recalls are spotted earlier than others, especially when they’re easy or common to replicate. Meanwhile, some recalls aren’t spotted until years later, well after a car has been on the road for a time.

Another Time Car Scanners Come In Handy

OBD2 and advanced car scanners, like the Innova 5610, will not only return flagged diagnostic and error codes that the vehicle’s computer has recognized, but also real-time and live performance data to level up diagnostics. The real-time data can help you spot operational concerns, whether a system has declined in performance, is experiencing anomalous behavior, or is running sub-optimally and needs to be addressed.

As we’ve established, blanket recalls and performance issues that appear may not do so for a time. Worse yet, the related systems may not be flagged until enough people encounter or spot the same problems. That’s precisely why it’s important to keep up on your vehicle’s health and performance, and one of the best ways to do that is to have a scanner tool handy.

The good news is you now know that recalls can and do happen, and there’s no reason to panic if your car is affected. Just follow the instructions as provided by the recall notice, or worst-case scenario, call your local brand’s service center or dealership for more information.

If you haven’t already, you should pick up an advanced scanner for your home toolkit so that you can always assess your vehicle’s health and performance without visiting a mechanic.

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