Car Recalls Explained By Car Finance Expert, Graham Hill

Saturday, 27. March 2010

The recent major recall by Toyota, as a result of their brake and accelerator problems, has given rise to some knee jerk reactions amongst drivers when they now receive recall notices. As I recently pointed out, recalls are fairly common but not all faults that are in need of attention are life threatening so there is no need to stop using the car and start taking the bus to work the moment a recall notice arrives in the post. The problem arises over the mixed messages given out by manufacturers and motoring ‘experts’ when a recall is announced. When the Prius was recently recalled as a result of a possible brake fault, one solicitor told Fleet News that if you drove a car having been advised that it may be faulty you could be risking life and licence by driving it. This puts everyone in a difficult position because Toyota, when questioned about the driving of their Prius under recall, said that the cars were perfectly safe to be driven and the cars are fully insured in the event of an accident, so no reason why drivers can’t continue to drive them whilst waiting for the car to be fitted with the modification. However, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) makes the point that the driver is committing an offence if he drives a car on the road with a known fault. They then add that just because a vehicle is subject to a recall it doesn’t mean that is can’t be driven. Grrrr! There are two current recalls, one on an Audi Q5 because interior trim may become detached and another on a Vauxhall Antara because there is a risk that the steering column may become detached. You may assume that the Vauxhall recall would come with a warning that you should stop driving the car but in both cases the manufacturer has said that the cars are safe to drive. The manufacturers should give responsible advice but it is up to you whether you take it. My advice is that if you are concerned about a recall, discuss it with your dealer, check the VOSA website and get the fault repaired as quickly as you can. Maybe the bus alternative isn’t such a bad idea. By Graham Hill