Your Turn To Drive's panel of experts discuss What Does It Mean To Have A Vehicle Recall.  In this video, Jim Dykstra of www.vinadvisor.net, Joe Webb of www.DealerKnows.com and Shawn Ryder of www.D2CMedia.ca talk about it.

Jim
My take is that we address where to find info and how to understand it, when and how to get it fixed and what responsibilities we have to disclose if we sell our car.
The first thing you should is to check for open recalls on your car. Visit the NHTSA Recalls to check the status of your vehicles. Their 3 definitions are:

1. No Open recalls: no open recalls; can mean none or car already fixed.
2. Incomplete – no remedy: your car has an open recall but there is no approved fix or repair yet
3. Incomplete – there is an open recall and a fix, you should take your car to the dealership

Now you can begin to consider what it means when you have an incomplete recall of any kind.

Joe
An owners' initial thoughts regarding a vehicle recall is usually centered around questions such as:
                •              How severe is it?
                •              Is there a safety risk for me/my family?
                •              Will the dealership cover all of the costs?
                •              How long will it take to fix?
                •              How will I find the time to take care of this?
If the issue is large, the owner may be less likely to stay with the brand. Conversely, the dealership can restore faith in a brand by giving them a solid recall repair experience.

Shawn
When it comes to recalls - from a customer perspective:

• How long will this take?
• Do they have required parts in stock? If they knew it was coming, would be prepared, right??
• Will it mean more than one visit? Can I visit any dealer or where I purchased it?
• What if I had a bad experience at the _____ dealership? Do I need to go there?

Jim
My next point:
 There are a few questions we consistently hear from consumers regarding recalls, especially those that appear to be minor, is do I even need to bother fixing it?
It will best serve you over the long-haul to fix all open recalls.
Make a point to get your next LOF at the dealership so they can repair any open recalls.
Why do I need to?
Don’t assume. What may appear minor to you at the time could be consequential

Your family’s safety. How would you feel if ignoring a recall contributed to an accident somewhere further down the road?
Risk. If you have been notified about the recall & don’t fix it in a timely matter, you could expose yourself to expensive litigation if you are involved in an accident or sell the car and the buyer has an accident.

Joe
Many dealers miss the opportunity to position themselves as a trusted source for this type of information. By doing so, they can strengthen customer relationships while building their marketing efforts as well. Core marketing elements should be part of their activities, such as:
                •              Easy access to recall notices/info via blog pages or NHTSA links
                •              Recall Videos
                •              CRM/email announcements/follow-up campaigns
                •              Lead magnets on their website to help build their marketing lists EX: "Get notified if your vehicle has a recall" (Great for non-customers)
                •              Simple social notifications via FB or twitter - new recalls/recall updates

Shawn
From a dealer perspective:

• Will the parts be easily available?
• How long will they take to repair?
• Is it something that will cause customers to be upset? or even irate over the issue? (that we have no control over)
• How can use the recalls to build rapport with customers? ultimately how sell required services?