How to Check for Recalls on Your Car
The production process of automobiles is designed to keep the possibility of defects to a minimum. Some vehicles, however, end up with some sort of defect that sneaks past the manufacturer. In some cases, the defect becomes evident soon after the vehicle is out on the road, while in other instances, the problem surfaces after years. The defect can affect the performance of the car and even increase the chance of an accident.
Once automobile manufacturers learn of a defect in their automobile, they typically announce a recall of the vehicle in order to fix the issue free of cost.
You can check if the manufacturer has become aware of a defect in your car and consequently a recall has been announced for the vehicle through a very simple method.
Things Required:
– Car manual
– Computer
– Internet connectivity
Instructions
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1
The first thing that you need to do is to ensure that your computer has an Internet connection. If it does, open the Web browser and go to the official website of National Highway Transportation Safety Administration Office of Defects Investigation. Make sure you have the car manual with you, as there is certain information that you will need like the type, year of manufacture and model number of your automobile.
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2
On the left side of the website, you will notice the navigation bar. Select “Safety recalls” from there.
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Once you are on the “Safety recalls” page, you will a number of options listed in the “Recalls” section. Select the first option, which states “Search for a recall.”
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Locate and click on the “Vehicle” button before clicking “Search Selected Type."
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You will see a drop down menu on the screen. Click the small arrow pointing downwards on its right to display more options and select the model of your car from there.
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Next, select the year in which your car was manufactured from the drop-down menu and submit the information by clicking on the “Submit Model Year” button.
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You will need to select the model of your car from another drop-down menu. Once you have made the selection, submit the information by clicking on the “Submit Model” button.
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On the next page, you will notice a small box. Click on it to check it and then click “Retrieve Recalls” to see all recall information for a vehicle.
