What to Do If You Receive a Safety Recall for Your Car
Car safety recalls happen more often than we think. In 2024, over 21 million vehicles in the U.S. were recalled due to 635 separate issues that posed safety risks. In 2024, Ford Motor Company issued a recall for over 77,000 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs from the 2018–2020 model years due to defective seatbelt pretensioners in the driver and front passenger seats. The pretensioner, a critical safety component designed to tighten the seatbelt during a crash, may inadvertently deploy under certain conditions. This can result in:
Cause the seatbelt to lock in place, preventing it from retracting or extending
Reduced ability to protect occupants during an actual collision.
system, which can lead to excessive vacuum and cause the plastic fuel tank to malfunction
Ford attributes the issue to internal corrosion caused by excess humidity, potentially linked to water leakage from the air conditioning system.
Why Do Recalls Happen?
Vehicles are serious machines. They weigh thousands of pounds and can be deadly when they don’t work properly.
How Will You Be Notified of a Vehicle Recall?
You can also sign up for the NHTSA’s email recall notification system. You’ll receive automatic updates on vehicles and parts that have been recalled, including school buses, motorcycles, car seats and tires, or you can select your make and model and whatever parts you’re interested in for custom notifications.
You can also always look up possible recalls on your car here. Make sure you have your 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to look up the recall. You can idenfity the VIN on the lower left part of your vehicle’s windshield, on your vehicle’s registration paperwork, and possibly on your insurance information.
Even if you don’t receive a notification from the manufacturer about a recall, if your vehicle is affected, you are entitled to receive the free remedy the manufacturer is offering.
Steps to Take After a Vehicle Recall
If your dealer refuses to make the repair according to the recall letter for free, you should notify the manufacturer. Try to gather as many details as possible, including the name of the dealership and any employees you dealt with. You can also make a complaint at www.safecar.gov.
What If Your Car Is Not Recalled, But There's a Safety Issue?
If you’re experiencing safety issues with your vehicle, other drivers may be, too. Get it repaired and listen to your technician’s recommendations.
You can then report your vehicle or the equipment safety problem to the NHTSA here. If there are similar reports from other drivers, the NHTSA may open up an investigation that can help keep you and other drivers safe. All personal information you submit is kept private, but an NHTSA investigator may call you to follow up. The NHTSA reviews every online report it receives, and it may open up an investigation at any time, not only after it receives a certain number of reports.
What to Do If You're a Victim of a Recalled Vehicle
If you are seriously injured in a car accident due to a recalled vehicle or recalled vehicle part, you should contact a Birmingham car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Manufacturer negligence can result in serious injuries or even death. Your rights as a consumer deserve to be protected.
Contact the Pittman, Dutton, Hellums, Bradley & Mann, P.C. car accident attorney team for a free, no-obligation consultation. We only take on your case if we think we can win, and you don’t pay unless we do.
