Free Consumer Reports Canada

It’s easy to understand why carmakers aren’t in a hurry to broadcast the existence of a free fix. Usually, only a small percentage of a given model’s production run will exhibit the problem. Carmakers don’t want tens of thousands of customers who don’t have the problem showing up at dealerships, demanding the free repair “just in case.”

But the hush-hush approach has several downsides:

• Once the basic warranty has expired, car owners often go to a local, independent repair shop rather than to the dealer. If so, they end up paying for an expensive repair that could have been done free.
• Owners may never learn that their problem is a common one that’s recognized by the automaker, which could be a key to getting a break on repair costs.
• Technical service bulletins can hint at a safety problem that the automaker doesn’t want to recognize as such. That was the case with the faulty ignition switches on Chevrolet Cobalts and other models that GM recalled earlier this year. GM had sent its dealers TSBs about those cars’ flimsy switches as early as 2005, but the company apparently didn’t consider that a noteworthy safety problem at the time. Only after GM was successfully sued did the magnitude of the safety ramifications come to light.

Currently, Toyota dealers have received two TSBs we know of regarding faulty brakes on the 2007 to 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid. Toyota is notifying owners of free repairs and offering a fairly generous warranty extension on some brake components. But Consumer Reports thinks Toyota should have issued a recall, and we’re asking the government to take action on that if Toyota does not.

It’s also important to be aware that your car can be repaired as part of a recall. Unlike a TSB service campaign, official safety recalls are comprehensive, widely publicized and good for the life of the vehicle. Despite that, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that only about 75 percent of the vehicles recalled for a safety defect ever get the repair done. CarFax, which sells vehicle-history reports, calculates that about one in seven cars on the road, some 37 million, has an unfulfilled recall.

It’s easy to find out whether your car has an open recall. Contact the service department of any franchised dealer, give them your car’s vehicle identification number, and ask that they check for any recalls. You can also check the automaker’s website or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, SaferCar.gov. Look in the “Owners” section, and have your VIN handy.