PSA: silent recalls on vehicles

[Aristomommy]

I don't know if this is common knowledge and I missed it along the way, but I thought I would pass this on. DMIL has a 2009 minivan (GM) and she took it to the shop for a minor fix. While there they found 6 "silent recalls" to fix from GM on this particular make and model. When she asked the mechanic, he explained that many cars (not sure if only GM) have these silent recalls that will be fixed but only if you take your car in. There is really no info available on the internet of which models have which silent recalls, no postcards are sent to consumers. This mechanic stated many newer models have 2-4 silent recalls, but 6 was the most he had ever seen. Hope this helps!!!

 

[EMom]

A few years ago, my car was several years old, but had fairly low mileage. The transmission went out and it would cost about $2500 or so to fix. I called the car maker and told them it was ridiculous that a car with mileage that low would need a new transmission and that it would be the last one of that type I bought, even though I'd bought others before that. Then I asked if there was a silent/hidden warranty on the transmission for that particular model. They put me on hold and the next thing I knew, they were telling me to take it to a dealer and they paid for a new transmission. Never hurts to ask.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

TSBs are Technical Service Bulletins that address issues that are not recalls, but have been reported by other consumers (or found by other dealers), the manufacturer then provides an appropriate remedy, which may be offering free repairs over the standard warranty period, a specific remedy, etc.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Are there any consumer sites that keep track of this sort of thing? By consumer sites I mean websites which keep this sort of thing up to date as reported by regular people. If not that would be a useful and potentially lucrative website IMO. Think of all the people who would check it from time to time and the advertisers that would pay for access to the traffic.

 

[Aristomommy]

Are there any consumer sites that keep track of this sort of thing? By consumer sites I mean websites which keep this sort of thing up to date as reported by regular people. If not that would be a useful and potentially lucrative website IMO. Think of all the people who would check it from time to time and the advertisers that would pay for access to the traffic.

I tried to search for something like that and came up with nothing. MILs mechanic stated that her van was one with frequent silent recalls and there were other ones that they services for these all the time. Her van is less than a year old and she has had it in the shop for minor things about 3 or 4 times already.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Are there any consumer sites that keep track of this sort of thing? By consumer sites I mean websites which keep this sort of thing up to date as reported by regular people. If not that would be a useful and potentially lucrative website IMO. Think of all the people who would check it from time to time and the advertisers that would pay for access to the traffic.

There are some sites that offer a listing of TSBs and their details (and fixes). The NHTSA offers some information, but I have always found their TSBs severely lacking in details/information without paying for additional research.

 

[Mommy2cody]

Pretty common. My DH and I work for VW and they have them all the time. VW calls them Technical Bulletins. Basically something they noticed is happing in a large number of cars and they send the Dealership all the info regarding the models affected. Usually the only time they will send a notice, is if it is a safety concern. That’s why it pays to take your car to the Dealership. If you don't like to go to the Dealership, get your VIN# and call them to find out if your car has anything listed for it. They should be able to look it up in their computer!