Addressing Safety Recalls Among Used Cars in Stafford, VA

Addressing Safety Recalls Among Used Cars in Stafford, VA

Addressing Safety Recalls Among Used Cars in Stafford, Va

Addressing Safety Recalls Among Used Cars in Stafford, VA

 

A brand new vehicle is your baby. You watch with hawk eyes as some rowdy kids get out next to your parked car at the grocery store. You meticulously take your car for oil changes and have a strict no food or drink policy. Needless to say, when you receive a notice from your dealership that your car has a recall, you zoom into the dealer service station faster than an olympic sprinter. After a few years; however, you accept the occasional shopping cart scratch or cheeseburger in your car. With more lax care of your car comes negligence including recalls. What once would have brought you straight to the shop takes you two weeks to even pick up a phone to schedule. Drivers with vehicles that are one to three years old have a recall completion rate of 80% whereas vehicles six to ten years old only have a 56% completion rate.

What does this mean for potential buyers of used cars in Stafford, VA?

 

Buyers should be looking up their car prospects to ensure that all recalls have been met.

Recalls are often underestimated and therefore, go ignored like many disregarded check engine lights. However, recalls are extremely serious and should be handled promptly. A recall is typically a higher risk to drivers because they are not simply suggested mechanical fixes from your mechanic but a known issue with the car that is serious enough that the manufacturer would rather fix it for free than pay out potential lawsuits down the road. The most common example of serious recalls are airbags. With airbags being carefully designed, high pressured mechanisms; a single malfunction can take what should cause minor injuries to causing serious injuries or death. Luckily, these recall repairs are always free to have fixed at manufacturing dealerships to all car owners, including Buy Here Pay Here and used car dealerships. What buyers should be careful of is assuming that all recalls will be taken care of before purchasing.

Among the used cars in Stafford, VA at dealerships or private sales, no federal law requires sellers to disclose or fix any safety recall. The term “buyer beware” begins to hold more weight when shopping for used cars in Stafford, VA. At our Buy Here Pay Here lot at Airport Auto Sales we do our best to disclose any known recalls on our vehicles and typically will have the repair fixed before purchase. However, whether you buy your car new or used, the original manufacturer is on the hook for repairing any recall free of charge. We suggest to our customers that they run a VIN report on their potential purchase so they can know if the vehicle has an open recall. You can check any VIN anytime for free at nhtsa.gov/recalls. If the vehicle does have an open recall you can take it after purchase to the manufacturer. They may be less than enthusiastic to do the repair as recall repairs are not profitable but they legally have to see your vehicle for free.

Overall, only about 2/3rds of safety recalls are ever fixed. This number becomes more likely with older and used cars in Stafford, VA. Whether you are shopping at a reputable dealership such as the Buy Here Pay Here lot at Airport Auto Sales or a private seller, you should always run a VIN check and promptly get recalls taken care of. Getting a recall addressed may not only save you an unnecessary repair bill down the road, but save your life.

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