Volvo Offers Common Sense Auto Safety Advice: If A Free Automotive Repair Service Is Offered, Take It!
2 September 1997
Volvo Offers Common Sense Auto Safety Advice: If A Free Automotive Repair Service Is Offered, Take It!ROCKLEIGH, N.J., Sept. 2 -- Some say nothing is free in this world. Actually, the truth is that often the most important things come with no price tag attached: sunshine, the love of family and friends, and repair service on a vehicle that has a safety problem. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "Under federal law, safety problems must be remedied without cost to consumers. Currently, 70 percent of the owners of vehicles with safety problems have the recall work performed." Where are those other 30 percent? Presumably, some forget about the letter they received informing them of the opportunity. It's also likely many customers don't consider the work significant enough to warrant a trip to their local dealer. However, automakers (usually without the interference of the government) make the decision to offer recalls and service campaigns when there is a good reason, such as an unreasonable safety risk, an emissions malfunction or a quality problem that can and should be improved. "Manufacturers like Volvo take great care to provide the highest degree of safety, quality and environmental care available," explains Harry Prince, Warranty Manager for Volvo Cars of North America, Inc. "Sometimes, this requires that the vehicle go back to the dealership briefly for some corrective work. It is to the benefit of drivers and passengers to take recalls and service campaigns seriously and have the work done ... and, after all, it is free to the customer." The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety concurs. According to IIHS president Brian O'Neill, "It is very important that owners of vehicles in which safety-related problems have been identified take those vehicles back to dealerships as soon as they receive notice of a recall or service campaign. Such notices should not be ignored or taken lightly. There is just no reason to drive around in a vehicle with a safety-related defect." Consumers can get up-to-the-minute information on safety recall campaigns, or information on the recall history of a particular make and model of car, truck, motorcycle or child safety seat by calling NHTSA's toll-free Auto Safety Hotline at 800-424-9393 or 202-366-0123 in the Washington, DC area. The Hotline can also be used to report safety problems. SOURCE Volvo Cars of North America, Inc.