With all of the headlines screaming recall, stuck pedals and brake failure, what is a driver supposed to do or think?
First, don’t listen to the headlines or the top of the hour teasers as gospel, they are only there to hold your interest.
Second, hit the good old internet, but take all commentary with a grain of salt. The flood of information, both good and bad, is sure to have many eyeballs straining, giving curious consumers headaches and more questions than answers. In my local news broadcast this morning the anchor was reading a story about Toyota thinking about issuing a recall over the new Prius situation while the news crawler in the lower thirds was stating a recall had already been issued for some 270,000 vehicles. I sympathize with your confusion.
And it certainly does not help any of us when the top transportation dude says to not drive your recalled vehicle in front of a congressional panel and the next moment is totally recanting that statement when confronted by the press.
My advice?
Head to the manufacturer websites for their latest statements while also checking out a couple of government sites that provide information that may scare you as much as it informs. www.safercar.gov and www.nhtsa.gov are my two favorites for vehicle safety and recall information. Toyota may be getting all the headlines right now but a quick search of recent recalls on vehicles showed quite a few dispatches just in the month of December. And it really scares me at how many are related to school buses. Haven’t heard any of those on the evening news.
Most of all, folks – USE COMMON SENSE. If you feel there is an issue with your vehicle get it checked out right away.
Recalls have been happening for a very long time and they will continue to happen. This is a good example of the checks and balances system a free society enjoys. And remember that while the wheels of justice turn more slowly than the wheels on your car, they do turn.