Making sense of all the vehicle recalls

If you’re still reeling from the avalanche of car recalls last year — an all-time record — and wondering what it all means, you’re not alone, says Consumer Reports. In 2014, about 62 million U.S. vehicles were recalled. That’s the equivalent of about four years’ worth of cars sold here, or about 1 out of every 4 cars on the road today.

Several recalls made huge headlines, including those for defective ignition switches in General Motors cars that have been linked to at least 50 deaths, and faulty Takata air bags, installed in Hondas and other brands, said to be responsible for at least five deaths and 64 injuries.

What’s going on? Have carmakers been asleep at the drawing board or on the assembly line? And will the recalls result in better practices and safer cars?

The answer to both questions is yes. Several big manufacturers have certainly made defective vehicles in the past, and in some cases, tried to cover it up. But the resulting publicity has turned a harsh spotlight on the problem and created an expectation of safer cars.

There could be even more recalls in 2015. The new head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Mark Rosekind, told Consumer Reports, “If the system is working better to pick up [those defects] and we’re catching them sooner and more easily, we might actually see an increase.”

Rosekind is referring to the fact that in the past few years, federal regulators have made it a priority to root out design defects. Indeed, some of the largest recalls, including those involving Takata’s air bags and 1.5 million older Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty SUVs for fuel-tank punctures, were demanded by NHTSA.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Consumers need to do their part by participating fully in recalls. If you get a notice, Consumer Reports recommends that you take it seriously. Too many car owners don’t respond to them, so the free safety fix is never done. A 2012 NHTSA-sponsored study found that 21 to 25 percent of the problems covered by recall notices between 2006 and 2010 remained unrepaired. Carfax, which tracks used-vehicle histories, calculated that more than 36 million cars now on the road have uncompleted recall work.

In some cases, owners don’t know there’s a problem because they bought their car used and the previous owner didn’t get the work done. Other times, automakers lose track of who owns the car because it has been sold and resold a few times.

But a lot of people simply disregard the recall letter, especially if their car doesn’t show signs of the problem described. That’s a mistake.

“You’ve got to pay attention to all [recalls],” Rosekind says. “A recall means it’s a safety issue. But we’re looking at increasing our communications to help people understand them more clearly. We want them to be safe, but they’ve got to take action as well.”

It’s easy to find out whether your car has an unresolved recall repair. With your vehicle identification number (VIN) in hand, go to your automaker’s website or to NHTSA’s site, at safercar.gov; punch in the number; and see whether recall work is pending. (You can find the 17-digit VIN on the car, its registration paperwork or your insurance card.) Or call any franchised dealer for your brand. More information is at ConsumerReports.org/carrecalls.

Second, if you notice that something seems wrong with your vehicle, say something. Get involved. If your car develops a problem that you think could put you or someone else in danger, such as a fuel leak or a serious steering or braking defect that’s not related to wear and tear, report it to the automaker’s customer service department and NHTSA’s safety hot line (at safercar.gov). Automakers and the government depend on consumer complaints to find out about safety concerns and do something about them. If no one reports a problem, it’s as if it never existed.

2015 Consumers Union Inc.