Safety Recalls are Skyrocketing, But Might be Less of a Hassle

Safety recalls for vehicles have always been important and something that drivers need to have corrected as quickly and easily as possible.

During the past ten years, recalls have skyrocketed to a level that is twice as much as it was before. That seems unacceptable and might make you wonder why so many more recalls are necessary to keep our vehicles safe when out on the road.

What Caused the Spike?

The simple reality is, we probably will continue to see more recalls in the future as well. Why will recalls continue to increase? More technology is found in the new vehicles of today, which means more opportunities for something to go wrong. We no longer live in a time when cars don’t come with computers, which means more chances for a part to fail and be part of the problem.

Have you heard about the semiconductor shortage? Of course you have, and the fact that several of those items are needed for each vehicle should give you a smooth thought process from programming and production to safety recalls for a batch of vehicles that will need to have some software updates. This can be a frustrating situation for any driver, but with more technology, we are going to continue to see the number of recalls grow.

A Departure From the Norm

Typically, when safety recalls are issued, notices are sent to owners that vehicles need to be fixed and they should make an appointment with their local dealership to get the work done. Unfortunately, estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), tells us that about only 70 percent of vehicles with a safety recall have had the problem fixed. This means there were nearly 63 million vehicles on the road with open safety recalls in 2019.

Why are so many people driving around with an open recall? One of the most significant reasons is the fact that it’s a hassle to have a recall fixed. An appointment needs to be scheduled, time has to be taken off work, and the dealership team has to spend time fixing the problem. When it comes to software needs, shouldn’t there be a different solution?

A New Solution for Safety Recalls

To avoid the incredible inconvenience often associated with recalls, many automakers are using a new approach. This approach first became popular when Tesla began to offer over-the-air updates to the systems in their vehicles. More automakers have embraced this technology and now offer updates to owners that can be easily downloaded into the vehicle systems when the recall has to do with a software issue for that vehicle.

Currently, all Tesla vehicles offer the ability to download software to update various digital control systems. This is the case for many of the smaller EV manufacturers as well including Rivian and Lucid that offer OTA capabilities. Ford expects to have one million vehicles on the road with OTA functionality by the end of this year and to expand that number to as much as 33 million by 2028. GM, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen have already embraced this solution and will make aggressive moves as well.

Will This Truly be a Solution?

While taking away the hassle of going to the dealership to have software downloaded sounds simple, and it certainly can be, you might have to ask yourself why this solution is necessary. Shouldn’t vehicles and systems be tested well enough to ensure safety recalls aren’t necessary? This is something automakers need to work toward, especially with some of these recalls coming from experiences drivers have with faulty equipment.

Tesla had to recall nearly 300,000 Model 3 sedans and Model Y SUVs sold in China because one of the driver assist systems could cause surges of unintended acceleration. General Motors also had to recall many 2021 sedans and SUVs with the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC badges on them because the warning lights might now tell of airbag failures, which could lead to the airbags not deploying during an accident.

More Safety Recalls Can be Completed, But Can We Get to Fewer Needed

Unfortunately, as long as automakers are pushing to create more technology for our vehicles in an effort to be the first to offer fully autonomous driving or an EV that has the same charging time and driving range as a gasoline vehicle, recalls are going to be part of the equation. Thankfully, we now have a way to handle some of these recalls without going to the dealership, which could lead to more recalls being corrected than ever before.