Here’s Why Sending in Your Car for Recalls Is So Important

Most recall notices arrive quietly. An email, a letter, maybe a notification you swipe away while doing something else. Your car still drives fine, nothing feels off, and there is no immediate signal that something is wrong. When this happens, the recall slips down the priority list, right next to the oil change you meant to schedule last month.

Like it or not, modern cars are complex machines, and recalls are no longer rare events tied to a single faulty batch. Data from the NHTSA shows that in 2023, there were about 1,000 recalls issued for vehicles. All in all, 35 million were recalled in one year, which is not an insignificant number. Meanwhile, NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman notes, unrepaired recalls do have the chance to make your vehicle less safe for you. 

Today, let’s understand more about recalls and why you shouldn’t ignore them when they happen.  

The Risk Does Not Stay Inside One Car

It is tempting to think of recalls as a personal issue. Your car, your decision, your risk. But driving never happens in isolation. Every vehicle is part of a shared system made up of pedestrians, cyclists, other drivers, and crowded city streets. When a recalled vehicle remains unrepaired, the risk spreads beyond the person behind the wheel.

This becomes even more true when you consider how car crashes are responsible for more deaths than many other factors. Take Atlanta, for instance. The Human Cost of Mobility report in 2024 showed that the number of deaths from car crashes exceeded the number of homicides in the city. Indeed, homicides only numbered 410 when compared to the 425 traffic deaths in the city. 

According to Rebecca Serna, executive director of Propel ATL, a safety-awareness and bicycling group, the deaths seem ‘a part of getting around.’ She notes that this is unacceptable when the solutions are simple. In such a situation, every recall not fulfilled is another potential call to an auto accident lawyer in Atlanta.  

Interestingly, accidents caused by manufacturing defects often make the driver not liable, according to the Atlanta Personal Injury Law Firm. Of course, this shouldn’t be an excuse to drive around in a recalled car so you can blame the car for any crashes.

Some Defects Matter Far More Than Others

One reason recalls get dismissed is that many of them sound minor. Seat padding, trim pieces, or comfort-related components do not feel urgent, and in many cases, they are not. Over time, that trains people to treat recall notices as low-priority interruptions rather than safety signals.

The problem is that not all defects carry the same weight. Issues involving braking, steering, or power delivery affect systems that drivers rely on in moments of stress. These are the situations where a car must respond predictably, even if conditions are less than ideal. Shockingly, these high-severity recalls happen quite often.

This year, Honda had to recall over 259,000 vehicles in the country. Why? Because the brake pedals in these cars were shifting out of position and raising the risk of crashes or injuries. Similarly, Volvo had also pulled 14,014 EV and Hybrid cars after realizing their brakes didn’t work after going downhill in certain modes. 

These defects are extremely dangerous because they do not announce themselves during everyday driving. They surface under pressure, when the margin for error is already thin. Thus, treating all recalls as equally minor can lead to catastrophic accidents.

Why Do So Many People Fail To Send Cars in for Recalls?

If recalls are serious, the obvious question is why so many remain unresolved. The answer has less to do with negligence and more to do with human behavior. Most people assume that serious problems would feel obvious. If their car drives normally, then the risk feels distant and theoretical.

There is also friction involved because scheduling a service appointment takes time, and dealership visits carry a reputation for inconvenience. CarScoops highlighted survey data from KPA, which shows that 76% of people don’t trust dealerships when it comes to transparency in pricing. Likewise, 28% said they felt they were being tricked, and 30% discovered hidden fees.

Thus, even though recalls are free, some drivers worry about the costs and claims that dealerships will make. So, “This needs to be fixed first before the recall fix can be done,” and other predictable statements are a big factor.  Other drivers simply assume they will get to it later, believing that nothing bad has happened so far. Each time they delay without any incident creates a false sense of safety. By the time symptoms show up, the window to prevent harm may already be closing.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a recall on a car?

A car recall happens when a manufacturer or safety regulator finds a defect that could affect safety, emissions, or performance. The company then asks owners to bring the vehicle in so the issue can be fixed at no cost before it creates bigger problems.

2. How long do car recalls last?

Car recalls do not really expire. They stay open until the problem is fixed or the vehicle is no longer on the road. Some recalls get resolved in weeks, while others remain active for years if owners delay bringing their cars in.

3. How many recalls are normal for a car?

There is no exact number, but having one or two recalls over a car’s lifetime is fairly common, especially with newer, more complex vehicles. Multiple recalls do not always mean a bad car, but ignoring them does increase long-term risk.

All things considered, recalls are acknowledgments that something known can be improved. When manufacturers issue recalls, they are offering a way to close a gap before it turns into an irreversible outcome. Rather than seeing them as a burden, try to change your perspective. 

Companies would like nothing more than to escape the massive financial hit that recalls involve. Yet, strong laws ensure that they are upfront and own up to flaws in their products. As a consumer, you are only hurting yourself if you delay or decide to skip sending in your car during a recall.