Fixing Car Defects

Any car owner with a vehicle that has turned out to be defective can testify to how frustrating it is to try to get the manufacturer to make things right. Despite consumer protection laws for new car buyers, it is very common for those with defective cars to be forced to turn to a Sacramento lemon law firm just to get their serious vehicle problems fixed.

Because getting cars fixed can be frustrating, some consumers simply don't do it, even when problems arise. Concerns about the possibility that defective cars won't get fixed have resulted in many consumers supporting mandatory fixes for serious safety issues.

Consumers Support Mandatory Fixes for Car Defects

Consumer Reports provided details on a recent survey showing that Americans believe fixes should be required for cars that have safety problems. A total of 1,007 Americans were randomly selected to participate in the study and were asked if they would support a legal mandate requiring car owners to have recalled cars fixed before registering or selling vehicles.

The survey respondents were asked if they would support mandated fixes under different circumstances, including when cars had recall issues due to safety, as well as when cars had recalls due to environmental issues.

In total, 85 percent of the survey respondents said that if the vehicle defect related to safety and made the car dangerous to drive, a mandatory fix was appropriate. These consumers believed the car owners should be required to have their recalled car repaired before being allowed to register the car. Examples of some of the problems which respondents thought should result in mandatory fixes included issues with braking or steering systems.

There was a lower level of support for requiring repairs of recalled vehicles for environmental issues, like a Volkswagen recall to deal with cars that violate emissions rules.  A total of 70 percent supported mandated fixes for environmental problems. Finally, only 51 percent of people said they supported mandatory fixes for safety defects which posed a low risk of harm. An example of this type of glitch as a navigation system that goes blank in the car.

It makes sense consumers would be most concerned about defects that could put lives at risk. There are tens of millions of vehicles on the roads which are subject to a recall and which manufacturers are supposed to fix for free, but which are still not repaired because owners have not taken action.

Of course, if mandatory repairs are required, it is essential to make sure that consumers actually can get their cars fixed. This means dealers have to provide timely service and have enough parts to make fixes so consumers aren't left dealing with a vehicle they can't drive for months as they wait to get the car fixed and renew their registration.

Any car owner knows getting repairs done can often be a challenge. Those with defects should be sure to talk with a compassionate lemon law firm to find out if there are legal protections that can help them resolve issues with their problem vehicles.