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Old 03-10-2020, 12:07 PM   #1
harkauto
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Got a recall notice what do I do?

I recently received a NHTSA Recall No. 20V-024 for my 2014 Toyota Avalon.
The recall is for a possibly defective ECU unit that may cause incomplete or Nondeployment of the air bags under certain accident conditions. Plus the seat belt pretensioner may fail to work.
The recall states that Toyota will notify us in a FEW MONTHS when they are ready to begin fixing this issue.

Under the heading "WHAT WILL TOYOTA DO" the recall explains that Toyota will install a noise filter device between the airbag control module and wire harness. IT ALSO STATES TOYOTA WILL FIRST INSPECT THE ECU TO DETERMINE IF A NOISE FILTER IS EVEN NECESSARY BEFORE INSTALLING ONE.

I am interpreting the last sentence above to mean that in some cases a noise filter will not even be necessary meaning there is nothing wrong with that particular car in the first place.

My question is this: Rather than wait three months, wondering if I can even safely drive my car, or even if it is defective in the first place, why can't I take my car to the Toyota dealer RIGHT NOW and have them look at it and determine if my car is even going to need the noise filter?

Nowhere in the safety recall do they warn to absolutely NOT drive the vehicle. Am I supposed to just park the car for three months waiting to hear from them? How is a person supposed to get to work if this is their only transportation?
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Old 03-10-2020, 04:53 PM   #2
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Re: Got a recall notice what do I do?

Drive the car. Chances are nothing is wrong with your car, and they are just doing it because there has been a problem in 10 other cars.
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Old 03-11-2020, 11:07 AM   #3
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Re: Got a recall notice what do I do?

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Drive the car. Chances are nothing is wrong with your car, and they are just doing it because there has been a problem in 10 other cars.
The problem is....I was just beginning the process of selling the car and now all of the sudden this recall shows up in my mail. I don't feel I can ethically just ignore a recall concerning possible air bag and seatbelt issues and just not tell the new owner about it. Then too who is going to want to buy a car when they learn of this unresolved open recall? Especially when it concerns something as vitally important as a family's safety.
If it were just me driving it, I might ignore it and just drive extra carefully until the dealership calls it in to service the recall issue.
The bummer is the "Few Months" wait. They state right in the recall notice that they are going to first check to see if each individual automobile EVEN NEEDS to be fixed. I'm assuming that is just a matter of plugging into the cars computer system and checking it out. For them probably a five minute job. Instead they are going to make me wait maybe three or four months and make an appointment for me to come in only to possibly tell me my car did not have the problem after all.
Due to the potential dangers involved here most people are not going to want to take the chance especially when kids are involved.
It would seem to me that Toyota would do a better service to their customers by telling the owners of the cars in question to just stop by at your convenience and we will do a quick check to see if your car is actually one that will need to be parked until the fix is available. This way those cars that are not affected can be released back to life as normal instead of making the masses wait several months and weed out those that need to be fixed then.
It sounds from the notice that they ALREADY HAVE the technology to test to see if a car needs the fix. To make everybody wait until they have the cure before even testing and weeding out the cars that don't need to be fixed is ridiculous.
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Old 03-11-2020, 04:43 PM   #4
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Re: Got a recall notice what do I do?

This is how all recalls work. They tell you that there may be a problem, but it will be a few months before they can get parts and start the process. You are able to sell the car guilt free if you let the buyer know about the impending recall.
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Old 04-02-2020, 05:21 AM   #5
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Re: Got a recall notice what do I do?

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Originally Posted by Stealthee View Post
This is how all recalls work. They tell you that there may be a problem, but it will be a few months before they can get parts and start the process. You are able to sell the car guilt free if you let the buyer know about the impending recall.
I agree. Knowing that you are planning to sell it might as well surrender it to the dealer but make sure you won't pay nothing!
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Old 04-15-2020, 09:05 PM   #6
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Re: Got a recall notice what do I do?

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I agree. Knowing that you are planning to sell it might as well surrender it to the dealer but make sure you won't pay nothing!
I ended up trading the car at a Toyota dealership for a 3 year newer Toyota. Surprisingly, the dealership allowed me as a trade-in very close to what I was planning to sell it privately.
I figured that to try to sell the car privately with a factory recall I would have to probably lower the price a little bit anyway. So, rather than go through the hassles of a private sale, I decided to see what the dealership would do for me as a trade.
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Old 04-15-2020, 09:06 PM   #7
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Re: Got a recall notice what do I do?

You wouldn't have had to lower the price because of a recall. A recall is free so it wouldn't cost a new owner any money.
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Old 04-15-2020, 09:39 PM   #8
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Re: Got a recall notice what do I do?

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You wouldn't have had to lower the price because of a recall. A recall is free so it wouldn't cost a new owner any money.
I agree in most cases, but this recall letter came complete with BOLD RED WARNINGS all over it stating to continue driving the car could result in severe injury or death due to a computer / air bag issue that was going to take the factory three or four months to figure out and fix.
Personally, I would not buy a car that is potentially dangerous to drive and was going to have to sit in my garage for three or four months waiting to be called in and fixed by the dealership. A few friends that I consulted told me they would not either. Or, if they did buy it, it would have to be at a really good price.
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