Auto Recalls At Annual Record
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Auto Recalls At Annual Record
http://www.xposed.com/rides/auto_rec...age=1&pict_id=
Although no one suggests that a record number of automotive recalls is a good thing, it doesn't necessarily mean car quality is faltering.
``When you're talking quality, it's assembly, how well a vehicle is put together,'' Bob Kurilko, vice president of marketing at Edmunds.com, said Friday. ``That's dramatically improved in recent years.''
But, this week, a recall of 1 million vehicles by General Motors boosted the total number of vehicles recalled in 2004 to 24.8 million. That's a new record with more than 50 days left in the year, topping the 24.6 million recalls in 2000, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.
Despite quality improvements, pressure has increased on automakers and their suppliers to cut costs, and the quality of component parts is decreasing in some cases, Kurilko said.
``Parts were over-engineered in the past,'' said Kurilko, a former executive with Nissan in the United States and Japan who joined auto-researcher Edmunds.com in 2000. ``Now, in some cases, they're just barely engineered to specification.''
That car and truck quality has consistently and nearly universally improved over the years is a ``correct statement,'' said Dan Lawlor, a senior analyst with J.D. Power and Associates, a researcher in Westlake Village.
In its short- and long-term vehicle-quality studies, Power doesn't gather information on recalls, Lawlor said. However, car owners are asked if their vehicle has been recalled on Power's study that rates dealer service
And, perhaps surprisingly, ``satisfaction doesn't necessarily go down with these folks'' who have had a vehicle recalled.
``It's how they (automakers and dealers) handled the recall, and the type of repair coming in,'' he said.
Mark Normandin, general manager at his family Chrysler-Jeep dealership in San Jose, said recalls are inconvenient for customers, but they actually are ``a huge benefit for the consumer.
``Manufacturers are so proactive nowadays on any safety issue or other issue, the best way to get them handled is through a recall,'' he said. ``They can jump on it before there's a problem.''
Kurilko said e-mail and vehicle-owner Internet chat rooms have meant automakers learn about potential problems much more quickly.
``Things that might have taken a couple of years to find, they're now able to catch up front,'' he said. That means fixing or replacing fewer parts, which saves money for an automaker.
Power's Lawlor also noted that while recalls in calendar 2004 have reached record proportions, they cover vehicles made in a wide number of years.
``It's not an issue of quality this year vs. quality last year,'' he said. ``It's things that occur over time.''
Also, Kurilko said, ``not all recalls are created equal.'' Few these days, he said, are ``huge, huge major safety issues.''
Consumers can check recalls by year, make and model on the government's Web site or by calling (88
327-4236 from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Although no one suggests that a record number of automotive recalls is a good thing, it doesn't necessarily mean car quality is faltering.
``When you're talking quality, it's assembly, how well a vehicle is put together,'' Bob Kurilko, vice president of marketing at Edmunds.com, said Friday. ``That's dramatically improved in recent years.''
But, this week, a recall of 1 million vehicles by General Motors boosted the total number of vehicles recalled in 2004 to 24.8 million. That's a new record with more than 50 days left in the year, topping the 24.6 million recalls in 2000, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.
Despite quality improvements, pressure has increased on automakers and their suppliers to cut costs, and the quality of component parts is decreasing in some cases, Kurilko said.
``Parts were over-engineered in the past,'' said Kurilko, a former executive with Nissan in the United States and Japan who joined auto-researcher Edmunds.com in 2000. ``Now, in some cases, they're just barely engineered to specification.''
That car and truck quality has consistently and nearly universally improved over the years is a ``correct statement,'' said Dan Lawlor, a senior analyst with J.D. Power and Associates, a researcher in Westlake Village.
In its short- and long-term vehicle-quality studies, Power doesn't gather information on recalls, Lawlor said. However, car owners are asked if their vehicle has been recalled on Power's study that rates dealer service
And, perhaps surprisingly, ``satisfaction doesn't necessarily go down with these folks'' who have had a vehicle recalled.
``It's how they (automakers and dealers) handled the recall, and the type of repair coming in,'' he said.
Mark Normandin, general manager at his family Chrysler-Jeep dealership in San Jose, said recalls are inconvenient for customers, but they actually are ``a huge benefit for the consumer.
``Manufacturers are so proactive nowadays on any safety issue or other issue, the best way to get them handled is through a recall,'' he said. ``They can jump on it before there's a problem.''
Kurilko said e-mail and vehicle-owner Internet chat rooms have meant automakers learn about potential problems much more quickly.
``Things that might have taken a couple of years to find, they're now able to catch up front,'' he said. That means fixing or replacing fewer parts, which saves money for an automaker.
Power's Lawlor also noted that while recalls in calendar 2004 have reached record proportions, they cover vehicles made in a wide number of years.
``It's not an issue of quality this year vs. quality last year,'' he said. ``It's things that occur over time.''
Also, Kurilko said, ``not all recalls are created equal.'' Few these days, he said, are ``huge, huge major safety issues.''
Consumers can check recalls by year, make and model on the government's Web site or by calling (88
327-4236 from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Col. John Hannibal Smith
Joined: Feb 2002
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Originally posted by REY78
Yeah but FORD still doesn't want to claim responsibility for the defective intercooler leak for the 99-00 Lightnings. Even though it's an item that HAS to be replaced no matter what
Yeah but FORD still doesn't want to claim responsibility for the defective intercooler leak for the 99-00 Lightnings. Even though it's an item that HAS to be replaced no matter what
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