A local driver's car is at the center of a major recall. The problem is, she can't get it fixed. It's been almost a year, and she says the automaker doesn't care. Tonight, Contact 13 looks at auto recalls, and what you need to know to protect yourself.
"It's ridiculous; it's uncalled for. I understand things happen, but this is a life-and-death situation," says Yvonna Moore.
She says Ford Motor Company doesn't care.
"If they did care... They would've already had this problem fixed," says Yvonna.
She's angry because, her 2010 Mustang, needs a new front-driver-side air bag. A recall notice says if the air bag ruptures, it could spray metal fragments, seriously injuring or even killing someone. A scary thought for this grandmother, whose been picking up her grandson in her Mustang for years.
"If something happened to him and he died, I just, I couldn't live with that," says Yvonna.
She's been waiting to get it fixed, since July of last year. But countless calls to Ford's Corporate office, end with the same answer every time.
"We don't have the parts right now. We're going to be getting them. As soon as we do, we'll let you know. And I said, well that's not good enough," says Yvonna.
So she reached out to Contact 13, and we called the Detroit automaker. In a statement, Ford says: "We take the safety of our customers very seriously and are working with a number of suppliers to expedite parts as quickly as possible. Additional parts will be available later this year."
So what can you do, if you're like Yvonna, and having trouble getting a recall repaired? Tell the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. You can file a complaint with the government agency online. That's what Yvonna plans to do, and she says, she expects more from Ford.
"If you're having a problem with your manufacture that you're getting these parts for, you have a business to get this stuff from another manufacturer, to keep the people safe on the road that bought your vehicles," says Yvonna.
We reached out to Nevada lawmakers to find out what's being done to hold automakers accountable for delays in getting recalls repaired:
The office for Senator Dean Heller responded with this statement:
“Senator Heller has utilized his position on the Senate Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee to protect consumers by making an aggressive safety push on the airbag recalls. He played a major role in developing the recently enacted highway bill. In this bill, he championed provisions aimed at improving the recall process, incentivizing safety technology, and enhancing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)’s oversight and enforcement capabilities. Senator Heller has worked tirelessly in Congress to ensure consumer safety remains paramount,” said Neal Patel, spokesman for Senator Dean Heller. Click here for more.
The office for Representative Joe Heck responded with the following information:
“Clearly, there are too many defective airbags still on the roads. NHTSA, Takata, and automakers need to buckle down, do more, and work together to get these defective airbags off the road so Americans on the road in Michigan, Texas, and all across the country are safe.” -Rep. Fred Upton and Rep. Michael Burgess.
The office for Representative Dina Titus responded with this statement:
“Auto manufacturers have a responsibility to their customers to provide a safe product and timely response to correct any problems. After a series of Congressional hearings on this very issue, production has been ramped up to address the millions of airbags and inflators that are included in this recall. In addition, Congress has empowered federal safety agencies to assess major civil penalties on the manufacturer of this faulty product with very steep penalties if it fails to meet its obligation to replace the faulty systems.”
The office for Representative Cresent Hardy responded with the following information.
