Mar 302019
 

September 25

ODO 179421

When buying a used vehicle, there’s always a little anxiety about its past history. Recalls are a way of finding out what may have gone wrong from the get-go with the good news that a fix is available at no cost to the new owner, well, except for sacrificing a little time.

The Takata airbag recall has been felt industry wide, affecting 19 manufacturers and an estimated 34 million vehicles in the United States alone. Kudos to Toyota for its persistent search for me and my 2007 Yaris, a.k.a. the Bunny. I was sent several letters and notices and received multiple phone calls and when Toyota did connect with me, they made it easy as pie, contacting a local dealership and setting up the appointment. I’m lucky to have a dealership like Charles Maund Toyota that offered a free shuttle service to take me to and from work and a waiting room in the service center with free WiFi, coffee, and donuts (while they lasted) that allowed me to stay onsite while I waited for an assessment from service advisor Walter Ortiz.

Charles Maund Toyota service advisor Walter Ortiz.

I was there for an airbag recall, but Ortiz did his due diligence and found three other recalls—there was a fourth on the power window switch but the Bunny has manual crank handles so it didn’t apply. The total process took one day—I opted to take a shuttle back to the office so no loss of work time—and at the end left me with a safer vehicle than when I bought it.

Recalls are essential, common, and free so there’s no excuse for avoiding them. When a manufacturer does its due diligence to make things right, it’s a gift and we should all respond in kind. Putting a safer vehicle on the road is best for you and other drivers who could be effected by a faulty part on your vehicle. Thanks to Toyota and Charles Maund for making my Bunny a safer vehicle, eleven years after rolling off the assembly line.



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