Every carmaker is caught in a fine balancing act between cost and quality. They want happy, loyal customers that have minimal problems and come back down the line to buy another car. But, at the same time, carmakers are businesses—and that means that they have to make a buck.
Cars are machines. Machines break down and need to be fixed-- some moreso than others. Building a car that never broke or consumed parts would likely be impossible, let alone prohibitively expensive.
Get things wrong as a carmaker, and you may become part of a recall- which happens when a manufacturer is required to correct a problem missed in the development process.
Certain recalls deal with a fairly simple problem, like an improperly-tightened bolt or a mis-routed wiring harness. Others are more serious, or even potentially catastrophic. Not to take away from the serious nature of a recall, but some can be downright humorous, too. This story focuses on the latter.
Ask your dealership or check online to see if your vehicle has any outstanding recall work-- which would be performed free of charge. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a situation like one of the ones below.
Car: 2003-2004 Jaguar S-Type
Recall: Ever wondered if a push-button electronic parking brake was really a good idea? Certain Jaguar S-Types were recalled when it was discovered that the electronic control system could have an ‘oopsie’ and spontaneously set the parking brake while driving. Neither the taillights, nor the parking brake light in the cluster would illuminate.
Translation: One minute you're cruising down the highway, the next, your rear tires are screeching and the car's rear-end is swaying back and forth. Hopefully there's no traffic nearby.
Note: If this happens to you, use both hands on the wheel and don’t attempt to steer until your vehicle is nearly stopped.
Car: 2002-2003 Subaru Forester
Recall: A faulty mechanism within the transmission could prevent ‘park’ from being fully engaged when drivers leave their vehicle. This is a problem present on various other makes and models, too.
Translation: You park your trusty compact SUV parked outside Taco Bell while you grab a Burrito Supreme. You head back outside a few minutes later only to discover that your rig isn't near the building—it’s down a hill in the middle of an intersection surrounded by damaged cars, glass and angry motorists. Looks like dinner's on the house!
Note: That funny small pedal on the very left? That’s the parking brake. Use it.
Car: 1999-2000 BMW 3-Series
Recall: Lateral and head airbags could deploy in a non-crash related impact-- for instance when hitting a big pothole.
Translation: You’re talking on your cell phone while driving down the highway and you whack a really huge pothole. Milliseconds later, your side airbag goes off-- leaving a nasty cell-phone shaped imprint on the side of your face. That’ll teach you to talk and drive!
Note: You pull over, shut off the car and wonder what just happened. As an added bonus, a built in crash safety feature will now prevent your vehicle from re-starting-- so you’ll need to call a tow-truck, too.
Cars are machines. Machines break down and need to be fixed-- some moreso than others. Building a car that never broke or consumed parts would likely be impossible, let alone prohibitively expensive.
Get things wrong as a carmaker, and you may become part of a recall- which happens when a manufacturer is required to correct a problem missed in the development process.
Certain recalls deal with a fairly simple problem, like an improperly-tightened bolt or a mis-routed wiring harness. Others are more serious, or even potentially catastrophic. Not to take away from the serious nature of a recall, but some can be downright humorous, too. This story focuses on the latter.
Ask your dealership or check online to see if your vehicle has any outstanding recall work-- which would be performed free of charge. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a situation like one of the ones below.
Car: 2003-2004 Jaguar S-Type
Recall: Ever wondered if a push-button electronic parking brake was really a good idea? Certain Jaguar S-Types were recalled when it was discovered that the electronic control system could have an ‘oopsie’ and spontaneously set the parking brake while driving. Neither the taillights, nor the parking brake light in the cluster would illuminate.
Translation: One minute you're cruising down the highway, the next, your rear tires are screeching and the car's rear-end is swaying back and forth. Hopefully there's no traffic nearby.
Note: If this happens to you, use both hands on the wheel and don’t attempt to steer until your vehicle is nearly stopped.
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Car: 2002-2003 Subaru Forester
Recall: A faulty mechanism within the transmission could prevent ‘park’ from being fully engaged when drivers leave their vehicle. This is a problem present on various other makes and models, too.
Translation: You park your trusty compact SUV parked outside Taco Bell while you grab a Burrito Supreme. You head back outside a few minutes later only to discover that your rig isn't near the building—it’s down a hill in the middle of an intersection surrounded by damaged cars, glass and angry motorists. Looks like dinner's on the house!
Note: That funny small pedal on the very left? That’s the parking brake. Use it.
-------
Car: 1999-2000 BMW 3-Series
Recall: Lateral and head airbags could deploy in a non-crash related impact-- for instance when hitting a big pothole.
Translation: You’re talking on your cell phone while driving down the highway and you whack a really huge pothole. Milliseconds later, your side airbag goes off-- leaving a nasty cell-phone shaped imprint on the side of your face. That’ll teach you to talk and drive!
Note: You pull over, shut off the car and wonder what just happened. As an added bonus, a built in crash safety feature will now prevent your vehicle from re-starting-- so you’ll need to call a tow-truck, too.