As a driver of a car that has an active recall, it’s important to be properly insured to make sure that you are covered and have both collision coverage and liability coverage.
Richmond, VA (PRWEB) July 14, 2014
The highly reported GM recall in 2014 has already hit 20 million total recalled vehicles—a number just shy of the largest car recall in history: Ford’s 1980 recall of over 21 million vehicles. Large scale car recalls like the GM recall aren’t uncommon. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2013 there were nearly 22 million car recalls in the United States.
Even when a serious car recall impacts your vehicle, there’s a 70% chance you won’t hear about it. In general, the auto manufacturers make a good effort to reach all owners of these vehicles. But sometimes a good effort just isn’t enough. People who moved, changed their phone number or simply bought their car from someone other than a major dealership may not be reachable during an active car recall. For these reasons, manufacturers typically only reach about 30% of car owners affected by a car recall.
This translates into a high risk for accidents—and it’s not just the drivers of recalled cars that are at risk. Other drivers on the road could be victims of an accident involving a car that has been recalled. As a driver of a car that has an active recall, it’s important to be properly insured to make sure that you are covered and have both collision coverage and liability coverage.
The 2010 Toyota recall for potential accelerator sticking is a good example. Assume you drive one of these vehicles and while you’re driving the accelerator sticks, causing you to run a red light and get in an accident. Collision coverage here would pay for the damage to your car faster than you could get reimbursement from the auto manufacturer (since the accident was due to their faulty part). In this scenario, the car insurance company would pay you and would then seek reimbursement from the manufacturer. Because you were properly insured, you don’t have to deal with the headache of seeking settlement from the car manufacturer and you don’t have to worry about paying your medical bills in the meantime.
Collision coverage is available from over 400 licensed car insurance companies in the U.S. Car owners should review what options are available to them by researching and comparing quotes side-by-side on a website such as comparenow.com. Consumers can make sure they never miss a recall notice by reviewing the NHTSA Car Recalls & Defects page.
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