Recalls made by manufacturers to correct a defect or problem detected in their vehicles are normal. Without going any further, this week we have echoed the one carried out by Hyundai to fix an incident in the wiring of the Kona manufactured between April 17 and December 30, 2023, while last week we reported that Stellantis requested to the owners of Citroën C3 and DS 3 produced between 2009 and 2019 to take the car to the official workshop to replace the airbags. These are just two samples of the calls for review that have been made recently and that are registered in the RAPEX rapid alert service for non-food products.
In these cases, the brands must communicate the defect to the owners of the vehicle to proceed with the free repair at their official dealers. Until now, communication was carried out only by postal mail; However, the General Directorate of Traffic has opened a means of telematic communication, as it will also inform about them through the miDGT application or its electronic headquarters. Likewise, any citizen will be able to know if they have a pending recall when they go to pass the ITV.
On the other hand, Traffic will now include the data on recalls in the Vehicle Registry, where all the vicissitudes that occur throughout the useful life of a vehicle are recorded (from when it is registered until it is removed from circulation). With the incorporation of this information, anyone can check if they have a pending recall. This is also especially useful for anyone who wants to buy a second-hand car, since by requesting the vehicle report you will be able to know its incidents and if there are any repairs of this type yet to be carried out.
This initiative, in addition to being a pioneering advance in Europe in terms of road safety, will also result in greater transparency in the used vehicle market, since purchasers of second-hand vehicles (three million a year) will have information official of possible defects of the vehicle before purchasing it.
In 2023, vehicle manufacturers, importers or representatives carried out 523 recall campaigns affecting a total of 1.2 million vehicles.
Once the vehicle owner completes the recall, the manufacturer will provide this information to the Vehicle Registry, which will note the correction and will no longer show that said vehicle has a pending recall.
According to the data offered by the DGT, the most common calls for review are those that affect: