NHTSA complaint #11708014

Owner complaint summary

This complaint concerns hardship caused by dealer scheduling and parts availability issues during a mandatory recall, not a defect in the recalled part itself. My vehicle was scheduled for a recall repair at an authorized dealership. The dealership confirmed the appointment but did not have the required parts available. I was informed of this only after dropping off the vehicle. As a direct result of this failure in scheduling and coordination: –I was required to rent a vehicle unnecessarily. –No loaner vehicle was available, despite recall instructions advising customers to ask dealers about alternate transportation. –I incurred rental charges, mandatory fees, fuel costs, and extra travel time that would not have occurred absent the dealer’s error. –I also experienced additional personal hardship, including having to transfer a child car seat between vehicles and adjust family obligations, such as waiting at a medical appointment, due to the unexpected need to return and manage the rental vehicle. The manufacturer’s customer care has limited reimbursement strictly to a standard policy cap and has declined to consider dealer-caused hardship or goodwill review, despite conflicting written guidance regarding reimbursement limits. This complaint is about whether recall compliance processes adequately protect consumers from avoidable hardship caused by dealer scheduling failures during mandatory safety recall repairs.