Still haven't got my Takata airbag recall fix

[Kobota]

Car is a Ford Fusion. I've been getting letters for at least 2-3 years promising the parts would be available soon. In December I was promised they would be available this spring. Finally today I get a letter saying they will supply a rental car while I continue to wait for the parts, which I bet was court ordered. It would make sense for safety and for not putting miles on my car to just get a rental, but i'm sure they would end up jerking me around dealing with that too.

 

[Jimzz]

Go get your rental car and put miles on that. Less wear tear on your car for free while still getting around. That and when you are in a rental they will try to fix your car faster as they are spending money everyday your car is not fixed.

 

[Kobota]

Go get your rental car and put miles on that. Less wear tear on your car for free while still getting around. That and when you are in a rental they will try to fix your car faster as they are spending money everyday your car is not fixed.

That was my first instinct but I have two main worries, insurance and storing my vehicle. The letter says insurance not included and I don't know if I would have to change my coverage in any way. And you must store your car while waiting for the fix. Where I live I must park on the street, but there is a 48 hour parking limit and cops go around chalking tires and giving tickets for cars sitting longer than that.

 

[Jimzz]

That was my first instinct but I have two main worries, insurance and storing my vehicle. The letter says insurance not included and I don't know if I would have to change my coverage in any way. And you must store your car while waiting for the fix. Where I live I must park on the street, but there is a 48 hour parking limit and cops go around chalking tires and giving tickets for cars sitting longer than that.

WHAT? You keep your car and they give you another? I know Honda and I thought ford would keep your car while you had the loaner. I would call and ask the dealer what they say. They may hold it for you even if they are not required.

For insurance just call your insurance and tell them whats going on. They will cover you while driving as long as you report when you take possison and then turn in.

 

[Kobota]

I haven't talked to the dealer yet, but the letter says "Dealers are not authorized to store customer vehicles. Customers should retain their recalled vehicle and drive the rental vehicle until recall repairs have been completed."

 

[allisolm]

I got a letter as well. My dealership said it's all true and there was one guy there in charge of it. They took my info , gave me his card and said he would get back to me in the next 48 hrs. to explain all the particulars and answer any questions. I'll have to wait and see what he says. My insurance company says I am covered. I don't know if it will cause any issues with my hybrid not to drive it for up to a few months. I think as long as I run it once a week or two long enough to keep the small battery charged up it will be okay. Anyone know anything about that?

Here's the letter:
"The Lincoln Motor Company previously sent you a letter notifying you of an important safety recall on your vehicle's front passenger airbag inflator. Lincoln continues to work closely with our suppliers to produce the needed parts for this repair. Until parts are available to repair your vehicle, Lincoln is offering to pay for the use of a rental vehicle as a means of alternate transportation.

When parts become available, The Lincoln Motor Company will notify you via mail to schedule your FREE airbag recall repair with your dealer. Parts are anticipated to become available during the second and third quarters of 2018.

If you require a rental vehicle while waiting for parts to become available for your vehicle, please contact your local Ford or Lincoln dealer.

Your dealer is authorized to provide you a rental vehicle within the following guidelines:

Up to $45 a day
Fuel and insurance are not included
Rental to be used for personal transportation only"

 

[dainthomas]

Man I would have taken that car back to the dealer the second that recall was announced. Every minute you drive it you chance getting a face full of hot shrapnel.

 

[PottedMeat]

Your dealer is authorized to provide you a rental vehicle within the following guidelines:

Up to $45 a day

so it's on you to find a rental place and the dealership doesn't give you a loaner?

picking a random enterprise here, its like $46 daily cost absolute minimum for a economy mirage

 

[allisolm]

so it's on you to find a rental place and the dealership doesn't give you a loaner?

I don't know. As I said, I'll have to wait and see what he says. Let you know the particulars as soon as that happens. It's one of the questions I have in mind.

 

[DaTT]

My guess is that most dealerships have a program for discounted rates on rentals. You can probably get a decent mid-sized or full sized car through them. Your insurance will cover any vehicle you drive (at least in Canada).

Something else to keep in mind as well to save some cash, speak with your insurance company and ask if you can only pay Fire and Theft insurance while your car is parked, and then basic insurance on the rental....obviously depending on how long you have the rental for.

 

[paperfist]

Man I would have taken that car back to the dealer the second that recall was announced. Every minute you drive it you chance getting a face full of hot shrapnel.

Not to mention insidiously smelling mystery powder.

Wait the letter just means it's a recall and they may not even have the replacement bags to install? I got one for my Prius. Not sure if it's Takata related.

 

[NutBucket]

That's the problem. In most cases the parts simply aren't available to perform the fix.

 

[eng2d2]

i have a bunch of letter for airbag but I ignore it because I don't want them to mess with my 2 cars but with loaner car I might be interested.

 

[NutBucket]

Seriously? What makes ignoring a rather serious safety recall worthwhile to you?

 

[allisolm]

The Ford/Lincoln offer is for real. I'm on their list at the dealership and will get a car whenever they get to my name. The cars here in Tallahassee are being obtained through Enterprise so they will be up to 18 months old (car awaiting the airbag repair is a 2012). My current car insurance covers the rental as well. I don't get a choice of cars, just have to take whatever comes up next when it's my turn. No mileage limits and taking it out of state is okay. The only downside is that you have to renew the contract with both the dealership and Enterprise every 30 days. Maybe that can be done over the phone. I don't know. Can't think of any other info they told me.

 

[snoopy7548]

I had both of my airbags replaced already. Nissan seems to have been good with it. I had the passenger side replaced sometime last year and the driver side replaced just last weekend. Only took about an hour each at the dealership (which has free snacks so I definitely took advantage of that!)

FYI, once you've had your airbag(s) replaced, you can submit a claim here and hope for some cash:
https://www.autoairbagsettlement.com/en

 

[Kobota]

The Ford/Lincoln offer is for real. I'm on their list at the dealership and will get a car whenever they get to my name. The cars here in Tallahassee are being obtained through Enterprise so they will be up to 18 months old (car awaiting the airbag repair is a 2012). My current car insurance covers the rental as well. I don't get a choice of cars, just have to take whatever comes up next when it's my turn. No mileage limits and taking it out of state is okay. The only downside is that you have to renew the contract with both the dealership and Enterprise every 30 days. Maybe that can be done over the phone. I don't know. Can't think of any other info they told me.

Thanks for the info, I still haven't contacted the dealer. The dealer in my town has been known for being a bit shady for awhile, but just Friday I saw they had a big sign saying "under new management" so I guess they are trying to clean up their image. Having to go renew the contract every 30 days would be a hassle if I went to a dealer in a different city. For my car it specifically stated it was only the passenger side airbag, so I haven't been worried daily driving it. I just find it ridiculous that 2+ years after my first letter the parts are still not available.

 

[NoCreativity]

I called my dealer. They have some set-up through various local rental companies. Basically told me it would be at least $40/day (my letter only gave me $30/day) but there are no cars available. Since mine is also only the passenger airbag I'm not too worried about it.

 

[Herr Kutz]

I keep getting letters to change out the airbag in my nissan too. I would absolutely not accept a rental vehicle unless additional insurance was provided. I only carry liability on my current vehicle because the cost to carry comprehensive/collision is prohibitive compared to the value of my car which is worth in the$1k-2k range, max. Therefore, the risk is much higher on a newer rental car should something happen. Even getting a crack in the windshield is more risk than I want since I can choose to not repair it on my personal vehicle, but that is not an option on a rental.

 

[allisolm]

They called this afternoon and we just picked up the rental. The guy at the dealership (Director of Field Operations, whatever that is) said he believed we would have it for at least 5 months. So we're parking our 2012 Lincoln MKZ hybrid and driving a 2018 red Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles the MKZ does, but it does have backup camera, keyless entry/start and handsfree bluetooth phone that I've seen so far. Have to check it all out to see what else. We do have to go to the car rental place each month to sign a new contract, but can do the dealer part by phone. Luckily the rental place is about 2 miles away.

I had my choice of whatever they had that was up to $45 a day. We asked for an SUV and they had the Outlander or a Jeep Renegade which looked really small to me. It's unlimited mileage and we can take it wherever we want .We're planning a 1,000 mile trip in Aug and will take this car instead of our own. So far I have no complaints.

 

[DaTT]

This airbag recall is really turning out to be quite costly for Takata.

 

[Jimzz]

This airbag recall is really turning out to be quite costly for Takata.

They bankrupted in 2017 so good luck getting anything from that stone.

 

[NutBucket]

How did Ford f this up so badly? I mean, everyone had some supply issues but this seems much longer than anyone else.

 

[Jimzz]

How did Ford f this up so badly? I mean, everyone had some supply issues but this seems much longer than anyone else.

Honda has also had to do the same thing. They stored peoples cars for months. So this is not just a Ford issue but anybody that used these airbags in great quantities.

 

[NutBucket]

I guess. Our family has a couple Hondas and it seemed like they were repaired fairly quickly.