A friend of mine bought a 2008 Jeep Commander recently. It has yet to be taken it to take care of an ignition recall. Hes wondering if he should do this, or can it wait? He says he doesnt nessesarily want to fix something if its not broken.
Why would someone not avail themselves of free repairs offered by the vehicle manufacturer?
It’s “not broken” today, but tomorrow might be a different story.
Believe it or not, vehicles tend to break down in inconvenient places, at inconvenient times.
Is he prepared for an engine that doesn’t start when he needs to…go to work…or to a job interview…or to a medical appointment…or to something else that he doesn’t want to miss?
A recall usually means there’s a safety issue with the vehicle.
So yes, the vehicle should be taken to the dealer to address the recall.
Tester
I agree with the others. Tell your friend to call and make an appointment to get the recall taken care of.
When I took mine in for a recall, I got a good inspection and two months free Sirius radio out of it. Whoever came up with that “if its not broke, don’t fix it” bit. Seems like a good way to cop out.
Is this the problem where the ignition key can stop midway between run and start? Or between run and acc? If so, that’s something I’d want fixed. Otherwise you might get stranded or the engine may turn off while you are driving down the road, which would be unsafe.
Before taking it in for the work, phone up the dealership and ask them to double check that the problem affects this particular vehicle. It may not. Be prepared to provide the VIN.
If he won’t take it in for a free repair he will never take it in for any maintenance he has to pay for and then he will showup here later with a “what is wrong with my car” post
There’s more than one Recall out on this vehicle and includes transfer case, brake calipers and so on.
Your friend is foolish if they do not take advantage of every one of them that applies; especially considering the safety factor.
A caliper suddenly fracturing because of the wrong iron used. Who saw that one coming…
Hmmmm… either get potential problems fixed before they leave you stranded somewhere,and cost you time, inconvenience, towing, possible lost wages, injury etc… Or GET THEM FIXED, for free, before anything bad happens? Really? Your friend is actually considering not getting this done?
Your friend should call the dealer and ask which recalls were not addressed on this Jeep. They have access to all the records. Al your friend needs to do is provide the VIN and the dealer can check the Fiat-Chrysler America database.