If you receive a car recall notice, take it seriously but be careful as a local dealer now stands accused of using safety recalls to make a buck.
Last year, the nation saw the highest number of car recalls in more than 30 years.
When Arlington resident Veronica Becerra received a recall notice, she was worried. Imagine her surprise when she found out her truck had no open recalls.
The notice came from a car dealer who she said was just trying to sell her a new car.
It made her angry. After all, her truck is her livelihood. She owns a small construction business and every day she hauls materials and tools in her Dodge Ram 1500.
"This is the only way i have to feed my family," Becerra said.
So when she got what looked like an official recall notice in the mail, it got her attention.
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"The main line says 'important recall notice,'" she said. "That's what scared me."
The notice warns she could "lose control of her vehicle," and it gives the option of trading her vehicle with her "designated authorized FCA [Fiat Chrysler Automotive] dealer." The notice names Waxahachie CDJR (Waxahachie Autoplex) located at 2405 N. Interstate 35E as her designated dealer, which confused Becerra since she didn't buy her truck there. And her vehicle's CARFAX vehicle history report indicates it has never been serviced at the Waxahachie dealership.
"They told me, 'Oh you need to bring it here so we can check it.' And I go, 'Do I have to drive all the way to Waxahachie? I live in Arlington.' And he said, 'Yeah, you have to bring it here,'" Becerra recalled.
The Federal Trade Commission warns consumers not to be fooled.
"If the notice that they receive tells them that they have to go to a certain dealership, that should be a red flag," said Jim Elliott, Asst. Regional Director of the FTC.
That's because you can go to any dealership to repair a recalled vehicle.
NBC 5's Consumer Team checked Becerra's VIN on the government's recall website and confirmed she does not have an open recall. While the recalls the notice references are real, her truck's defects were repaired before she bought the vehicle.
The consumer team wanted to know why the dealership sent her a recall notice. Calls and emails to the dealership were not returned, so Consumer Specialist Deanna Dewberry went to the dealership in person.
Bobby Malatia, the dealership's operations manager, told Dewberry he'd gotten lists of Chrysler vehicle owners in Dallas-Fort Worth from the DMV. Asked why the letter directed owners to his dealership, he said he wanted to let consumers know Waxahachie Autoplex is an available option. He insisted the letters were sent "for informational purposes."
Becerra was skeptical.
"They want to convince you to buy a new truck, but they should do business a different way," she said.
The consumer team called the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and a spokesman said "The document appears to contain, at best, misleading information about the recalls in question."
NHTSA also contacted Fiat Chrysler Automobiles "and instructed the company to contact the dealer" as well as "any other dealers" who might be sending similar letters.
Asked if it concerns the FTC that marketing material might look like a recall notice, Elliott said, "It certainly does." He's concerned that consumers might mistakenly disregard a real notice, believing it too advertisement. He advises consumers who receive something that looks like a recall notice to make sure it's real. It usually comes from the automaker, not a dealer. And NHTSA mandates that every official recall notice be in an envelope with an official label that carries NHTSA's logo as well as the U.S. Department of transportation.
Also check your vehicle identification number on NHTSA's website to make sure you actually have a recall. NHTSA and CARFAX also have free apps.
If you suspect you got a fake recall notice, NHTSA wants to hear from you. Also contact the FTC, the Texas AG, and the BBB.
