At the end of 2019 I bought a new Honda Accord. During 2020 I received a notice that it had been recalled due to a potentially faulty fuel pump.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 lockdowns made any sort of repairs like this pretty much impossible, so I left it on the back burner, intending to get it done in 2021. Of course, 2021 wasn’t much better, and I was unable to get the recall completed.
On New Year’s Eve, 2021, I was left stranded because the fuel pump did end up failing. I needed to travel by taxi then by train to get home (Approx. 300km). I then needed to travel by train to collect the car when it had been repaired.
In all, I incurred about $260 in expenses, even though my insurance paid some of the taxi fare and towing of the vehicle, and some train travel was free because of it being New Year’s Eve.
I wrote to Honda about this, asking them to consider reimbursing me these expenses, but they have not even had the manners to reply to my letter.
It’s an interesting sequence of events. One with unfortunate and inconvenient circumstances. Welcome to the community.
Have you considered what Honda may be thinking? The decision as to when to book your vehicle in for the recall is something they had no control over. True, Covid did affect a great many things. Did you try to book your vehicle in at any time prior to New Years Eve 2021? For a recall issued sometime in 2020 it seems a long time to put off the booking.
Regardless of how it might appear, Honda must be seriously wondering why the vehicle had not been booked in. A second question may be why so long after the recall notice was issued the vehicle was being driven at some risk of failure 300km from home. How could it be argued that Honda are responsible for the subsequent costs if they were not given an opportunity to have control over the circumstances?
Perhaps Honda will review your situation and respond in a more positive way than might be expected. Have you contacted them more directly to follow up on the original letter?
While I have Honda CRV I too received a fuel pump recall notice at this time. However, there was very little trouble in arranging a time and getting this dealt with in South Australia. However, I would comment that I too have written letters to Honda and never received a response for any one of them. Such commercial complacency is common these days with many companies making it impossible or near impossible to communicate with them. And if you do connect, there is a remarkably high probability that the text of your communication will not get addressed in full. Part of CHOICE’s recommendation process might address this issue. There is little point in recommending a product/service if the company cannot be reached when necessary.
Welcome to the Community Michelle . Manufacturers approach recalls of vehicles differently . I worked in the motor industry for quite a few years . 2 large manufacturers and a dealership .
When you get a notice of recall it is important you get in touch with the dealership you purchased the car from , if private sale , your nearest Honda dealer , and tell them the car is available to have the item rectified or changed .
The onus is then on the dealer not you . I live in Victoria and we were severely locked down in 2020 -2021 due to covid yet I had my car serviced 4 times during this period . One service was a recall service . I was advised by Suzuki Australia there was a safety issue that needed urgent attention .
I don’t think Honda will reimburse you . There may be other reasons you did not book the vehicle into the dealer for recall repairs , geographical location etc . It is a costly lesson but there are some things in life we cannot put on the " back burner " If we do they seem to always come back to haunt us . In your case out of pocket expenses .
It also appears the car may not have been serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s service schedule otherwise the recall works would could have been scheduled within a normal service which is often the case for replacing fuel pumps.
I hope this isn’t the case and services were carried out, outside the Honda dealership where recalls would be resolved.
If you made a decision to defer services as well…and as the car would have been (and could still be) within the manufacturer warranty period, you may have breached the conditions of the warranty. If you have any defects which would otherwise been covered by the warranty or consumer guarantee, Honda could reasonably ask for payment to rectify such defects.
Not servicing in accordance with the service manual can also affect resale values as well.
If Honda was contacted and they made the decision to defer servicing or recall works, then warranty wouldn’t be impacted and like @vax2000, the onus would fall back on them.
