A national survey conducted by the University of Michigan sheds light on why many consumers choose to ignore vehicle safety recalls.
Nearly 51 million vehicles, as well as 34 million vehicle-related pieces of equipment, were recalled in 2015 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Despite this, 20-percent of the owners continue to skip the fixes, the NHTSA reports.
U-M’s analysis provides insight into why these owners ignored these recalls. The analysis uses data from 516 respondents to an online survey, conducted by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle.
The most popular concerns that prevented owners from heeding the recall were:
· Fear that dealerships will try to sell more repairs during the visit
· Difficulty giving up their vehicle for a repair
· The wait for the fix was simply too long
The survey also found these possible new options that have potential to increase compliance with recalls:
· The ability to bundle a recall with regularly scheduled maintenance
· Incentives like a free oil change or tank of gas
The survey, Consumer Preferences Regarding Vehicle-Related Safety Recalls, was supported by the U-M Transportation Research Institute.
