If a consumer already has paid for a repair that is now covered by a service campaign, he or she can ask the automaker for a reimbursement, either through a dealership or directly. “Work done for service campaigns is covered by the manufacturer, sometimes even beyond the warranty period,” says John Ibbotson, chief automotive services manager at Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center. These campaigns are sometimes called “secret warranties,” because automakers don’t have the same legal obligations to notify owners that they would with an official recall required by law for a safety defect. But occasionally, a problem covered by a TSB can turn into what automakers call a “service campaign,” “service action,” “customer service campaign,” or “warranty extension.” That means the automaker has agreed to cover the cost to repair a specific problem, sometimes in response to a class-action lawsuit or the risk of litigation but sometimes on its own. In most cases, customers will have to pay for these repairs, or they may be covered under a vehicle’s existing warranty. Previously, car owners had to search online forums for TSBs, or even pay for them from third parties. Now that consumers can search TSBs, they can go to a dealership armed with more knowledge about the fix that needs to be performed and they can be confident that the technician knows how to solve the problem. “Despite the law being updated in 2012 to require communications from manufacturers to their dealers to be posted online, the government failed to do so-which is why we took DOT to court,” CAS executive director Jason Levine said in a written statement. Now that NHTSA is following through, CAS has dropped the suit. The Center for Auto Safety, an advocacy group, filed a lawsuit against NHTSA in 2016 after it failed to make TSBs, service campaigns, and other manufacturer communications available on its website despite being required to do so by a federal law enacted in 2012. The effort to add TSB information to the NHTSA website has been in the works for a long time. For example, a search of TSBs for the 2015 Ford F-150 lists fixes for inoperable seat adjusters and misaligned glove boxes, among other, more important problems, such as oil leaks and engines that won’t start. Most recalls are voluntary, but others are forced by NHTSA.ĭespite their lower level of seriousness, TSBs can point to problems that can be annoying and time-consuming to repair. Automakers are required by law to inform owners within 60 days of a recall being issued, and repairs are performed at no cost to the vehicle owner. They stand in sharp contrast to recalls, which deal with safety-related fixes, such as replacing defective Takata airbags that can kill or injure drivers and passengers. They often come about after the automaker receives a spate of similar complaints from customers or warranty claims from dealers. TSBs usually cover specific problems that are common to a particular model of vehicle, or problems that are tricky to repair and require specialized guidance. How Technical Service Bulletins Can Help You
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