NHTSA, Carmakers Ponder The Challenge of Effective Recalls

Carmakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration met in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday in hopes of figuring out how to coax consumers who own recalled vehicles into getting them fixed, Bloomberg News reports.

General Motors Co., which alone recalled more than 83 million vehicles in the U.S. last year, told the group that making owners aware of a recall doesn't mean they'll actually get their vehicle fixed.

GM said it redesigned its mailed notices to give them a more urgent air. It also launched social media campaigns, made multiple phone calls to owners and offered free loaner cars. The company says its efforts made 98% of affected customers aware their vehicles needed repairs.

Even so, many consumers didn't respond. Bloomberg says that one-third of recall repairs typically still haven't been made 18 months after a recall begins. The news service cites a Carfax Inc. estimate that there were 46 million cars on American roads last year that had been recalled but not repaired.

The study added that about 5 million of those vehicles changed owners in 2014. Carmakers say such transfers make it more difficult to contact second-hand owners and start the coaxing process anew.