One man is calling on the province to review its used vehicle safety inspections after buying a used vehicle from a dealership with two outstanding safety recalls.
Greg Watson purchased a 2013 vehicle, but soon took it back to the manufacturer’s dealer with some concerns. He said the vehicle came back with an airbag recall and an ignition recall.
Buying a used vehicle from a dealer comes with the assurance of being safety inspected. This is typically a comprehensive check that includes tires, steering and brakes. But safety recalls aren’t a part of this.
“That inspection process does not include looking at recalls,” said Tyler McMurchy, spokesperson for SGI.
“The very simple reason for that is that there really isn’t a central repository for all recalls. A number of manufacturers, they advise people in different ways.”
But Watson would like to see these safety recalls become a part of the inspection, and his motivation goes back to a car crash nearly eight years ago.
“We lost a son in a car accident, and after the fact, we found out that there was an airbag recall on it. He really had no broken bones, just damage to the brain, basically brain dead, and we’ll never know if a proper airbag would have made a difference in his life or not,” said Watson.
“It’s something I’ve got to live with, and I thought by now this would be something that they would catch and get caught up on.”
SGI recommends that buyers check for outstanding recalls after purchasing a used vehicle by entering the vehicle identification number on the manufacturer’s website.
