ABSTRACT
We are familiar with car manufacturers' claims that their latest model has been exhaustively tested. Some will emphasize its safety as a particular attribute. Yet despite all this up to 1 million cars are recalled in the UK each year for safety checks. Virtually every car manufacturer has been involved in a recall. Between 1980 and 1995 some 36 manufacturers, including all the well known names, had to recall 11 352 908 vehicles for a retrofit in 1242 campaigns. The problems encountered in a six-month period, are taken from the Vehicle Recall Bulletin of the Vehicle Inspectorate Executive Agency. The recall campaigns are launched and monitored as agreed in the voluntary Codes of Practice formulated from discussions between the Department of Transport and representative bodies of the motor industry. They provide an indication of their range and the action taken to overcome them.
