By Nyesha Stone
There are 311,000 recalled cars on Milwaukee roads, said Recall Masters Co-Founder Chris Miller, and your car could be one of those.
One out of three car onwers are unaware of their car’s recall and this is because car dealerships lose contact with the owner, he said. December of 2014 is when Miller launched his own website—www.recallmasters.com—to help drivers be more aware of their car and its potential issues. “We try to catch these problems early on,” Miller said.
Miller has been in the automotive industry for 17 years, and along with his background in database marketing he created his site. He also used a half of a million dollars of his own money to start up this business and its been growing rapidly since then, he said. This website helps the driver take ownership of their safety.
Miller said it’s not just the dealership’s responsibility to know about your recall, it’s also the owner’s responsibility to find out if they have one.
He suggests using www.motorsafety.org to know if your car has a recall. Some drivers know their vehicle has a recall but they don’t always take it serious.
“You’re gambling that you won’t be affected,” he said.
Not all recalls cause death, but many of them cause other injuries. Two hundred people experienced a permanent deformity caused by exploding airbags but this information isn’t widely known, said Miller.
Recall Masters has tracked 63 million vehicle recalls, while also using data to provide a driver with possible things wrong with their car on a monthly basis.
“We’re a company with a cause,” Miller said. “It makes my job satisfying.” Recall Masters reaches out to dealers to make the dealerships reach out to their customers who have recalls on their cars; about 1,000 dealerships are working with Recall Masters. When a dealership creates a program that helps a driver find out if they have a recall that brings new customers to that dealership.
Airbags aren’t the only recall a driver may experience. There’s a major issue with door latches on some cars: the door will open while the car is in motion. Another one is when a driver loses control of their car because the steering wheel stopped functioning. There could also be a leak in the car that could lead to a car fire.
There are a multitude of recalls a car can receive, and if people don’t know or take their recall seriously they could be in danger of harming themselves and others.
Since the initiation of recalls by the federal government over 390 million vehicles have been recalled, according Techmeier Law Firm.
The number of recalls on cars is growing each year and to be a safe driver, you must be a proactive one.
Milwaukee’s streets are filled with potholes and mixed with a recall on your car, that could lead to a disaster. Miller’s site is made to prevent disastrous situations, which is why his business is constantly growing.
Recalls are bound to happen as a car gets older, and it’s best to regularly check it. If owner’s are not sure if their car has a recall or not, it’s time to find out.