CarMax’s Commitment to Recall Transparency
RICHMOND, Va., 2015-12-15 — /EPR Retail News/ — CarMax is committed to providing the most transparent car buying experience in the industry. To ensure our customers are well informed about recalls, CarMax provides vehicle-specific information about open recalls to every retail customer prior to purchasing a used vehicle from our stores. In addition, all CarMax vehicles meet or exceed state safety inspection requirements.
Because many of our customers visit us first at carmax.com or on our mobile site or app, every vehicle on carmax.com includes a link to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) VIN lookup website, with the VIN pre-populated, allowing customers to obtain open recall information on any CarMax used vehicle. We know of no other dealer in the Boston market who is providing the NHTSA recall report online to their customers.
Before any customer purchases a used vehicle, a CarMax associate and the customer review the vehicle’s NHTSA VIN-specific recall report. After this initial review, customers sign a form acknowledging receipt of this NHTSA recall report with their sales documents. We recommend that our customers register their vehicle with the manufacturer and urge them to have open recalls fixed immediately following purchase.
Open Recalls Can Only Be Cleared at a Manufacturer-Authorized Facility
The current recall system is based on the manufacturer’s relationship with its dealers and registered vehicle owners, and not with independent used auto retailers, like CarMax. Among other things, this means that manufacturers have not authorized CarMax to complete recall repairs and close out recalls.
Our experience shows us customers are in the best position to act on recall information directly with a manufacturer-authorized dealer. We have found that dealers are often more likely to provide timely recall repair to customers rather than to a competitor, like CarMax, so we encourage customers to have recalls repaired at a manufacturer-authorized facility.
CarMax Notified Mr. Kane of the Open Recalls on His Vehicle
CarMax leads the used car industry in recall transparency. In addition, all CarMax vehicles meet or exceed state safety inspection requirements.
In the case of Mr. Sean Kane referenced in Massachusetts today, Mr. Kane knew about the open recalls prior to sale and he purchased the vehicle nonetheless, despite having the opportunity to walk away or return the vehicle. To claim that Mr. Kane did not know about the recalls until after the sale is simply untrue.
Mr. Kane purchased a Jeep Grand Cherokee from the CarMax in North Attleboro. Mr. Kane obtained vehicle-specific open recall information on carmax.com prior to making any inquiry of CarMax. Mr. Kane reviewed the open recall information on CarMax’s website and brought the (NHTSA) report of open recalls with him to the store.
During the pre-sale process, the CarMax Sales Consultant and Mr. Kane reviewed the NHTSA report of open recalls. Mr. Kane also reviewed and acknowledged with signature in his sales paperwork that he was aware of the open recalls on the vehicle prior to driving the vehicle off our lot. The CarMax associate urged him to have open recalls fixed immediately following purchase. At any point during the sales documentation process, Mr. Kane had the opportunity to cancel the transaction without penalty. He also had the opportunity to return the vehicle and receive a full refund with CarMax’s 5-Day Money Back Guarantee. Lastly, Mr. Kane received an email the day after his purchase reminding him to register the Jeep with the manufacturer to receive information on any open recalls direct from the manufacturer.
Additional Resources
CarMax Recall Notification Video: How we ensure our customers are well informed about recalls online and in our stores
Infographic on the U.S. Recall System
Examples of CarMax recall communications can be found here.
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Email: PR@Carmax.com
SOURCE: CarMax Business Services, LLC