[above: A mechanic repairs a Toyota in a car service in Ankara, Turkey.]

SINGAPORE - Car recalls. They may seem like two dreaded words these recent weeks, but it is not always about bad news.

While most recalls still involve parts that need fixing, sometimes car makers develop newer parts such as fuel tank covers or hinges.

Owners are then invited to bring in their vehicles for an upgrade.

"Recalls are not always to do with a particular part that is about to fail," said Group Exklusiv executive director Kevin Kwee, whose company distributes Geely and Skoda cars.

"It could be a window holder, or even a hinge. Most of the time, it improves the car's reliability," he said.

Recalls are invariably free.

Mr Ron Lim, general manager of Nissan agent Tan Chong Motor, said changes could also be made when vehicles are brought in for regular maintenance.

"Whether the term 'recall' is used depends on the manufacturer. But if they issue a recall, then we will have to inform the Land Transport Authority (LTA)," Mr Lim added.

Since 2003, manufacturers and dealers have been required by law to report safety-related recalls to the LTA. From that year until 2007, an average of 50,000 vehicles were recalled annually.

But the number has been falling dramatically, in a possible sign of improving quality.

In 2008, it was just 14,267 vehicles. Last year it dropped further to 11,187, said the LTA. Previous high-profile recalls here have involved faulty headlight dimming switches (Toyota in 2005, affecting 10,200 cars), and an improper soldered joint on a circuit board (Nissan in 2003, with 32,928 vehicles).

The recall issue has hogged headlines in recent weeks, with Toyotas and Hondas being affected globally because of safety problems like sticky accelerator pedals and faulty airbags.

Toyota Prius owners in Japan and the United States have complained about a temporary loss of control in the braking system when driving slowly on bumpy or icy roads.

There are about 120 Prius cars in Singapore, with the majority sold by Toyota distributor Borneo Motors. Since last Wednesday, owners have been bringing their cars in for a software upgrade that improves brake performance.

Mr Klaus Redomske, Borneo Motors' marketing director, said last Thursday that all affected customers have been contacted. Fifty-six appointments had been scheduled up to then, and most were before Chinese New Year.

The rest of the owners have not scheduled appointments, but he expects all upgrades to be completed most likely by the end of the month.

For parallel importer Hybrid Motor, a dozen of the affected Prius cars were fixed by yesterday. Only one car is left as the customer is overseas, said its chief executive officer, Mr Eddie Lo.

One of Hybrid Motor's customers, Mr Ong Ban Seng, 51, had his three-month old Prius fixed within half an hour on Friday afternoon.

"Prior to the recall, there wasn't anything abnormal when I was driving so I didn't see any rush. But the company said it would be better to get it fixed as soon as possible for safety purposes," he said.

Dealers said safety or product improvement recalls are usually initiated by the manufacturers' headquarters.

Chassis numbers of the affected vehicles are sent to each country's distributor. In Singapore, dealers then submit the information to the LTA, and this is fed into the database to get up-to-date contact details of the owners.

The distributors then notify the owners by mail or telephone to bring their cars in. How long the repairs take will depend on the scale of the repairs, said Komoco Motors managing director Teo Hock Seng, whose company is the official Hyundai distributor here.

Mr Teo added: "The most important thing is that the changes are made within the time frame given, and the customer leaves happy."

limze@sph.com.sg

Additional reporting by Debby Kwong

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

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