A stack of recall letters and a busy diary
Twelve letters arrive in a week from a manufacturer about the same model, each for one registration. Some mention a software update, some a part to be replaced. One letter says the vehicle should not be driven until the work is done. Four of the twelve vehicles are on hire, three are booked for the weekend and one was moved to another branch last month.
Somebody puts the letters on the fleet manager's desk. The fleet manager is at another branch until Thursday.
Why recalls get lost in a rental fleet
A private owner has one car and one letter. A rental firm has many vehicles of the same model, and recall letters often go to the registered keeper's address rather than the branch that runs the vehicle.
- Letters arrive one per vehicle, sometimes weeks apart for the same campaign.
- The letter does not say where the vehicle is or whether it is on hire.
- The level of urgency varies, and it is easy to treat an urgent notice like a routine one.
- Getting the work done needs a dealer slot, which has to fit the booking diary.
- Nobody records when the work was completed, so vehicles sold at defleet may have open recalls.
The cost of a recall left in a pile
Vehicles on the road with known faults, which is a risk to hirers and one your insurer will take an interest in. Hires disrupted at short notice when an urgent recall is finally noticed. Vehicles sold on with outstanding work, which buyers and auction houses increasingly check. And a lot of phone calls to find out where each vehicle is.
The recall tracker we build
- Recall letters and emails are scanned into one intake. We read the registration or VIN, the campaign reference, the description and the urgency, and a person confirms them.
- Where the manufacturer or a recall checking service offers a lookup, the whole fleet is checked against it on a schedule, so campaigns are found even if a letter goes astray.
- Each affected vehicle is shown with its branch, whether it is on hire, when it is due back and its next bookings.
- Notices marked as not to be driven block the vehicle from new bookings immediately, and a manager is alerted about any current hire so your process for contacting the hirer and swapping the vehicle can start.
- Routine recalls are planned into the next gap in the diary, alongside any service due, and booked with the dealer.
- The dealer's confirmation of the work is recorded on the vehicle, and vehicles with open recalls are flagged before defleet.
| Recall urgency | What the tracker does | Who decides next |
|---|---|---|
| Do not drive | Blocks bookings, alerts manager about current hire | Manager, under your process |
| Fix soon | Plans work into the next diary gap | Fleet manager approves slot |
| Routine or software update | Adds to next service visit | Planned automatically, confirmed by dealer |
| Open at defleet | Flags before sale | Defleet team |
Following the manufacturer, not second-guessing it
We do not judge how serious a recall is. The urgency comes from the manufacturer's notice, and what you do about vehicles already on hire comes from your own process and your insurer. The tracker makes sure each notice reaches the right person the day it arrives, shows them where the vehicle is and records what was done.
Every recall found, planned and closed
On an ordinary Monday, the fleet manager opens the tracker and sees two new campaigns found overnight by the fleet check, each with the affected vehicles already listed by branch. One is a software update that joins the next service visit. The other needs a part, and the tracker has suggested days when each vehicle is free. Nothing sits in a pile waiting for someone to come back from another branch.
Over time, every vehicle carries a clear record of which recalls applied and when they were done, which also helps when you sell it.
Are recalls waiting in a pile?
- Recall letters arrive at head office and wait for someone to act.
- You cannot quickly say which affected vehicles are on hire.
- Recall work is fitted in when a vehicle happens to be free.
- You have no record of which recalls have been completed.
- Vehicles have been sold with recalls still open.