Manufacturers sometimes recall vehicles when defects in their design or production become evident. These can range from minor problems to major faults that affect a vehicle's safety and performance. In some cases vehicles may have arrived in New Zealand before the defects are discovered.
We strongly advise you to check whether your vehicle is subject to a safety recall. It is your legal responsibility to ensure that vehicles you import are cleared of any recalls before arriving in New Zealand.
Checking will help you avoid:
the possibility of a death or injury occurring as a result of a defect not being remedied
the cost and inconvenience to you if we require you to have the defect rectified before the vehicle is registered
the cost and inconvenience to you if we order your vehicle off the road and/or revoke its warrant of fitness (WoF) or certificate of fitness (CoF) until the defect is remedied
the cost and inconvenience to you of having to repair, or pay for the repair, of any vehicle defects. If you sell the vehicle in New Zealand, you may have an obligation to do this under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993.
Sometimes vehicles entered on our system are tagged with a 'ban flag'. This means you must repair the recall fault before the vehicle can get a WoF or CoF. Contact us to check for ban flags.
Recalls are posted on websites in Japan, Australia, the USA and Europe. These websites:
Check these websites:
Some manufacturers post recall information on their websites. Often you'll need to know the vehicle identification number (VIN) to check whether your vehicle is subject to a recall.
For recalls issued by manufacturers' New Zealand representatives, check:
If your vehicle is listed for recall on one of these recall websites, you need to get written confirmation of the repair from the manufacturer directly, or a franchise dealer in the country of export.
You won't be able to get this information from a New Zealand franchise dealer or vehicle manufacturers' representatives.
