Your safety on the road is one of the most important driving factors – but what should you do if your vehicle is recalled? Every vehicle recall should be taken seriously! Don’t get caught unprepared with our easy-to-follow guide. What Is a Recall? When there’s a recall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determines if a vehicle does not meet motor vehicle safety standards. Manufacturers are then required to file a report including details of the vehicle, the number of vehicles affected, equipment affected, a description of the defect, what led up to the decision to recall, an explanation, and a recall schedule. Registered owners must receive a recall notification from manufacturers by first-class mail within 60 days of the recall instructing owners on how to get the issue fixed, the time frame of the fix, and how long the repair should take. Checking For a Recall According to the NHTSA website, searching by license plate is one of the newest and best ways to check for a recall. While manufacturers must notify registered vehicle owners in 60 days, physical mail can be unreliable. If you have suspicions of a recall or have seen news concerning a potential recall on your car’s make and model, searching the NHTSA website for a recall through your car’s license plate or Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is the easiest and most efficient way to stay safe. What To Do When Your Car Is Recalled? Once you find out if the recall applies to your vehicle or parts, there are three options: repair, replace, or refund. By law, the manufacturer must choose one of the three options to correct the issue. If the manufacturer has chosen repair, your vehicle or part must be repaired by the manufacturer at no cost to the vehicle owner. Replacement means that if the problem can’t be fixed, the manufacturer must provide you with another similar or identical model. A refund option involves the manufacturer refunding the purchase price of your vehicle, minus depreciation. These options also apply to accessories such as car seats. Your recall letter or warning should notify you if your car is too dangerous to drive. Regardless, the recall issue should be resolved immediately by taking your vehicle to a local authorized dealership matching the make of your car. Remember, the bigger the recall, the longer the waitlist for an appointment. How to Book a Recall Repair Appointment at Savage 61 Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Recalls must be done at dealerships for recording purposes, quality monitoring, and making recalled parts available to manufacturers for inspection. While the NHTSA gives manufacturers a grace period for repairs to be made available after a recall, you should contact your local dealership to book an appointment as early as possible to beat the crowds. Establishing a friendly relationship with your local registered dealership can pay off during a difficult recall period! Has your vehicle been recalled? Call Savage 61 Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram immediately to book your recall repair appointment and ensure your vehicle is functioning to its intended safety guidelines and performing its best. Our team is happy to help, from minor service to full recall assistance!

While there are certain exceptions – Optimus Prime, Christine, the characters in Pixar’s Cars, etc. – our vehicles don't speak the English langue. But that's not to say that your vehicle has no method of conversing with you. Instead, engine sounds are our cars' primary modes of communication. Distinguishing between ordinary car sounds and potential alarms can be a challenge, but it’s crucial not to ignore them. You wouldn't ignore a human's cry for help; your vehicle is doing much the same, trying to make you understand what ails it and the steps you can take to assist. At Savage 61, we're perpetually on the lookout for unusual engine sounds. Here’s a guide to a variety of noises your vehicle might generate – and importantly, what these sounds could indicate. Squealing / Chirping High-pitch squeals are more than just persistent annoyance to the driver – often, they're a warning of a loose or worn-out belt. If you perceive the squeaking or chirping is originating from your engine, it might be your serpentine belt, which energizes your alternator, power steering pump, and water pump. Set a service appointment with our specialists promptly, as a damaged belt can cause overheating, loss of power steering – and a hefty repair bill. But before you do, confirm that the squeaking isn’t coming from your brakes. Manufacturers intentionally insert a tiny fragment of metal in your brake pads, which emits a loud squeal to inform you that your brake pads are wearing thin. Monitoring the health of your brakes pads is crucial, but replacing them is much more common (and less costly) than substituting your serpentine belt. Knocking / Tapping / Pinging It's not someone stuck under your car’s hood (hopefully). A thudding or ticking noise from the engine could be hinting at a problem with the engine bearings. These bearings support the engine’s rotating elements – and they’re not afraid to alert you when they’re failing. Otherwise, it could be a matter related to substandard fuel quality or old spark plugs – both capable of causing further damage or engine failure. To guard against this, contact our Service Department immediately at the first sign of these aggressive noises. Clunking / Rattling Hearing something clunking in your engine is one of the most instantly alarming car sounds. It’s a sign that something – potentially crucial to your safety and protection – is disconnected or displaced. If you've checked under your hood and are uncertain about what might be off, let a professional examine it. A low rattling or rumbling could be a more urgent alert, as it usually points to a failing catalytic converter. Unfortunately, the only resolution in this situation is to entirely replace the converter. Adhere to a regular maintenance schedule and hopefully you won't get to this point. Whooshing / Hissing Typically, these sounds are the result of a leak in the exhaust system. If ignored, this leak can reduce both engine efficiency and fuel economy. A number of factors could cause the leak: holes in the muffler, catalytic converter, or exhaust manifold are all potential culprits. Fortunately, our Parts Department has everything you need to restore harmony to your vehicle and have it operating smoothly once again. A prolonged hissing could also be because of coolant leakage or the vehicle’s cooling system overheating. If you believe your vehicle is overheating, pull over and find a place to park immediately – for both your personal safety and the health of your engine. Transmission Grinding Persistent grinding noises usually stem from transmission problems and are most noticeable when changing or adjusting gears. (Automatic transmissions generate jerking and vibrating rather than a grinding noise.) Look for other signs of a faulty transmission, like leaking fluid, a burning scent, or a power shortage. Seek advice from an experienced or certified expert soon to prevent hefty transmission repair costs. Relish the Sound of Silence The most comforting sound your vehicle can make is no sound at all. A silent engine is a signal of a functional engine, and at Savage 61, we're more than happy to treat your vehicle to some needed tranquility. Confide in our team of professional technicians for battery checks, oil changes, and any other service needed. When unusual sounds persist, it may be time for a new vehicle. Bring your old ride to Savage 61 and trade it in for a new or certified pre-owned vehicle. From the Chrysler Pacifica to the Dodge Hornet, Pennsylvania's number one dealership is loaded with vehicles that hum soothingly and handle like a charm.

The New Year is upon us, a time to make life-altering resolutions and then immediately break them. But here’s a thought: what if 2024 is the year you stick to the changes? The thing about New Year’s resolutions is that there’s no need for them to be major life upgrades. If you commit yourself to quit drinking or smoking and succeed, more power to you! But holding yourself to a series of small changes can wind up making a large impact. For every car owner, there’s plenty of small adjustments that can be made when it comes to your driving habits, how you care for your car, and more. Here are five resolutions to consider in 2024: Don’t Ignore the Service Light The service light flashing in your car is inherently alarming, but obviously there’s a myriad of issues it could be indicating, some far more serious than others. It’s normal for people to ignore the problem until it becomes something more tangible. But in 2024, try to address small problems before they grow into large, costly ones. Maintain regular service appointments with our experts here at Savage 61, and when your service light comes on, take it to the garage as soon as you can. In the long run, it will absolutely save you money. Clean Your Car Regularly Keeping your car aesthetically healthy is clearly a bit less important than monitoring what’s happening under the hood – but that doesn’t mean it’s unimportant. The interior of your car, especially, can wind up accumulating dirt and debris quickly, to the point where you wonder how you let it get to that point. When you suddenly need to give a passenger a ride, you could find yourself scrambling to do a full clean. You should wash your car about every two weeks to keep the body clean, and every two months or so, consider running it through a more thorough wash or wax.  And every time you get it washed, vacuum the inside to keep it more consistently clean. Put Your Phone Down More and more modern vehicles are embracing the fact that our phones have become an integral part of daily lives. Thanks to the rise of interconnected apps and infotainment screens, interacting with certain facets of your phone while driving is becoming more seamless and safer. That said, if the only way to check your phone is still to pull it out of your pocket while you’re on the road... stop doing it in 2024. Pull over to the side of the road in an emergency, but otherwise remember it’s okay not to look at a screen for a half-hour. Cell phone usage still contributes to 1.6 million crashes each year, and one out of four accidents is caused by texting and driving. Even if double-tasking on the road hasn’t been an issue for you before, focus your attention on the road ahead and don’t needlessly endanger lives. Remember, all it takes is one incident to dramatically alter your life. Know Your Lane If you’re driving on the highway, you're in the fast lane and someone is behind you, find a safe opportunity to change lanes and let them pass you. There’s always that one puzzling driver going 60 miles per hour in the left lane; you don’t want to be that driver. Think of it this way: you wouldn’t refuse to move your cart if you were blocking someone at the grocery store. In 2024, let’s all resolve to become more responsible drivers by expressing common courtesy and sticking to our lanes. Consider Making the EV Switch this Year This one constitutes more of a major life change, but if you have the resources, 2024 is the year to give serious thought to making the change to hybrid or electric. The impact it has on lowering carbon emissions is substantial, and we’re going to need every advantage we can get to combat climate change in the years ahead. It helps that more and more dealerships are buying into the EV experience. And charging stations are starting to pop up everywhere. Here are some just a few nearby charging stations in the Reading area: ChargePoint Charging Station on 815 Lancaster Ave., Reading, PA 19607 ChargePoint Charging Station on 1015 Lancaster Ave., Reading, PA 19607 ChargePoint Charging Station on 210 George St., Reading, PA 19607 Volta Charging Station in the Shillington Shopping Center, Reading, PA 19607 Destination Charging Center on 701 Penn St., Reading, PA 19601 Cruise Into the New Year No one is perfect when it comes to making and keeping resolutions. Hopefully, you take these changes of habit to heart, because they’re truly important to creating a safer, more orderly world. But even if you’re only able to implement one or two of these resolutions into your driving routine, you’re exhibiting a real and meaningful desire to change. What never changes is the quality of vehicles you’ll find here at Savage 61. If you’ve got room on your resolution list, make it your prerogative to get to Savage today and explore what we have to offer.