- Vehicles
- 2,000
- Built between
- Not published
- Models
- 9
- Recall type
- Equipment
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 15 May 2008
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.
- Autostart AS-2450VTW-FM
- Autostart AS-2451TW-FM
- Autostart AS-2452TW-V
- Autostart CS-495ITW-FM
- Autostart EX-2451TW-FM
- Autostart MDL-2450V
- Autostart NS-2250TW-FM
- Autostart OB-3670V
- Autostart PS-4451TW-FM
What the defect is
Autostart is recalling 2,000 aftermarket remote engine starters manufactured between september 2007 and march 2008 sold under the brands "autostart", "polar start", "extreme start", "orbit", "nordic start", and "command start" sold for use on various passenger vehicles with manual transmissions. Under certain conditions, the affected units could unintentionally start the vehicle's engine without the driver's awareness.
What could happen
If an affected unit is installed in a vehicle with a manual transmission and the transmission is left in gear with the handbrake engaged, the vehicle could lunge forward while attempting to start possibly resulting in injury to the vehicle occupants or persons outside of the vehicle. Also, unintended starting of the vehicle engine in a confined space could lead to exhaust build up and pose a risk of CO asphyxiation.
What gets fixed
AUTOSTART WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE UNITS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 12, 2008.
Timeline
- Recall reported to NHTSA19 May 2008
- Owners notified15 May 2008
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 19 May 2008.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners may contact autostart 1-866-738-9750.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- AUTOSTART
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Customers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.