- Vehicles
- 50,000
- Built between
- Sep 1997 – Jan 1998
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Equipment
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 12 January 1998
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between September 1997 and January 1998. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- Designtech Auto CommandBuilt September 1997 to January 1998
What the defect is
Equipment description: auto command remote car starters, models 25523, 25524-28, 25536-38, 20024-28, 20036-38. A software problem occurs allowing the remote car starter to start a vehicle more than once every 3 hours when the temperature drops below 0 degrees fahrenheit.
What could happen
If a vehicle was located in a closed area, such as a garage, and the vehicle started often, the potential for carbon monoxide build-up could occur increasing the risk of personal injury.
What gets fixed
OWNERS NEED TO RETURN THE REMOTE CAR STARTER TO HAVE A MICROPROCESSOR (NEW SOFTWARE) INSTALLED.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtSeptember 1997 to January 1998
- Recall reported to NHTSA9 February 1998
- Owners notified12 January 1998
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 9 February 1998.
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.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- DESIGNTECH INTERNATIONAL INC.
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
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
Owner notification began january 12, 1998.OWNERS who do not have the free remedy performed within a reasonable time should contact designtech at 1-800-337-4468.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
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.