It’s an unavoidable truth for every car owner: cars, despite their sophisticated engineering, are prone to developing issues over time. From mysterious clunks and bangs to unfamiliar odors, car problems are simply a part of the ownership experience. However, automakers are not oblivious to these issues. They actively monitor trends in complaints and warranty claims to identify common problems across their vehicle fleets.
When a pattern of complaints or warranty claims emerges for a specific issue, automakers are compelled to find a solution. If the problem is safety-critical, this often leads to a recall, ensuring vehicle safety standards are maintained. But what about those less critical, yet still frustrating, problems like persistent squeaks, faulty side mirrors, or peeling paint? For these types of issues, automakers utilize Technical Service Bulletins, or TSBs.
A Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) is essentially a detailed set of repair instructions issued by a vehicle manufacturer to its dealerships. These bulletins outline the recommended procedures for diagnosing and fixing specific, recurring problems that are not safety-related.
Think of a TSB as a highly specific instruction manual for your car, much like the assembly guides you get with flat-pack furniture, but tailored to address known vehicle issues and without the need for your own tools.
TSBs vs. Recalls: Understanding the Key Differences
While both TSBs and recalls are manufacturer-initiated actions to address vehicle problems, they differ significantly in several crucial aspects:
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Safety Defect Focus: Recalls are exclusively reserved for addressing safety defects – issues that could potentially endanger vehicle occupants. The definition of a safety defect can sometimes be debated, but generally, if a problem poses a risk of injury or accident, it will likely trigger a recall. TSBs, conversely, can cover a much broader range of issues, including minor inconveniences or performance glitches that don’t compromise safety. A classic example is that perpetually drooping sun visor that requires a makeshift fix to prevent it from collapsing after every bump in the road – a nuisance, but not a safety hazard.
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Warranty and Cost Implications: Recalls, being safety-related, are legally mandated to be repaired at no cost to the vehicle owner, regardless of warranty status. Automakers are legally obligated to reimburse dealerships for all recall-related repairs. TSBs operate differently. If your car is still under warranty, repairs outlined in a TSB may be covered, but this is not guaranteed, and even then, some TSB-related warranty repairs have time or mileage limitations. Crucially, once your vehicle’s warranty expires, you will almost certainly be responsible for the full cost of any TSB-related repairs.
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Owner Notification Policies: This is a major distinction. Automakers are legally required to proactively notify vehicle owners about safety recalls, usually through mail and other communication channels. However, there is no such requirement for TSBs. Automakers distribute TSBs directly to their dealership networks and log them with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The onus is on the consumer to be aware of TSBs, which leads us to the critical question of accessibility.
How to Find TSBs Relevant to Your Car
Being an informed car owner is paramount for making sound decisions about vehicle maintenance and repair. Logically, access to Technical Service Bulletins, which detail known problems and fixes, should be straightforward. If your car’s infotainment system is glitching, wouldn’t it be incredibly helpful to know if the manufacturer is already aware of the issue and has a documented solution?
Unfortunately, for a considerable period, accessing TSB information was far from simple for consumers.
TSBs themselves are structured documents – they clearly state the problem, list affected vehicle models and model years, specify necessary parts, detail required tools, and provide step-by-step repair procedures. However, in the past, full TSB documents were not readily available to the public without cost. Consumers were often limited to brief, often cryptic summaries.
The Problem with TSB Summaries
When an automaker issues a TSB to dealerships, they are required to notify the NHTSA. However, for a long time, NHTSA only publicly provided very limited summary information about TSBs. Let’s examine an example of a TSB summary for a 2011 Honda CR-V related to the engine:
TSB #AER12040B NHTSA ID #10043934 Summary: AMERICAN HONDA: SEE DOCUEMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. HEAD COVER GASKET LEAKS. TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE CAUSE OF THIS OCCURRENCE, AHM WOULD LIKE TO COLLECT PERTINENT INFORMATION AND/OR INSPECT THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO ATTEMPTING REP
Analyzing this summary, several points become immediately apparent:
- Lack of Clarity: The summary is far from user-friendly. It’s filled with abbreviations and jargon that are not easily understandable to the average car owner.
- Ambiguity: Who or what is “AHM,” and why are they “collecting pertinent information”? The summary raises more questions than it answers.
- Typographical Errors: Even a basic word like “document” is misspelled, undermining the perceived professionalism and trustworthiness of the information.
- Limited Actionable Information: While it confirms a known issue with head cover gasket leaks, it provides no practical next steps or solutions for the car owner.
These summaries, while technically fulfilling a notification requirement, were largely unhelpful for consumers seeking actionable information about car problems and potential fixes.
A Major Victory for Car Owners: TSB Transparency
A significant turning point occurred on February 9th, 2016, when the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) initiated legal action against the Department of Transportation, alleging violations of federal law regarding auto safety information transparency.
“Today the Center for Auto Safety filed suit against DOT Secretary Foxx to force the Secretary to do what the law so clearly requires. This is yet another example of where voluntary and cooperative action by the auto industry so praised by Secretary Foxx fails.” – CAS Executive Director Clarence Ditlow”
The Department of Transportation had previously argued that publishing full TSB documents would infringe on copyright. However, this argument was challenged based on the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) of 2012. This act mandates that the Secretary of Transportation must:
“make available on a publicly accessible Internet website, a true or representative copy of each communication to the manufacturer’s dealers or to owners or purchasers of a motor vehicle or replacement equipment produced by the manufacturer about a defect or noncompliance with a motor vehicle safety standard prescribed under this chapter in a vehicle or equipment that is sold or serviced.”
Clearly, the previously available TSB summaries fell far short of being a “true representative copy” of the comprehensive original documents.
Full Automaker Defect Information Now Publicly Accessible
The lawsuit proved successful. The Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reached an agreement to publicly release the full text of vehicle Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) following the legal challenge from the Center for Auto Safety (CAS).
“NHTSA will also publicly post on its Web site the manufacturers’ indexes to their communications as they are received.”
This landmark decision marked a significant win for car owners. For the first time, consumers gained the ability to thoroughly search for information on a wide range of car problems, including those not officially classified as safety risks. The CAS emphasized that this increased transparency would empower consumers to save money on repairs for issues addressed in previously hidden TSBs, and potentially even contribute to saving lives by making vehicle problem information more accessible.
Now, car owners can access comprehensive information about virtually everything that might be wrong with their vehicles. While this level of detail can be a little daunting, it ultimately represents a powerful tool for informed car ownership and maintenance.
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