Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.
Technical Service Bulletin Overview
A technical service bulletin—also known as a TSB—is a notification sent out by automobile manufacturers to their service dealers. It’s meant to alert service dealers about a potential technical problem with an auto manufacturer’s product.
TSBs are not the same as recalls. First, they do not actually pull a product from the market. Instead, they simply alert a dealer about an issue. Generally, a technical service bulletin is issued within the first year following manufacture as a method of addressing concerns that may have been overlooked in the initial design of the car.
TSBs can be issued for something as mundane as updating troubleshooting strategies or better tips for installing the vehicle’s license plate holder. They could also address something more serious like an engine that is difficult to start or a transmission that makes strange noises.
These bulletins usually only apply when your vehicle is still within its warranty period. A recall, by contrast, would be open until work has been done to fix the issue.
Under an applicable TSB, the necessary repair work to fix the issue would be done for free, provided the following things are true:
- Your vehicle is still under warranty
- Your service advisor and/or technicians are able to confirm that the problem exists.
Many people may not know that TSBs exist at all. In fact, information from a TSB does not legally need to be given to customers. Auto manufacturers have no legal obligation to inform customers when they issue a TSB to a service dealer, nor do they necessarily have to cover the cost of repairs associated with a TSB issue.
However, if a problem included in a TSB is particularly widespread, affecting a large number of consumers, manufacturer may voluntarily send out “Owner Notification” letters to the relevant consumers. These notifications may instruct consumers to bring their vehicle into a dealership for free repairs. Though there are restrictions both on mileage and on time, owner notifications may extend beyond the initial warranty period.
Legal Issues
Of course, safety defects can be serious and can lead to accidents, injuries, or even fatalities. Millions of vehicles are recalled each year. Indeed, in 2018 alone, 914 recalls affected 29.3 million vehicles. In addition, thousands of Technical Service Bulletins were issued.
Consumers who are affected by a vehicle safety defect may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation.
