Car owners in Estonia to get notifications of manufacturers' remedial campaigns

TALLINN – As of Thursday, the Estonian Transport Administration will start informing vehicle owners about remedial campaigns announced by manufacturers, with the information also to be visible in the vehicle's background check on the Transport Administration's e-service website.

As of Feb. 3, the local dealer for a vehicle manufacturer is obliged to enter information on the manufacturer's remedial campaigns and the VIN numbers of the related vehicles in the traffic register.

The Transport Administration will send a notice to the person responsible for the vehicle, meaning the authorized user or owner, that the vehicle is subject to a recall. Besides, the Transport Administration will release the contacts of the person responsible for the vehicle to the local representative of the vehicle manufacturer. The representative will specify the nature of the measure and inform the owner where and how the error will be corrected.

Under the Traffic Act, it is the obligation of the vehicle owner and the authorized user to enable the manufacturer to apply remedial measures to bring a motor vehicle or its trailer into conformity with valid requirements or to ensure its safety.

The implementation of the corrective measure must be allowed as soon as possible, but no later than 12 months after the date of notification by the Transport Authority. If the measure is not applied within 12 months, the vehicle will be deemed to be non-compliant and dangerous.