Recall, Bulletin, Advisory: What’s the Difference?

Recalls, bulletins and advisories often offer fixes for no charge.

BoatUS deciphers what these vastly different terms mean for boat owners

Safety recall, service bulletin, product correction bulletin, service advisory: What do these terms mean to you? Some use the force of law to require manufacturers to repair defects. Some are manufacturers’ goodwill offers for free repairs, and the others are simply internal notifications that may not be much more than an “FYI.” Here’s what each means to recreational boaters.

“Safety Recall” and “Volunteer Safety Recall”: Issued by the U.S. Coast Guard and often with a manufacturer’s cooperation, a “safety recall” involves a safety problem that relates to a boat or associated equipment that is less than 10 years old. The recall must pertain to a violation of federal safety regulations or “a defect that creates a substantial risk of personal injury to the public.”

An official recall notification can also be issued under a “service bulletin” heading, but will also be called a “safety recall” on the document. Regardless, if it says “recall,” it’s part of the Coast Guard program and manufacturers have to fix it at no charge, even if the boat’s defect isn’t discovered until many years after the recall is issued. A manufacturer can also issue a “volunteer safety recall” on its own, even after the first 10 years, and it still has the same weight as any other Coast Guard “safety recall.”

If a manufacturer goes out of business before the recall can be addressed, you are out of luck. If a new company buys the old business, however, it may be responsible for the repairs or it may repair the defect simply as a goodwill gesture.

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