It’s one thing to know that your car has been recalled, which is happening right now to a record number of Americans, but it’s even worse when you know that your car has been recalled and can’t get the manufacturer to service it at a dealership. When you’re told that there are no parts or no technicians to fix your car, what do you do?

CBS Sacramento interviewed two local motorists who are driving cars that have been recalled for safety issues. One is driving a Mazda R-X 8 with a Takata airbag, and the other has a Ford Fiesta with a potentially dangerous door latch problem. What they have in common is that neither can get her car repaired.

“I have the stress of wondering if somebody’s going to hit me and blow this airbag in my face,” the owner of the Mazda told consumer reporter Kurtis Ming. She could disable the airbag, but that would be removing an important safety feature that might or might not spray metal shards in her face when it inflates.

Rosemary Shahan of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety says that the options for car manufacturers should be very simple: they shouldn’t let owners drive around fearing for their lives on a daily basis. “Either fix the car, provide a loaner, or buy the car back,” she told the station. If the manufacturer won’t do any of these things, escalate your complaint, and remember that your issue is with the manufacturer, not with the local dealer.

Of course, as we learned yesterday, actually getting that warranty repair doesn’t mean that your car is safe, which is why you should periodically check the bulletins for your own vehicle on your own.

Call Kurtis Investigates: I Can’t Get My Recalled Car Repair Fixed, What Do I Do? [CBS Sacramento]

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