Why automakers fail to fix millions of recalled vehicles every year

Earlier this week, General Motors attempted to demonstrate how it's still safe to drive one of the 2.6 million vehicles it's recalled for ignitions that could shut off without warning, producing this video of a Chevy Cobalt going through various tests, and emphasizing that all will be OK if owners drive with only one key, and not the five-pound mass of key fobs and flashlights that now adorn many chains.

But based on trends in automotive recalls, many of the affected owners won't hear this, or anything else about the recall despite the congressional hearings and media coverage. If GM hits the industry's average for getting owners to bring their cars in for fixes, there would still be more than 500,000 vehicles on the road with a potential safety defect.

Call it the apathy hurdle. Vehicle recalls have become so common — with 632 recalls covering 22 million cars and trucks in 2013 alone — that a sizable number of owners simply don't care. Thousands will not be reachable by mail, which automakers must use as the official communications method for notifying them. And since many owners don't keep service records, there will be no way to know if a recall's been performed on a car when its sold; used-car dealers are not required to inspect for or make recall repairs before selling a vehicle.