Should I buy a car with a recall?

You won't find any model that hasn't had multiple recalls. Some are related to emissions. Some are for safety issues. Chrysler, and most other manufacturers issue recalls for customer satisfaction concerns.

A recall means there's an issue the manufacturer wants to or is being forced to address. If they're being forced to issue a recall, it will only be for an emissions or safety concern, never for things like squeaks, wind noise, or rapidly wearing seat covers. Given how so many people search tirelessly for a reason to sue, liability worries play a part in recalls. A good place to start is by taking the vehicle ID number of the car you're looking at, to the dealer and ask them to check if the recall has been performed already. They can also tell you if there are any others that haven't been done yet.

Many people confuse "service bulletins" with recalls. Those are completely different. Service bulletins are meant for mechanics to help them solve problems with elusive causes. These happen all the time, but when we see the same thing over and over on one model, without the service bulletin, each mechanic might have to spend many hours or days trying to figure out the cause and remedy. Since someone else already solved it, the service bulletin is issued for the benefit of other mechanics who might run into the same thing.

Recalls are always handled under warranty, so the vehicle has to go to a dealer for that brand. Any mechanic, including at independent repair shops, has access to service bulletins, and can use them to their customer's advantage. We can also view recalls, but if parts or software updates are required, the car must go to the dealer.

As far as buying a used car with an outstanding recall, you have to decide if the concern is serious, as well as how comfortable you feel about the remedy. My truck is nine years old and has had six recalls issued in its first three years. None of them were serious enough for me to have them addressed. I could have had them done at the dealership I used to work for, but they were mostly for software updates. I didn't want to risk the new updates causing a problem. GM has 4,000 vehicles right now that don't start or run right after automatic updates took place over a satellite, and they don't know what to do about it. I'll never buy or own a vehicle like that where I have no say in what the manufacturer can do to it.

The fact your prospective vehicle has a recall simply means something is going to be modified or corrected. That's a far better option than leaving it alone to letting you take care of the consequences. Some perfectly fine vehicles can have a dozen recalls in their lifetime. A large majority of models can have well over a hundred service bulletins. The more of those there are, the better chance your mechanic has of solving a problem in less time and cost to you.

I should add one more comment of value related to anti-lock brakes. Way too many people incorrectly believe if the system fails, they're going to crash, or the car isn't going to stop. In fact, all cars and light trucks have had a basic hydraulic brake system since at least the 1940s. By law, they all have a dual system since around 1969, so if a failure occurs, you still have half of your brakes. That is what you will have if a failure in your anti-lock system occurs. The anti-lock system, (ABS), is an add-on option that not every vehicle has. For the last ten to 20 years, these systems are so well perfected, they're appearing on most cars and trucks. When the ABS Computer detects a problem, it shuts itself down, sets a diagnostic fault code to tell the mechanic which circuit needs further diagnosis, and turns on the YELLOW "ABS" warning light to tell you the system is turned off. You still will always have the base brake system. ABS systems only kick in when one or more wheels are slowing down too quickly, meaning you're skidding. During normal driving, you'll never miss the anti-lock function if it's turned off.

If you're interested, here's a link to an article that explains how ABS systems work:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-abs-anti-lock-brakes-work

There are basically two totally different types of systems. The first one was developed by Chrysler in 1969, but it didn't go anywhere because we didn't have the computers we do today. The first wide-spread systems appeared in the mid to late 1980s on light trucks. They were called "rear-wheel anti-lock" (RWAL), systems. Their only function was to prevent the rear wheels from skidding and losing traction when the truck was lightly loaded. Skidding tires want to go faster, and tend to try to pass the front tires, in other words, make you lose control. These systems prevented that.

All ABS systems today are of the 4-wheel design. The systems can modulate the braking pressure to any wheel to prevent it from locking up during braking.

Also, while all ABS systems are an add-on option to the base brake system, once it has been installed onto the vehicle, it leaves the door open to add another optional system. That is "traction control". When you have that option, the ABS system can kick in during hard acceleration to apply the brake for one wheel if it is spinning too fast. Applying that brake forces more power to go to the wheel that isn't losing traction. It only works up to a certain speed. Both of my vehicles have traction control. It makes driving much less nerve wracking on snow and ice.