Personally-I wouldn't let my loved one drive a car currently involved in the air bag recall. It's just too dangerous. Whether that means ride sharing, public transportation-or if you have the means a car rental. Does the recall notice suggest not driving the vehicle?
I have a very poor paint job on the Subaru-they refuse to do anything about. Granted-this isn't safety related-but manufacturers not standing behind their product is-unfortunately nothing new.
Not all of us live in urban areas where there is ready access to public transportation. Even though I could get by on it somewhat, I still need to travel places where public transport isn't practical.
The only co-worker I have who lives near me also has a vehicle under the recall-truth be told it can be difficult to find a vehicle these days NOT covered by it.
Rent a car? Even if I were independently wealthy, I couldn't afford to rent one for over a year. Again, this is the sort of timeline that most of us affected are looking at on a repair. Heck, every time I've checked, I get a date even further in the future.
Having a car is a fact of life for a good portion of Americans, and telling someone who relies on their 4 or 5 figure purchase to get to work and do their job isn't exactly a solution that's even remotely possible.