Thanks for answering the fucking question.
I would concur that the dealer, to be proactive, should have notified you of known recalls on your vehicle. This is, of course, assuming they have any desire to keep you as a customer. I’d let people “upstream” know that this is a communications failure.
Just had a minor repair done on my CRV. Apparently there was a problem with the electric window controls on some of them. The service managed told me about it when I had other work done.
It meant a separate trip, unfortunately, as they had to order the replacement part. But I would have missed the notice, most likely, so I’m very glad they told me.
Call Nissan directly, explain what happened, and (politely) ask them if they would cover the tow. Can’t hurt.
The way I understand these things is that if the government requires a recall, the manufacturer issues the recall notice. I have no idea why one would not be notified, because recalls can be a gold mine for dealers.
For example, I took my 2001 Honda Civic in for a recall for an airbag issue. The service department fixed the problem and presented me with a six-page recommendation for other problems that needed to be fixed totaling almost $4,000. Since this is a ten-year-old car, I passed on most of the recommendations.
However, if you think about it, why would a car dealer pass up on the chance to extract those dollars from your wallet?