A recall is actually a formal process mandated and managed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). When a recall is announced, the manufacturer is required to inform all impacted owners of the defect, and keep NHTSA updated on the status of the notices and all other aspects of the recall. Depending on what the recall is for the fix could be pretty much anything to an over-the-air software update, to having a software update applied at a dealership, to a full replacement of faulty hardware. All at the manufacturers cost.

If it wasn’t for the government managing the recall process then most manufacturers wouldn’t admit that these sorts of faults were very widespread, and certainly wouldn’t fix them for free.