Nearly 50 million vehicles on U.S. roads have unrepaired safety recalls – that’s about one of five vehicles. It’s a serious issue, according to the National Safety Council (NSC), as many recalls involve defective parts that can pose life-threatening risks to drivers and passengers.
“It’s important for drivers to make sure the vehicle they are driving is safe,” said Lonny Haschel, senior program manager with the safety group’s Mobility Safety Impact Program. “All roadway users are safer when vehicle safety recalls are repaired.”
The National Safety Council, a nonprofit advocacy group, along with other safety groups, urges all drivers to check their vehicles for open recalls during Vehicle Safety Recalls Week, which runs from March 4 through March 10, and get them repaired as soon as possible.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which sets and enforces vehicle safety standards and manages the recall if a vehicle has a safety defect, sponsors the annual initiative to focus on the importance of checking for recalls and getting problems fixed immediately for free. The federal agency launched a new online tool that allows consumers to easily check for recalls using only a vehicle’s license plate number.
“While not all recalls are high profile, all recalls are a safety issue. Unrepaired recalls can make your vehicle less safe for you, your family, and others on the road,” Sophie Shulman, deputy administrator for NHTSA, said in a statement. “When you change your clocks, check for recalls. And if you have an open recall, call your dealership immediately to schedule a free repair.”
In 2023, nearly 35 million vehicles were recalled and 1,000 recalls were issued, impacting car seats, tires, RVs and other equipment as well as vehicles, according to the federal agency.
To check for recalls, NHTSA issued a series of recommendations:
- Visit NHTSA.gov/Recalls and enter a vehicle’s license plate number or vehicle identification number to check for any open recalls;
- If a vehicle has an open recall, owners should contact their automaker’s local dealership to schedule a FREE recall repair;
- Consumers can also search for recalls related to car seats, tires and other vehicle equipment;
- Download NHTSA’s SaferCar App, enter vehicle information, and let the app automatically send updates if there is a recall;
- Sign up at NHTSA.gov/Alerts to be notified by email if a vehicle is affected by a future safety recall;
- Check for open recalls at least twice a year. A good way to remember is to always check when daylight saving time begins and ends; and
- Vehicle owners can report a problem at NHTSA.gov or call the agency’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 if they think their vehicles may have a safety defect that isn’t part of a current recall.
The National Safety Council, which also offers vehicle owners an easy way to check for recalls online through CheckToProtect.org, noted that all recalls can be repaired for free at authorized dealers, regardless of whether the vehicle was purchased from the dealer. The safety group also recommends that drivers check for recalls every time the vehicle is serviced or every three months.
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