Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. Vehicles have open safety recalls, according to Carfax, provider of used car history. The number of recalls issued in the U.S. has set new records in each of the last few years, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). In 2015 alone, there were nearly 900
recalls for 51 million vehicles.
Recalls issued by the NHTSA relate to significant safety concerns. Notifications are typically sent to owners of recalled vehicles. Vehicle owners bear the responsibility to monitor recalls and to have repairs made. The cost of the repairs is borne by the vehicle manufacturer.
According to data provided by Carfax, there are 47 million cars in the U.S. with open recalls. This number is up 27 percent from the previous year. This means that one in every 5.4 vehicles is operating with an open recall.
What might be most troubling among the data is that the vehicles with the most open recalls are traditionally viewed as “family vehicles.” One in every 4.6 minivans and one in every 5.1 SUVs need safety repairs. The states where the largest numbers of these vehicles are registered are (in order) Texas, Mississippi, Alaska, Utah and West Virginia. Repairs of the nearly 1 in 5 U.S. vehicles that have open safety recalls could reduce the number of crashes that occur each year and reduce the number of fatalities and injuries resulting from crashes.
The NHTSA has created options on its website that allow vehicle owners to monitor recalls and to search for recalls affecting specific vehicles. They have recently added the option to search for a specific vehicle and check that all recalls have been repaired.
Is your vehicle safe? Is it one of the 47 million with open recalls? It takes only a few minutes to find out of there are open recalls on your vehicle. We can make our roads safer.
