New Mexico scored among the top states in America in an unfortunately dishonorable category: highest percentage of cars with open recalls — in other words, cars that need possible safety-related repairs.
The 52 million cars on the road with open recalls is a decrease from the number of in-need-of-repair cars mark of 57 million in 2018 and 63 million in 2017, according to Auto Remarketing, an online news site of the used car industry.
The 52 million cars with open recalls on U.S. roads means they’ve been identified as needing some sort of repair and thus subject to owners having received recall notices to schedule such work.
Safety defects spur recalls
A recall is issued when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or a vehicle manufacturer determines a component in a car poses a safety risk.
By visiting the NHTSA website and entering the car’s 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN), owners can see if their car has been subject to a recall repair notice. That search covers the past 15 years.
The VIN is posted on the lower left part of the car windshield and may be placed on registration and insurance documents.
Car owners can sign up on the NHTSA website to get recall alerts by email.
NHTSA said on its website that it will monitor each safety recall to make sure owners receive safe, free and effective remedies from manufacturers according to federal regulations.
Carfax is an online posting of a car’s history, like repairs, number of owners and how the car was used, such as if it got heavy use as a business transporter, or commuter vehicle.
Carfax President Dick Raines said it was encouraging to see that only 52 million vehicles have open recalls on U.S. roads, in comparison with previous years, though more of these recalls target cars that need to get repaired to maintain safety standards.
According to Carfax, these are the states with the highest percentage of cars with open recalls:
- Mississippi (24.7 percent)
- Texas (24.6 percent)
- Louisiana (23.7 percent)
- Alabama (22.2 percent)
- New Mexico (22.1 percent)
- Arkansas (21.6 percent)
As far as the most open recalls, that list is as follows, according to Auto Remarketing:
- California (6.3 million)
- Texas (5.5 million)
- Florida (3.2 million)
- Pennsylvania (2.2 million)
- New York (2.1 million)
Carfax has worked with the federal government and car manufacturers to alert owners about recalls — and the need for repairs — on cars.
Carfax has 13 million people registered for a free service to help spread the word about recalls. When manufacturers issue recall notices, Carfax sends alerts through the “myCarfax” mobile app to registrants based on license plate and vehicle identification number (VIN) data.
It is important that owners, buyers and sellers stay informed and take action to ensure vehicles androads are safe.
Contact Andras Szantho Law Firm today for questions about open recalls or any other car accident or personal injury questions.