According to the most recent Carfax report, there are more than 52 million cars with open recalls on U.S. roadways. An article on Automarketing.com says this is an improvement over 2018 when there were 57 unrepaired recalled vehicles on our roadways, and in 2017 when that number was 63 million.
While the decrease is good news for the industry, there is also the pressing need for improvement as tens of millions of unrepaired vehicles still pose a danger to consumers.
Millions of Recalled Vehicles
Carfax posts recall announcements through its Carfax4Life program. The company said about 13 million people registered under the free myCarfax service will get the recall announcements. When a license plate or vehicle identification number is entered, myCarfax checks for open recalls and sends alerts to the user through a mobile app.
As far as the current open recall numbers go, the 52 million-plus cars with unfixed recalls equate to about one-fifth of the registered vehicle population, according to Carfax.
The numbers also show that Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, New Mexico and Arkansas have the highest percentage of vehicles with open recalls. As far as the most open recalls are concerned, California leads the pack with 6.3 million vehicles, followed by Texas with 5.5 million, Florida with 3.2 million, Pennsylvania with 2.2 million, and New York with 2.1 million.
The Danger Posed by Unrepaired Vehicles
When vehicles are not repaired for safety recalls, consumers are placed in harm’s way. The most tragic illustration of this fact has been seen in cars equipped with defective Takata airbags. We’ve seen in many older-model Honda vehicles that have been resold that the recall repairs were not done. People have died as a result of exploding Takata bags in cars where the repairs were not carried out.
You can check if your vehicle is part of a safety recall by visiting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) website and entering your VIN. Before you buy a used vehicle, whether it’s from a dealer or a private owner, make sure the recall repairs are done.
If you or a loved one has been injured due to a recalled or defective vehicle, don’t hesitate to contact an experienced auto defect lawyer to obtain more information about pursuing your legal rights.
Source: https://www.autoremarketing.com/trends/52-million-vehicles-open-recalls-us-roads-carfax-finds
