Free Monitoring Tools Help Boost Recall Closure Rates
CENTREVILLE, Va. (April 27, 2021) – The number of vehicles on U.S. roads with an open recall is declining, but tens of millions of drivers – and used- car buyers – remain at risk. The number of vehicles on the road with open safety recalls is down 5% from 2020, but that means there’s still more than 53 million recalled vehicles on the road today that haven’t been repaired. In 2021, pickup trucks and minivans are the vehicles most likely to have unfixed recalls, CARFAX data shows.
“The number of vehicles on the road with open recalls peaked at 63 million in 2017, so we’re heading in the right direction but there’s still a long way to go,” said Faisal Hasan, General Manager of Data at CARFAX. “We’re teaming up with the vehicle manufacturers to try to help raise awareness around recalls. The goal is to make the information readily available for owners to boost the closure rates for open recalls.”
Southern states continue to top the list with the highest open-recall percentages including Mississippi at 26%, Texas (24%) and Louisiana (24%). Here are the top 10 states with the highest number of recalled vehicles:
- California: 6.3 million
- Texas: 5.3 million
- Florida: 3.3 million
- New York: 2.1 million
- Pennsylvania: 1.9 million
- Ohio: 1.9 million
- Georgia: 1.8 million
- Illinois: 1.7 million
- North Carolina: 1.7 million
- Michigan: 1.5 million
The decrease in open recalls in recent years can be attributed to increased use of free recall-monitoring services such as CARFAX Car Care. There are currently more than 24 million Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) registered in CARFAX Car Care. This free service continuously monitors vehicles for open recalls after owners enter their license plate or VIN. The service notifies owners if a recall has been issued for a vehicle they have registered. Because recalls are issued regularly even for older models, it’s crucial that owners be aware of new federal actions.
“What really stood out to me about CARFAX Car Care was the recall notifications,” said Car Care user Paul Lambert. “I received a recall notice which was on the books with Toyota but hadn’t been widely known as Toyota did not yet have a fix for it. It’s extremely useful to have another set of eyes on my vehicle and it’s needs, plus I’m not being charged for it. Sometimes there is a free lunch.”
There has also been a growing effort from Departments of Motor Vehicles around the country to provide free supplemental recall notifications to consumers, including during the registration, renewal and inspection processes.
Taking any vehicle off the road to be fixed can be an inconvenience. However, recall repairs are often completed in only an hour or two, and most take less than a day. And federal law requires that all recall work be completed at no charge to owners. Owners can check whether their vehicle has an open recall for free at CARFAX or view a state map by visiting: www.carfax.com/recall/
Editor’s note: Recall statistics for your area are available upon request. Interviews with a used car expert from Carfax also are available anytime. Please contact Emilie Voss at EmilieVoss@carfax.com or call 703-934-2664 ext. 4462.
About CARFAX
CARFAX, part of IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO), helps millions of people every day confidently shop, buy, service and sell used cars with innovative solutions powered by CARFAX vehicle history information. The expert in vehicle history since 1984, CARFAX provides exclusive services like CARFAX Used Car Listings, CARFAX Car Care, CARFAX History-Based Value and the flagship CARFAX® Vehicle History Report™ to consumers and the automotive industry. CARFAX owns the world’s largest vehicle history database and is nationally recognized as a top workplace by The Washington Post and Glassdoor.com. Shop, Buy, Service, Sell – Show me the CARFAX™. Based in London, IHS Markit is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.
