Has Your Car Been Recalled?

The auto industry is on pace to shatter the all-time record for most recalls in a calendar year, with several high-profile initiatives dominating the news throughout 2014. In response, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Washington, D.C., recently launched a free online database that allows consumers to determine if cars they currently own - as well as those they’re renting or are considering buying in the resale market - are at risk because of uncorrected safety-related recalls. Available at www.safercar.org/vinlookup, users simply enter a model’s vehicle identification number. Also known as a VIN, it’s both noted on a car or truck’s title and can be found at the dashboard on the driver’s side of the vehicle, or on the driver’s side door on the door post. The system will list any unresolved recalls, or if there are none, will simply report, “No Open Recalls.” “Just as every single automaker should never hesitate to recall a defective vehicle, consumers should never hesitate to get their recalled vehicle fixed,” says NHTSA deputy administrator David Friedman.