Even after years of heightened warnings about car safety recalls, new Carfax data shows more than 50 million vehicles on U.S. roads today are being driven with a known issue that should be repaired. While the overall number of vehicles with an open recall is down almost 6 percent from 2021, tens of millions of drivers remain still at risk, even though repairs will be made at no charge to the owners.
Carfax data shows in 2022, sedans and SUVs are the vehicles most likely to have unfixed recalls. Southern states continue to have the highest open-recall percentages including Mississippi at 24 percent, and Texas and Louisiana (both at 23 percent).
Here are the top 10 states with the most vehicles with open recalls:
•California: 5.6 million
•Texas: 5.1 million
•Florida: 3.1 million
•New York: 1.9 million
•Pennsylvania: 1.8 million
•Ohio: 1.8 million
•Georgia: 1.7 million
•North Carolina: 1.6 million
•Illinois: 1.6 million
•Michigan: 1.4 million
“We are heading in the right direction when it comes to the number of open recalls on the road, but the numbers remain incredibly high” said Faisal Hasan, general manager of Data at Carfax. “We still have a long way to go but free recall monitoring services, such as Carfax Car Care, are making a difference.” In California, for example, there was a dramatic double-digit percent drop – 12 percent – in the number of open recalls. California drivers also have the highest number of registered vehicles in the Carfax Car Care app with nearly 4 million vehicle identification numbers (VINs) registered. Every Car Care user is notified when a new recall has been issued for any of their registered vehicles.
Nationwide, drivers have registered more than 37 million VINs in Carfax Car Care. This free service continuously monitors vehicles for open recalls. Because recalls are issued regularly – even for older models – it’s crucial that owners be aware of new federal actions.
There has also been a growing effort from Departments of Motor Vehicles around the country, partnering with Carfax and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, to provide free supplemental recall notifications to consumers, including during a consumer’s registration, renewal, or inspection processes.
Recall repairs can often be completed in only an hour or two, and most repairs take far less than a day. 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 www.carfax.com/recall.
Published in the September 2022 Edition
