Thursday, August 21, 2014

Feds Release Vehicle Recall Search Tool


NHTSA SaferCar App

Whether you're concerned about your own car, or are in the market for a new ride, Safercar.gov can help.

Gas prices, oil changes, tire rotations, vehicle inspections: Car owners have enough to worry about without throwing a dealer recall into the mix. But with all the vehicle recalls of late, how can you keep up?
The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today unveiled a free online search tool that helps consumers determine if a vehicle is impacted by a recall.
Whether you're simply concerned about your own car, or are in the market for a new ride, visit www.safecar.gov/vinlookup, where all major light vehicle and motorcycle brands are catalogued.
"Safety is our highest priority, and an informed consumer is one of our strongest allies in ensuring recalled vehicles are repaired," U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. "Starting today car owners, shoppers, and renters can find out if a specific vehicle has a safety defect that needs to be fixed—using our free online tool."
Nextcar Bug art
The new mandate also requires manufacturers to add to their website a vehicle identification number (VIN) search for uncompleted recalls. The data, on which NHTSA's new tool relies, must be updated weekly to ensure efficiency.

Motorists can find their VIN by looking at the driver's side dashboard or door (where it latches when closed). Enter that figure into the NHTSA website, which will return results of an open vehicle recall. If none are available, users will receive a "No Open Recalls" response.
"Just as every single automaker should never hesitate to recall a defective vehicle, consumers should never hesitate to get their recalled vehicle fixed," NHTSA Deputy Administrator David Friedman said. "By making individual VIN searches readily available, we're providing another service to consumers—the peace of mind knowing that the vehicle they own, or that they are thinking of buying or renting, is free of safety defects."
The NHTSA also offers the SaferCar mobile app (pictured), which presents recall and up-to-date safety information, a search of the agency's five-star safety ratings, and the option to subscribe to automatic notices.

1 comment:

  1. Here's commnuity free VIN number decoder.
    You can lookup almost any VIN number for absolutely free of charge.

    ReplyDelete