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Feb. 27, 2025 - Checking your car or truck for safety recalls is free and easy, and it could save your life.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Recalls Week is March 3-9. Vehicles under a safety recall are always eligible for free repairs. Yet, millions of those vehicles remain on the road and could pose a serious safety threat, said Lisa Freeman, executive director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.
“The biggest concern is the millions of vehicles that are still on the road with recalled Takata air bags,” Freeman said. “These air bags were recalled because they can explode and shoot shrapnel toward those in the vehicle, hurting or even killing people. The problem is even worse in areas with high heat and humidity, so it is urgent here in Louisiana that we get those air bags replaced.”
The Takata air bag recall is the largest in history, affecting nearly three dozen car makers and more than 180 different models. According to NHTSA, 28 people have been killed and at least 400 more have been injured from recalled Takata air bags that have exploded.
NHTSA estimates that nearly 46 million Takata air bags have been replaced, but as many as 10 million vehicles are still in service with the defective air bags. NHTSA has published a list of vehicles that should not be driven until their air bags have been replaced.
To check your vehicle for a safety recall, go to www.nhtsa.gov/recalls and enter your 17-digit vehicle identification number or your license plate information. If your vehicle has an unrepaired recall, the site will explain the problem and potential consequences and direct you to schedule an appointment with the manufacturer’s dealer.
You also can download NHTSA’s SaferCar app at www.nhtsa.gov/app. The app and the repairs for recalls are free.
Recalls can be issued by the vehicle manufacturer or by NHTSA, after the agency investigates complaints and decides a recall is warranted. Recalls can be issued on vehicles, car seats, equipment, or tires.
NHTSA says 25% of vehicles in use today have unrepaired safety recalls. That amounts to millions of vehicles that have potentially life-threatening issues that could be repaired for free.
“Vehicle Safety Recalls Week is a great reminder to check your vehicle,” Freeman said. “It just takes a few seconds, it’s free, and you could be saving a life."
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