Automakers might solve the Post Office revenue problem with all the recall notices they are sending.
The latest research shows more than 46 million cars nationwide have at least one open safety recall that has never been fixed. Five million of them were bought and sold by potentially unsuspecting consumers in 2014.
Counter-intuitively, people driving or buying family vehicles, minivans and SUVs, are most at risk. One in three minivans and one in five SUVs has an unfixed recall, according to Carfax, the source of the data.
“America’s cavalier response to manufacturer safety recalls is putting lives at risk,” says Larry Gamache, communications director at Carfax. “Every morning millions of people drive to work, school and other places in a potential ticking time bomb. Fires, crashes and serious injury are just a few consequences of letting recalls go unfixed. The minor inconvenience that comes from having a recall fixed pales in comparison to what can happen if you don’t.”
While every state has a significant number of unfixed recalled cars, California, Texas, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania top the list. However, the risk is greatest in West Virginia, Michigan, Mississippi, Wyoming and New Jersey, which have the highest ratios of unfixed recalled cars in the nation.
“Car owners and buyers can easily find out about open recalls through the myCarfax app for free and on Carfax Vehicle History Reports,” says Gamache.
Open recalls can affect a vehicle’s safety, performance and resale value. To help find open recalls, Carfax monitors your car for open recalls using only the license plate with the free myCarfax app. Car buyers worried about buying a car with an unfixed recall can shop with confidence at the all-new Carfax.com. Every vehicle listed for sale there comes with a free Carfax Report, which includes open recall information reported to Carfax.
