Safety

Is my car recalled? That’s a good question because recalls can be potentially putting you in danger right this very moment. You’ve probably noticed car recalls are in the news lately, in a big way.

Car recalls are very common and often make international news. With Takata airbag recalls in the millions it’s a better precaution to check to see if the remainder of your vehicle has any other recalls.

What is a car recall?

Automobile recalls are meant to fix a potentially unsafe or downright dangerous part on a vehicle, but most often the car recall is sometimes minor or very serious.

No manufacturer can produce the perfect automobile, and there are situations where a part is defective and a car recall is necessary. Most car recalls are termed “voluntary” manufacturer recalls, but many have been prompted by NHTSA’s decision to investigate consumer complaints.

Do I have to Pay for the recall?

The car dealer simply completes the repair as requested, causing unnecessary expense, since car recalls are repaired at any dealership for free as long as the affected car is not more than 10 years old.

How do I find out if my vehicle has a recall

Knowing if your car has a recall is sometimes a possible life and death situation because some car recalls can cause fires, brakes to fail and many other dangerous situations.

Step 1

First head over to NHTSA

Step 2

Click on the vehicle safety tab and when the menu drops down, select recalls defects.

Step 3

Scroll to the bottom and you will see search recalls by vin.

Step 4

Grab your vehicle vin and type it into the search bar and hit enter.

Step 5

Get your results and then proceed to take action and contact your dealer in your town to confirm the recall and then make an appointment to rectify the recall.

I typed my vehicle vin into the database to see what would come up and I relieved that nothing showed up.

How do I find out if my car has a recall for airbags

Because airbags are the primary safety device in many cars, the Honda car recalls are a very serious matter. Even if it is not a Honda with the Takata airbag recall, you should still check on your own vehicle. How you find out if your car has a recall is follow steps 1-5 and you will see if your car has an airbag recall.

Why car recalls are not a bad thing

Voluntary or not, almost all car recalls are prompted by complaints that consumers make to the manufacturers or to NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). No vehicle will ever be perfect but recalls allow for us to learn what to do to cars and what not to do to a car.

What type of recall does your car have?

A free smartphone app that checks for car recalls

In a previous post titled A free smartphone app that checks for car recalls we discussed a really handy app that checks for car recalls.

The free MyCarfax app will also keep track of your mileage and alert you when you need an oil change, tire rotation or when it is time to register your vehicle.