(MEMPHIS) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has added a new feature to its website that allows consumers to easily find out if their car is part of an open recall.
The NHTSA recently added the VIN search tool.
Users simply put in the car’s VIN and information will pull up about the vehicle’s make and model, as well as whether there’s an open recall on the car.
The data goes back 15 years and covers safety recalls that are incomplete.
The search tool does not include information on completed recalls or those that are very recent where all the VINs haven’t been identified.
New rules also mandate that manufacturers provide a VIN search option on their websites.
NHTSA officials say just as it’s important for manufacturers not to hesitate issuing recalls, it’s also imperative for consumers to get recalls fixed.
When a recall occurs, manufacturers typically send correspondence to affected customers, however, many of those consumers never visit a dealer to have the problem fixed.
MidSouth has high number of cars for sale with open recalls
Those cars are often sold to buyers who never know the vehicle has been the subject of a recall.
Carfax offers a free, VIN search tool on its website as well.