Kelley Blue Book's Car Recalls 101: What Vehicle Owners Need to Know to Stay Safe

ATLANTA, March 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Millions of Americans are driving cars that have recalls, a staggering thought considering safety is at play. However, many drivers do not fully understand how the recall process works, or mistakenly believe that bringing in a vehicle for recall repair means they will have to come out of pocket for the expenses. In honor of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) 2023 Vehicle Safety Recalls Week (March 6 – 12, 2023) and to help inform vehicle owners about the details of safety recalls and what to do if their vehicle is affected, the experts at Kelley Blue Book, a Cox Automotive company, created Recalls 101: What You Need to Know to Stay Safe.

"Vehicle recalls were not on the radar of the average driver until the headline-making massive airbag recalls affected millions of cars in recent years – and even now that people are more familiar with the term, many car owners still do not know what to do or how to find out if a recall affects them," said Brian Moody, executive editor for Kelley Blue Book. "Drivers need to understand that a recall usually will not cost you a dime to repair. Any defect affecting a vehicle's safety can trigger a recall, and car manufacturers must fix defects from recalls for free if the vehicle is less than 16 years old. Car owners should proactively check to see if their vehicle has an open recall and prioritize getting it promptly fixed, for their own safety and the safety of others on the road."

According to NHTSA, there were more than 1,000 safety recalls affecting more than 34 million vehicles and other equipment in the United States in 2021. NHTSA recommends the Spring Daylight Savings Time – which falls on March 12 this year – is the perfect time of year to remember to check if your vehicle has recalls. NHTSA encourages drivers to add "check for safety recalls" to that vital springtime to-do list, which may also include things like checking smoke detector batteries.

Kelley Blue Book's Service Advisor features a free and easy tool for car owners to check to see if their vehicle has an open recall, with the ability to search by vehicle identification number (VIN), make/model or license plate number by visiting https://www.kbb.com/recall/. Beyond checking for vehicle recalls, car owners also can connect with local dealerships to fix the recall for free and get future recall alerts via Kelley Blue Book's recalls page.
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