INDIANAPOLIS—Before you hit the road for the holidays, it’s a good idea to check and see if your vehicle has an open recall.
General Motors just announced this week it will recall about 7 million big pick up trucks and SUVs worldwide to replace potentially dangerous Takata air bag inflators.
WRTV Investigates found you may already be driving a vehicle with a defective airbag.
CARFAX estimates there are about 16 million airbags in vehicles on the road today with an open safety recall.
More than 11 million of those are Takata airbags, but another 5 million airbags from other suppliers that need to be replaced under recall orders, according to CARFAX.
You can run your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) through Carfax’s free recall check tool or a site like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“It is free to do the check to see if you have an open recall and it's free to get it repaired,” said Emilie Voss, a spokeswoman for CARFAX. “We know people are driving less currently and it might be a great time to take your vehicle into the shop. It's a free fix as well."
Eighteen people have been killed in the United States, and more than 250 injured, from defective Takata airbag inflators exploding.
CARFAX data shows the number of vehicles with open safety recalls is rising, after two consecutive years of declines. There are more than 55.7 million recalled vehicles on the road today that haven’t been repaired, up 5% from 2019, according to the company.
Getting a recall fixed can protect you, your family and others on the road.
CARFAX Car Care also offers a free service that can continuously monitor your vehicles for open recalls, and alerts you when a recall is issued for your registered vehicles.
“These recalls are added continually, and vehicle manufacturers are always looking for safety issues and adding recalls,” said Voss. “So it’s really on us as the vehicle owner to make sure we stay informed for the vehicle that we own.”
