More than 9 million cars have been recalled in the United States since January 1 . Owners are warned about dangerous Takata airbag inflators , risk of fires on certain Hyundai and Kia models , defective brake lights and other serious safety issues.
But If any of those vehicles are for sale now or enter the used car market, buyers may never know that the vehicle they are considering is in need of major repairs.
“Used car buyers are left adrift because dealerships and private sellers are not required to make these necessary repairs on used vehicles,” says Will Wallace, senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports. “They don’t even have to inform prospective buyers that a recall has been issued for the car they are considering.”
That is not the case for new cars , says Wallace.
“Federal law specifically requires new car dealers and car rental companies to fix ongoing defects before offering the car to the dealer. selling to consumers, ”adds Wallace.
Looking to buy a used car? Here’s what you can do to protect yourself.
How to check for recalls
The first step is to see if the car you want to buy has an ongoing recall. Checking this is very easy.
• Locate the vehicle identification number (VIN). A VIN is a combination of numbers and letters of 17 digits unique to each car and therefore Generally, you can find it by looking at the lower outer portion of the windshield on the driver’s side. In addition, there are many online used car listings that include the VIN.
• Visit safercar.gov , the free-to-use official website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which is the government agency responsible for recalls, and enter the VIN of your car. If there is a recall in progress for your specific vehicle, it will appear here.
“That is the best way for each consumer to check if a car has a recall ongoing, ”says Wallace.
Automakers alert owners to recalls via first-class mail, but those notifications won’t help owners who buy a used car.
“Problems generally arise in older cars, because there is a chain of owners that can get lost,” says Alex Epstein, director of transportation safety from the National Safety Council (NSC), a non-profit organization that promotes occupational, home and road safety. “The buyer has the responsibility to ensure that there is no recall of the car or, at least, that the recall has been resolved.”
Yes you buy a car from a private individual who didn’t do the recall work, Epstein says it’s worth checking to make sure other maintenance and repair work hasn’t been neglected either.
“You could begin to suspect that the previous owner did not perform the corresponding maintenance on the vehicle,” he says.
What to do if there is a recall in progress
So the car you want to buy has a recall in progress. What should you do?
“Consumers can require the seller to fix ongoing defects before selling the car to them,” says Wallace. “This is a reasonable request and the burden of safety in this case should not be on consumers.”
Repairing a recall can take time, but it shouldn’t cost you nothing to the seller, says Epstein.
“You can take these vehicles to the dealership of the respective manufacturers and they will repair them for free if the parts are available,” Epstein told CR.
Although dealers are not required to perform recall repairs, many already do. The National Association of Independent Automobile Dealers (NIADA), a group representing several independent used car dealers, recommends that dealers repair ongoing recalls.
“NIADA recommends that as a best practice, dealers should take steps to identify ongoing recalls in their inventory and, if possible, repair them before selling the vehicle,” says Shaun Petersen, senior vice president of legal affairs. and NIADA governments. “Additionally, NIADA encourages distributors to disclose the existence of all ongoing recalls that have not been repaired at the point of sale.”
The Takata recall
If the used car you want to buy has a recall in progress, it is likely due to a defective Takata airbag inflator . This case has added millions of used cars to recall lists each year for several years, and Epstein says the “vast majority” of the cars currently in recall are related to Takata airbags. In fact, a recent recall from GM added 5.9 million trucks and SUVs to the list of recalled vehicles. . with defective Takata inflators.
The Takata recall is the largest and most complex auto recall in US history and it is not over yet. Currently, it includes manufacturers, as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). So far – Eighteen people in the United States died (two only in 2020) and more than 400 people were allegedly injured by those devices, says NHTSA.
Takata airbags manufactured between 2002 and 2015 use ammonium nitrate to inflate the airbag in the event of an accident. Ammonium Nitrate can become unstable over time, causing inflators to explode with unexpectedly violent force. If the faulty airbag ruptures, it can eject sharp metal fragments directly onto the driver and passengers, increasing the risk of death or injury. Some older Takata airbags have a different design and may be deployed with insufficient or excessive force to protect to the occupants of the car in a crash.
That is why it is important for buyers to be vigilant and verify if the car they are interested in buying is included in this recall.
Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2021, Consumer Reports, Inc.
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with the advertisers on this site. Consumer Reports is an independent nonprofit organization that works with consumers to create a just, safe, and healthy world. CR does not endorse products or services and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2021, Consumer Reports, Inc.