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NHTSA Launches VIN Search Engine to Help Drivers Identify Recalled Vehicles

At the beginning of August, General Motors has received a slap on the wrist from safety regulators because its Recall Center search engine showed inaccurate search results. As an alternative to the glitchy GM website, the NHTSA launched a more accurate online VIN search tool for recalled cars.
NHTSA's website 1 photo
Photo: screenshot of NHTSA's website
Available on vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/, this new search engine provided by the Department of Transportation will aid buyers and owners in identifying if a vehicle is involved in a recall, if it has been repaired or if its due a service visit. So how does it work? Easy peasy lemon squeezy: type the car's VIN into the search bar. That's it! Easy, huh?

U.S. Department of Transportation secretary Anthony Foxx declared: “Safety is our highest priority, and an informed consumer is one of our strongest allies in ensuring recalled vehicles are repaired. Starting today car owners, shoppers, and renters can find out if a specific vehicle has a safety defect that needs to be fixed – using our free online tool." But that's not the only bit of news coming from the government's NHTSA.

Starting August 20th, all major light vehicle and motorcycle manufacturers are required by the vehicle safety regulator to provide VIN search capability for uncompleted recalls on their own websites. The National Highway Traffic Safety Agency announces that uncompleted recall data must be updated on a weekly basis because the NHTSA’s new VIN search engine directly relies on information from all major automakers and regularly updated recall information is critical.

“Just as every single automaker should never hesitate to recall a defective vehicle, consumers should never hesitate to get their recalled vehicle fixed," added David Friedman, the agency's deputy administrator. “By making individual VIN searches readily available, we’re providing another service to consumers – the peace of mind knowing that the vehicle they own, or that they are thinking of buying or renting, is free of safety defects." Last but not least, the NHTSA and the National Automobile Dealers Association are trying to find a way to introduce the VIN search tool in U.S. dealerships to minimize the chances of selling a new or old vehicle that suffers from safety and/or sub-standard defects.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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