September 26, 2022

Over the past five years, 150 million vehicles have been recalled by manufacturers in the U.S.

It’s great that regulators and auto makers are constantly looking for issues that can cause danger to drivers and passengers, and recalls have likely saved thousands of lives. The problem is that not all drivers are taking the recalls seriously.

In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that about 25% of car owners do not respond to a recall. For the safety of yourself, your family, your passengers and the general public, you should always participate fully in recalls, which are always free safety fixes.

It’s also important to understand from the manufacturer whether or not your vehicle is safe to drive until the repair is completed. In some cases, the risk of injury will be far too great, and you will need to bring the car in immediately.

For example, if you’ve bought a car in the last two decades, there is a good chance that it came installed with airbags that have been part of a massive recall involving brands worldwide. You may have received a letter from the carmaker informing you that you need to go in and have the airbags swapped out.

And while roughly 67 million of the airbags have been recalled, about 17 million have not been replaced.

Don’t Ignore the Letter

The worst thing you can do is ignore this letter, as it will cost you nothing to fix the airbags except time.

And if you haven’t received a letter and have a vehicle that was made since 2001, you should check to see if your car is on the recall list. If you don’t, you could be putting your life and the lives of your family in danger if you have an accident.

If you have a used car, you would be unlikely to ever receive notifications of recalls. But you can also check for any recalls that apply to your vehicle on this website.

The Takeaway

Regardless of if your car seems to be running fine or the repair seems minor, ignoring a recall could put you and your passengers in harm’s way. Take all recalls seriously.

This information is being provided for general informational purposes only. Meemic Insurance Company does not assume any liability in connection with providing this information.