Automotive Safety and Recalls

Vehicle owners reporting problems to federal regulators last month singled out airbags, stalling, steering and acceleration problems, according to a ConsumerAffairs analysis of complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The agency studies consumer complaints as part of its process of asking an automaker to issue a recall. It can be a lengthy process. Here are some of the issues consumers reported:

There were reports that airbags deployed without collision. There were also reported problems with faulty airbag sensors. 

Owners of several models across different brands including GMC, Toyota, Infiniti, Volvo, BMW, and Nissan have reported issues related to airbags, suggesting this is a widespread problem across multiple brands and models, posing safety issues.

 Owners of models from Genesis, Jeep, Chrysler, and Acura reported their vehicles lost power sometimes and would stall. These issues often occur while the vehicle is in motion, leading to a sudden loss of power, steering, and braking capabilities, posing a significant safety risk.

Some Ford, Chevrolet, Volkswagen and Honda owners reported issues related to power steering failure, erratic acceleration, and steering wheel sticking. These issues can also lead to loss of vehicle control, posing a significant safety risk.

Specific complaints

Some brands had more complaints than others. The five brands with the most NHTSA complaints are:

1. Hyundai    43

2. Chrysler    32

3. GMC        15

4. Subaru      11

5. Ram          11

Among Hyundai complaints, the most common safety defect reported is related to the 2017 Sonata, with owners reporting that the vehicle burns oil at a high rate. This issue has led to instances of the vehicle running out of oil before reaching the recommended oil change mileage, posing a significant safety risk. 

In some cases, owners said the vehicle stalled and abruptly stopped in the middle of traffic, nearly causing accidents. The defect has been reported in at least five complaints, indicating a common issue among this specific make, model, and year. The defect may draw NHTSA attention due to the potential for sudden vehicle failure and accidents.

Cracked windshields

The most common complaint among Chrysler owners was stalling while GMC owners reported various airbag issues. Five Subaru owners reported their windshields cracked for no reason.

The most common safety defect reported by Ram owners is the failure of the ABS module and HCU in the 2018 Ram 2500. This issue results in the loss of stability control, antilock braking, cruise control, and trailer braking, making the vehicle unsafe to drive, owners said.

If you have an issue with one of these vehicles or any other one, NHTSA would like to hear from you. Report the problem here.

There's good news for car shoppers who consider safety a prime factor in choosing a vehicle. Buyers now have more to choices if they're looking for light vehicles -- those weighing 8,500 pounds or less -- with automatic emergency braking (AEB).

Three more automakers -- Mitsubishi, Nissan/Infiniti and Stellantis -- installed AEB on nearly all vehicles they produced between September 1, 2021, and August 31, 2022, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

That makes a total of 15 of the 20 car companies that pledged to equip at least 95% of their light-duty cars and trucks with the crash avoidance technology by the production year that began on September 1, 2022.

Substantial progress noted

Stellantis, with only 43% of its vehicles with AEB in 2021, made the most progress.

That company's dramatic increase means, according to IIHS President David Harkey, “there’s been another big jump in the number of affordable cars and SUVs with this important safety feature."

General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, and Porsche also made substantial progress, with around three-quarters of their light-duty vehicles equipped with AEB, compared with around 60% last year.

Maserati’s numbers were essentially flat, with 71% equipped in the latest reporting period.

Automakers that have included AEB on at least 95% of the vehicles they produce include Audi, BMW, Ford/Lincoln, Honda/Acura, Hyundai/Genesis, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan/Infiniti, Stellantis, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota/Lexus, Volkswagen and Volvo.

Supply chain issues

Not all of the news is good, though.

Honda/Acura dipped below the 95% threshold due to supply chain issues, installing AEB on 93% of the vehicles it produced for the U.S. market during this reporting period.

Once an automaker reaches the 95% mark, they aren’t required to continue filing reports, and neither BMW nor Tesla submitted data this time around.

Kia narrowly missed the cut this reporting period, increasing the percentage of its vehicles with AEB to 94% this reporting period from 89% last year.

Still, the news is good overall.

“The overwhelming number of vehicles produced with this critical safety technology means that consumers will receive safety benefits even if they aren’t actively shopping for them,” said Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at Consumer Reports' Auto Test Center.

She notes that additional capabilities that many of these systems also provide – things like pedestrian detection and the ability to function at highway speeds -- “have the potential to save even more lives."

Is the car you're renting safe for you to drive? Maybe...maybe not.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says it's received information indicating that Hertz rented vehicles to customers from 2018-2020 without required recall repairs performed on some vehicles.

NHTSA says it will investigate to determine whether Hertz complied with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

The act requires -- among other things -- that a rental company not rent a vehicle subject to a safety recall unless the recall remedy has been performed.

Of particular interest: Nissan and Ford

Nissan had 31 recalls during that period affecting some 5 million vehicles.

Among them was one in September 2019 for 1.2 million vehicles in which the rearview camera might not display an image.

Ford, meanwhile, had 31 recalls from 2018-2020 involving more than 5 million vehicles.

One of the largest was in March 2018 for 1.3 million vehicles in which the steering wheel could detach while the vehicle was being driven.

It's not clear if any of the vehicles listed above were rented by Hertz customers.

Cooperation from Hertz

Hertz says it's aware of the government inquiry and that its policies require removal of vehicles that are under a safety recall from its rentable fleet.

“We look forward to working with NHTSA on their review,” said Hertz spokeswoman Lauren Luster.

It seems with each passing day there’s an automotive recall. Recalls only occur after consumers in large enough numbers report the problems to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), which then must pressure the automaker to "voluntarily" recall the vehicles.

Many times people drive vehicles with performance or safety issues for months before there is a recall to address the problem. Here are three models that are currently accumulating some complaints.

Mazda CX-5

NHTSA is receiving reports from owners of Mazda CX-5s saying their car’s auxiliary power stays on after turning the engine off, which drains power from the vehicle and can result in a dead battery. The problem appears to be with the shift switch/sensor, which can cost several hundred dollars to replace. 

“The SUV requires you to power it back on and shut it off several times before it actually shuts down,” an owner from Houston reported to NHTSA. “The radio and other accessories will not shut off when the car is powered down. Resulting in serious issues possibly happening if the car is not shut down properly. Anyone could get in and start the vehicle back up if they wanted to.” 

The 2014 model appears to be especially problematic. Over one-third of all complaints made to NHTSA regarding 2014 Mazda CX-5 s pertain to this issue. 

Land Rover Discovery

Several Land Rover Discovery owners report their vehicles’ roof rail cover has detached from the top of the vehicle while they were driving it, posing a serious safety risk to other drivers. The issue appears to affect Land Rover Discovery vehicles with model years 2015-2019 and has produced numerous complaints.

“Unbelievable. I'm driving on the highway (approximately 75mph) and I start hearing a little slapping noise on the roof,” one owner recounted on a Range Rovers forum. “As I glance out the rearview mirror to start moving towards the shoulder, I see the trim piece go flying off into the oncoming traffic behind me! THANKFULLY it didn't hit any cars behind me. Although I think a couple cars had to dodge it.”

Land Rover issued a technical bulletin about this issue occurring among Discovery models from 2015-2019 in April 2019 but did not recall any affected vehicles.

GMC Acadia

Many cars now have a blind spot detection system, an important safety upgrade. However, if the system doesn’t always work, it could be a hazard. Some GMC Acadia owners have posted complaints on Acadia forums saying their vehicles’ blind spot detection system is failing.

GM appears to be addressing the problem short of issuing a recall. It issued a “special coverage adjustment” through NHTSA in April 2019, extending the warranty on the vehicles to six years/80,000 miles.

One owner posting on an Acadia forum advised other owners to contact their dealer because GM will repair the problem at no charge “if the vehicle meets certain criteria.” The source of the problem is said to be water intrusion.

More than 50,000 Tesla owners woke up on Wednesday to find that their vehicle is being recalled over concerns about its self-driving feature.

It took nearly a year for the proverbial shoe to drop for the automaker after federal regulators began a probe into the feature’s safety. Only months ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asked why the company failed to initiate a recall in response to its vehicles' tendency to hit vehicles that have flashing lights or are near scenes with flares, road cones, and illuminated arrow boards.

The recall affects four Tesla models – the S (2016-2022), X (2016-2022), 3 (2017-2022), and Y (2020-2022) – that have the beta version of the "full self-driving" software turned on. The specific feature pinpointed in the recall is the "rolling stop," which permits a vehicle that is in Full Self-Driving Beta mode to drive through a four-way-stop at up to 5.6 mph. The NHTSA stated that "entering an all-way-stop intersection without coming to a complete stop may increase the risk of collision."

In a perfect world, Tesla’s Autopilot is supposed to perform operations like changing lanes, assisting with parking, preventing crashes, and recognizing street signs and emergency warning lights. Tesla has tried to warn owners that Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability are intended for use only with a fully attentive driver – one who has their hands on the wheel and is ready to take over at any moment – but that warning has not always been heeded.

What Tesla owners can expect from the recall

The 53,822 Tesla owners who take part in the recall won’t need to go to an actual dealer. Rather, the automaker will facilitate the recall electronically via software released over the internet.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on March 28, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-001.

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov for more information.

A new study that was presented at the Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America explored how adding an important feature to electric cars may benefit consumers’ safety. The report explained that because these vehicles are naturally so quiet, adding artificial sound can make them more prominent on the roads and more easily detectable by pedestrians. 

“Electric vehicles are significantly quieter than standard internal combustion engine vehicles,” the researchers wrote. “Although this is a benefit to the acoustic soundscape, it presents a safety concern, particularly to the vision impaired.” 

Prioritizing pedestrian safety

For the study, the team had 16 participants press a button each time they heard an electric vehicle approaching. In some of the trials, the researchers added sounds to the cars to see how this affected the participants’ ability to detect them. 

Ultimately, the test came back with mixed results. The researchers learned that it was difficult for the participants to detect the electric vehicles based on sound alone in every trial. This was true even when sound was added to the cars for extra safety. 

“All of the cases had mean detection ranges that exceed the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration minimum detection distances,” said researcher Michael Roan. “However, there were cases where probability of detection, even at close ranges, never reached 100%. While the additive sounds greatly improve detection distances over the no sound condition, there are cases where pedestrians still missed detections.” 

The researchers noted that countries around the world have different requirements in place regarding the sound of electric vehicles on the road. In the U.S., the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration requirements change depending on the distance and speed of the car; when cars are going faster, they’re required to be detectable from further away. 

The researchers hope more work continues to be done on this topic as consumers continue to turn to electric vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to know why Tesla failed to initiate a recall when it sent the automobile’s owners a safety-related software update in September. Tesla’s reason for updating the car’s software was a direct response to an issue created by the vehicle’s tendency to hit vehicles that have flashing lights or are near scenes with flares, road cones, and illuminated arrow boards.

NHTSA had earlier initiated a separate probe into Tesla Autopilot over possible safety defects. The agency cited crash data suggesting that the system may have difficulty seeking parked emergency vehicles. However, Autoweek reports that after the NHTSA launched that investigation, the automaker admitted that its Autopilot driver-assist system can now detect emergency lights and slow down the vehicle -- but only at night.

A procedural move?

The NHTSA’s complaint appears to be more procedural than anything. 

“As Tesla is aware, the Safety Act imposes an obligation on manufacturers of motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment to initiate a recall by notifying NHTSA when they determine vehicles or equipment they produced contain defects related to motor vehicle safety or do not comply with an applicable motor vehicle safety standard,” the agency’s letter reads.

“This recall notice must be filed with NHTSA no more than five working days after the manufacturer knew or should have known of the safety defect or noncompliance. … Any manufacturer issuing an over-the-air update that mitigates a defect that poses an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety is required to timely file an accompanying recall notice to NHTSA.”

The NHTSA says it still wants more information

Whether it’s procedural or not, the agency says it needs Tesla to provide certain documentation it may have surrounding the software update so that NHTSA staff can “evaluate the alleged defect.” The list of things the agency is asking for includes: 

• A chronology of events, internal investigations, and studies that led to Tesla’s deployment of the Emergency Light Detection Update. 

• A complete list and description of field incidents or other events that motivated the release of the update.

• Any measures to extend this capability more broadly throughout Tesla’s fleet.

• The reasoning for instances where a vehicle cannot accept the update.

Do you own a Tesla?

If you’re a Tesla owner who has not yet installed the company’s latest update, you would be wise to research Tesla’s software update procedures and ask questions if you have concerns.

Consumers who want to know if their particular Tesla model is part of any safety recall can easily find out by putting in their car’s Vehicle Identification Number on Tesla’s website. Owners can also sign up for Tesla’s emails, which include information on things like service updates and recalls.

New car dealers are prevented, by law, from selling vehicles with open recalls. Used car dealers face no such prohibition. Four U.S. Senators say it’s time they did.

Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) have co-sponsored the Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act, saying it would help get dangerous vehicles off the road until they are repaired.

The bill requires car dealers to repair any outstanding safety recalls in used cars prior to selling, leasing, or loaning them to consumers. The lawmakers cite data showing that there are currently 72 million cars on the road with open recalls, some of which could pose dangers.

“Americans deserve peace of mind that they are buying safe cars from car dealers, yet too many used cars today are sold or leased with known and unrepaired safety issues,” said Blumenthal. “This measure will close this unacceptable safety loophole, and protect drivers and the public from hazardous cars.”

Support from a key consumer group

The measure has the backing of the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), which says the proposed legislation is especially important now because of the strong demand for used cars during the pandemic. The group says the potential danger associated with open recalls increases with the age of the vehicle, with about 56% of recalled vehicles 5-10 years old having open recalls. It says 71% of the recalls associated with vehicles over 10 years old are still uncorrected.

“Without major intervention by the Federal Government, consumers will increasingly be put at risk,” said CFA Executive Director Jack Gillis.

Gillis says used car dealers are opposing the bill, even though it would cost the car’s manufacturer, not the dealer, to repair the vehicle. Cars and trucks with open recalls can be easily identified using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) online database. 

Takata airbags

Some of the older cars on the road with open recalls are equipped with defective Takata airbags that have been linked to at least 18 deaths in the U.S. Earlier this week, the fund compensating airbag victims paid out another $46 million to 161 claimants. 

Safety officials have known about the defect since 2008, and millions of vehicles have already been recalled and repaired. Eric Green, who manages the Takata fund, said he expects hundreds of additional claims to be made in the future because not all the cars with the defective airbags have been repaired. 

Many are older vehicles that have changed hands numerous times on used car lots, so the current owners may be unaware of the original recall. Green calls these vehicles “time bombs getting more dangerous by the day.”

Gillis said passing the senators’ bill would defuse that bomb and make used cars a lot safer.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating a crash in Detroit involving a Tesla vehicle that may have been in Autopilot mode. The vehicle reportedly drove beneath a semitrailer, critically injuring two people. Local police say they’re still investigating whether the driver was using the Autopilot feature or not.

The agency called the incident a “violent crash,” one eerily similar to two previous crashes in Florida in which Teslas drove beneath tractor-trailers, causing two fatalities. In one of those, the regulators found that the Tesla Autopilot was not at fault.

In both Florida crashes, the vehicles were being driven with the assistance of Tesla’s Autopilot feature, which is a partially automated driving software. When the company first released Autopilot, it said the feature was designed to “give you more confidence behind the wheel, increase your safety on the road, and make highway driving more enjoyable.”

However, that was six years and several accidents ago. Now, the company has scaled back its language to say that Autopilot is “a hands-on driver assistance system that is intended to be used only with a fully attentive driver,” adding that it “does not turn a Tesla into a self-driving car nor does it make a car autonomous.”

No such thing as a “self-driving car” 

In its investigation of previous Tesla Autopilot-related crashes, the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) cited the shortcomings of these new automotive technologies. “This tragic crash clearly demonstrates the limitations of advanced driver assistance systems available to consumers today,” said NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt. 

“There is not a vehicle currently available to U.S. consumers that is self-driving. Period. Every vehicle sold to US consumers still requires the driver to be actively engaged in the driving task, even when advanced driver assistance systems are activated. If you are selling a car with an advanced driver assistance system, you’re not selling a self-driving car. If you are driving a car with an advanced driver assistance system, you don’t own a self-driving car,” Sumwalt said.

Sumwalt recently went after the NHTSA for its “continued failure to recognize the importance of ensuring that acceptable safeguards are in place” when it comes to testing advanced driver assistance systems. He said conditions like roadway type, geographic location, clear roadway markings, weather conditions, speed range, and lighting conditions can all hinder the ability of these systems to operate safely. 

Despite these limitations, Sumwalt pointed out in a February 1 letter to the Department of Transportation that vehicle manufacturers can operate and test vehicles virtually anywhere. He said that’s only possible because the NHTSA has no requirements in place.

Sumwalt cited Tesla’s recent beta version of its Level 2 Autopilot system, which is described as having full self-driving capability, as an example. 

“By releasing the system, Tesla is testing on public roads a highly [automated vehicle] technology but with limited oversight or reporting requirements. Although Tesla includes a disclaimer that ‘currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous,’ NHTSA’s hands-off approach to oversight of AV testing poses a potential risk to motorists and other road users,” he said.

Tesla has agreed to recall 134,951 Model S and Model X vehicles with touchscreen display issues that could affect vehicle safety. The recall will begin March 30. 

At the start of the year, the National High Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sent a letter to Tesla saying owners have complained of touchscreen issues that could increase the risk of a crash. The agency said it concluded that the 2012-2018 Model S and 2016-2018 Model X vehicles have safety issues as a result of a touchscreen issue and should therefore be recalled.

In a recall notice posted Tuesday, Tesla said it has agreed to the recall “in the interest of bringing administrative closure to the investigation and to ensure the best ownership experience for our customers.” 

Poses safety risks

Owners began complaining last year that their touchscreen media control units would sometimes go either partially or completely blank. In November, the NHTSA said it reviewed 12,523 claims and complaints about the issue.

The glitch compromised a number of safety features, including the ability to use the rearview or backup camera and the ability to use defrost and defogging systems, which the NHTSA said “may decrease the driver’s visibility in inclement weather.”

Tesla has agreed to voluntarily recall the vehicles. In acknowledging the issue, the automaker said drivers can take certain matters into their own hands if the display isn’t working.  

“The driver can perform a shoulder check and use the mirrors,” the company said. “If the screen is not visible to control the climate control and defroster settings, the driver will be able to manually clear the windshield.” 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has asked Tesla to recall 158,716 of its Model S and Model X vehicles manufactured before 2019, Reuters reports. 

In a letter to Al Prescott, Tesla’s vice president of legal, the NHTSA said owners have complained of touchscreen glitches that affected the safety of their vehicle. 

The agency said it’s investigating “a potential safety-related defect concerning incidents of media control unit (‘MCU’) failures resulting in loss of rearview camera and other safety-related vehicle functions.” The affected vehicles include Tesla Model S sedans made between 2012 and 2018 and Model X SUVs in model years from 2016 to 2018.

If Tesla opts not to voluntarily recall the vehicles with the alleged glitches, the automaker would have to provide the NHTSA with “a full explanation of its decision, including any additional analysis of the problem beyond Tesla’s past presentations.”

Owners have previously complained that their touchscreen media control units would sometimes go either partially or completely blank. The glitch compromised drivers’ ability to use the car’s heating and air conditioning, defrost and defogging systems, rearview cameras, and Tesla’s Autopilot features. 

Compromises vehicle safety

The NHTSA said the MCU issue raises the risk of crashing due to the “possible loss of audible chimes, driver sensing, and alerts” that are part of Tesla Autopilot. 

The letter said failure rates were as high as 17 percent in older Tesla Model S vehicles and as high as 4 percent in Tesla cars made between 2016 and 2018. The agency said it believes MCU failure rates “will continue to accelerate” over time. 

“We attribute the differences in failure rates between the model years to the respective time in service for the subject vehicles, in addition to some variances in memory demand from driver to driver based on vehicle functions performed,” the letter said. “As the vehicles continue to in use, more memory blocks are subsequently consumed, shortening the life of the 8GB eMMC device leading to inevitable failure of the MCU.” 

“Given Tesla’s projects of MCU repairs, even MY [model year] 2018 subject vehicles will experience 100% failure of the MCU within approximately 10 years,” NHTSA investigators wrote.

Kia is recalling about 295,000 of its vehicles due to the risk of engine-compartment fires. 

As mentioned in ConsumerAffairs’ recall notice covering this issue, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the engines in a small number of the models set to be recalled in January have caught fire. However, the issue hasn’t been linked to any specific design or manufacturing flaw.

The automaker said it’s recalling the vehicles "as a preventative measure to mitigate any unreasonable fire risk due to potential fuel leaking, oil leaking and/or engine damage.” 

The recall is expected to go into effect on January 27, 2021. At that time, Kia will start notifying owners and dealers will start offering free repairs and vehicle inspections. In the meantime, owners of potentially affected Kia models should be alert for "engine noise, illumination of check-engine light [or] low-oil light, fuel smell, burning smell, oil leaking, smoke,” the NHTSA said.

Kia said it’s developing a Knock Sensor Detection System software update to boost safety. The automaker will also provide 15-year/150,000-mile warranty coverage for engine repairs needed "due to connecting-rod bearing damage," according to the NHTSA. 

The company said owners will be reimbursed for any money they have already spent on repairs related to the problem.

Not the first fire-related recall

This isn’t the first time Kia has recalled vehicles due to fire risk. In February, the automaker issued a recall for more than 200,000 vehicles because of a problem with the brake computers in two models. At the time, Kia said the brake computer issue could lead to the vehicle catching fire. 

In September, the company issued another recall of a similar nature. Kia said nearly 600,000 additional vehicles were at risk of catching fire due to a defect involving brake fluid leakage. 

Kia owners started reporting sudden vehicle fires around four years ago. Some drivers said they had to jump out quickly before their vehicle exploded. In another instance, a Kia owner died after being trapped inside a vehicle that exploded. 

In 2019, the Center for Auto Safety called on Congress to investigate the issue. In a letter to lawmakers, the group criticized the company’s handling of the issue.  

“Instead of presenting the public a solution for these fires, or a satisfactory explanation, or simply taking responsibility for continuing to sell what appear to be defective engines, both manufacturers have recalled fewer than 10% of the potential fire prone vehicles and hoped no one would ask about the rest,” the organization said at the time.

The group said last year that a total of 2.9 million Hyundai and Kia vehicles need to be recalled in order to sufficiently address the problem. It regularly updates a page that includes more information about this issue here.

Despite advice from health experts to avoid travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, a recent survey from Cars.com shows that nearly half the country will travel anyway, mostly by car.

CARFAX, an automotive data company, says travelers can be exposed to more danger than the coronavirus (COVID-19) if they travel in a car with an open, unrepaired recall for dangerous airbags. The company says there could be about 16 million airbags in vehicles on the road today with an open safety recall. More than 11 million of those are Takata airbags -- the subject of the largest recall action in U.S. history.

Takata airbags are especially dangerous since they have been shown to sometimes explode, sending tiny bits of metal throughout the vehicle’s cabin.

In addition to those airbags, CARFAX says its review of available data shows that there may be vehicles with another 5 million airbags from other suppliers that need to be replaced under recall orders. The company said it is issuing the reminder because it expects a sharp increase of vehicles on the road over the next few weeks.

"Unfortunately, the recent deaths related to defective airbags underscore the critical importance of closing any open recalls," said Faisal Hasan, general manager of Data at CARFAX. "As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we know people may be taking road trips to visit family and loved ones. We strongly encourage all car owners to check for open recalls. It's free to check and free to get repairs, and it's a vital step in making our roads safer for everyone."

Here’s where to check if your car has an open recall

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) maintains an online database where you can check to see if your vehicle is subject to an open recall. You just need to know your vehicle information number (VIN), listed on your vehicle registration and embossed into the dashboard on the driver’s side of the vehicle. You can access the database here.

A total of 18 people have been killed in the U.S., and more than 250 injured, from the explosion of defective Takata airbag inflators. Problems with how those airbags work have led to 63 million inflators being recalled. 

Data from CARFAX shows the number of vehicles with open safety recalls is on the rise after two straight years of declines. There are more than 55.7 million recalled vehicles on the road today that haven't been repaired, up 5 percent from 2019, the company said.

Findings from a new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety suggest that many drivers over-rely on technology in their cars to keep them safe.

Working alongside researchers from the University of Iowa, AAA researchers found that most drivers find safety features like forward collision warning, lane keeping assistance, and blind spot monitors helpful. However, a majority drivers demonstrated misperceptions or a lack of awareness about the limitations of these newer safety features.

Nearly 80 percent of drivers with blind spot monitoring systems were either unaware of the limitations of the technology or believed that the system could accurately detect fast-passing vehicles, bicycles or pedestrians. About 25 percent admitted that they don’t habitually check for oncoming vehicles before merging or backing up.

The study found that 40 percent of drivers who own cars equipped with forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking conflate the capabilities of the two systems. One is a warning system while the other is designed to take action, AAA noted.

About 29 percent of respondents who use adaptive cruise control said they sometimes felt comfortable "engaging in other activities" while the system is in use, according to the study.

False expectations

These findings “may indicate lack of understanding or appreciation of the fact that these technologies are designed to assist the driver but that the driver is still required to be attentive at all times to ensure safety,” wrote study author David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

In light of the results of the survey, AAA is urging drivers who have automated driving assistance systems to be certain they are fully aware of what they can and can’t do. Placing too much trust on the safety features that come standard in many newer cars can lead to crashes.

Crash rates have risen in recent years, the researchers noted. More than 37,400 people were killed in traffic crashes in 2016 -- a five percent increase from 2015.

“When properly utilized, ADAS technologies have the potential to prevent 40 percent of all vehicle crashes and nearly 30 percent of traffic deaths," Yang said in a statement. "Driver understanding and proper use is crucial in reaping the full safety benefits of these systems."

The death of Florida Model S owner Joshua Brown in May 2016 is widely regarded as the first known fatality that occurred while a car’s autonomous technology was engaged.

But a new report suggests that a death linked to Tesla’s hyped Autopilot feature may have occurred six months earlier. The death happened in China, where Tesla has reportedly sold over $1 billion worth of vehicles.

Gao Yaning, 23, died on his way home from a wedding reception in January 2016 while driving his father’s Model S in the province of Hebei. Surveillance footage shows the car crashing into the back of a road-sweeping truck on the highway.

In the two years since, his father Jubin Yaning has been fighting Tesla in court in an attempt to prove that the company is misleading customers about the safety and sophistication of its Autopilot feature.  

Jubin is asking for 5 million in yuan, the equivalent of about $750,000, the site Jalopnik reports. Jubin told Jalopnik that if he wins the suit, he will fund a charity “to warn more Tesla owners not to use Autopilot.”

Failed to follow “operation rules”

When Gao’s father Jubin Yaning first filed his suit in 2016, Tesla claimed that the car was too damaged to determine whether Autopilot was in fact engaged.

But in a statement to Jalopnik reporter Ryan Felton, Tesla seemed to confirm the possibility, making claims about the safety of Autopilot without stating whether or not it was in use during the time of Gao’s crash.

Tesla said that Yaning failed “to drive safely in accordance with operation rules” but added that it has agreed to allow a third-party appraiser to review data from the vehicle.

“While the third-party appraisal is not yet complete, we have no reason to believe that Autopilot on this vehicle ever functioned other than as designed,” Tesla told Jalopnik.

Not considering the human element

Tesla has repeatedly claimed that its Autopilot feature improves vehicle safety, but it also says the owner’s manual warns that the feature is in beta-testing. Even when activated, drivers must pay attention and keep their hands on the wheel at all times.

After Joshua Brown died, Tesla told Wired magazine that , "the data is unequivocal that Autopilot reduces driver workload and results in a statistically significant improvement in safety." But at the dealership, consumers and regulators say that Tesla may be selling drivers on the idea that the Autopilot feature is more sophisticated than it actually is.

In investigating Brown’s death, the National Transportation Safety Board determined last year that while Brown bore responsibility for not paying enough attention, Tesla had not adequately considered the “human element” of so-called self-driving technology.

“This crash is an example of what can happen when automation is introduced ‘because we can’ without adequate consideration of the human element,” the board wrote.

“In aviation, airline pilots know that even when the autopilot is controlling their airplane, the pilots still play a crucial role. Joe and Suzy Public, on the other hand, may conclude from the name ‘autopilot’ that they need not pay any attention to the driving task because the autopilot is doing everything.”

The car’s forward collision warning  and automatic emergency braking systems also failed to activate shortly before the crash, the board’s investigation found.

Mounting complaints

A class action lawsuit filed against Tesla over its Autopilot technology last year claimed that the Model S and Model X cars made a number of dangerous maneuvers when Autopilot was activated, such as “lurching, slamming on the brakes for no reason, and failing to slow or stop when approaching other vehicles.”

The company responded to the lawsuit by telling Bloomberg News that “we have never claimed our vehicles already have functional ‘full self-driving capability,’....The inaccurate and sensationalistic view of our technology put forth by this group is exactly the kind of misinformation that threatens to harm consumer safety.”

Complaints about Tesla cars making dangerous driving maneuvers by themselves have also surfaced from drivers who were not even using the car’s Autopilot technology. ConsumerAffairs reported earlier this month on five cases in which drivers described their car suddenly taking off by itself as the driver was slowly parking.

When shoppers search for used vehicles on CarMax.com, they are greeted with a sleek website, the promise of a “Carmax Quality” certification on the entire inventory, and upfront pricing -- no haggling necessary or allowed.

It’s the exact opposite of what a shopper gets when they visit a run-down used car lot. But a new study suggests that the quality of CarMax Quality Certified cars is about the same as vehicles at that used car lot, and the company’s “no-haggle” policy means that consumers could be paying more for a car with open recalls and safety issues, according to a coalition of consumer safety groups. 

“They're saying we won't even negotiate the price, and we want top dollar for this death trap,” co-author Rosemary Shahan, with the Consumers for Auto Reliably and Safety (CARS) Foundation, tells ConsumerAffairs. 

The report finds that over one in four vehicles for sale at eight CarMax locations are under a recall and have not been repaired, according to a review conducted by the CARS Foundation, the Center for Auto Safety and the MASSPIRG Education Fund.

One car that the groups studied is under recall for six different reasons, including the risk of engine fire and airbag failure. The groups looked at nearly 1700 cars in total and found that 461 had active recalls.

“Those vehicles are potentially hazardous, not only to the people who buy them but also to their passengers and everyone else who shares the roads,” the report says. 

Airbags a major problem

The researchers studied CarMax precisely because of its scale and success in targeting shoppers who are normally turned off by used car lots. As the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, “they target people very aggressively,” Shahan explains. “They know that people are afraid of dealers. They target women in particular, because they know women hate to negotiate.”

The most common defect the researchers found in the CarMax vehicles was recalled airbags, a problem that is unlikely to go away anytime soon.

In the largest recall of its kind, Takata, the automotive industry’s main airbag supplier, has admitted that its airbag inflators are prone to exploding. This defect has resulted in deaths, disfigurements, and a congressional investigation.

Takata agreed to recall over 30 million vehicles, but with a virtual monopoly over the airbag market, no competitor is ready to sell a fix, and car dealerships are now experiencing a huge backlog. Many customers stuck with potentially deadly, explosive airbags have no choice but to wait.  

Name brands also sell recalled cars

While no federal laws prevent businesses from selling cars with open recalls, car companies typically enact policies banning their dealerships from doing so. It’s for that reason that shoppers often favor buying vehicles from dealerships.

However, dealerships have also been documented selling vehicles with serious defects. In fact, the FTC last year issued a ruling allowing General Motors to advertise cars with open recalls as “safe" and rigorously tested. Car safety groups are suing the FTC to overturn that ruling. 

CarMax says they can't fix problem, touts disclosure policy

CarMax’s press team claims that they are unable to repair recalled cars at their stores.

“Manufacturers do not allow CarMax to complete recall repairs and close out recalls at our stores,” CarMax spokesman Catherine Gryp says in an emailed statement.

CarMax also notes that whether a car is recalled is a matter of public record. Included in every online CarMax listing is a link to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website, where the general public can learn a car's recall history by searching the VIN number.

“In addition, customers sign a form acknowledging receipt of the NHTSA recall information prior to signing any sales documents,” Gryp adds.

Safety advocates say that most shoppers don't take the time to search recalled vehicles on the government website. Understanding that fine print that they sign also requires a proficiency in English at a level that shoppers who were born in other countries may not be prepared for.

Ultimately, Shahan argues that CarMax’s advertising is intended to dissuade consumers from even thinking it's necessary to look deeper into their prospective purchase. 

The company's stores "look like a car palace," she says. "That's the image they project.  'Wow we are so squeaky clean. We only have the best cars.' And underneath that veneer they have these horrible practices."

Leaders of auto safety groups, along with two U.S. Senators, are urging Congress to make changes to a proposed bill that would establish guidelines for automakers that manufacture autonomous vehicles.

At a news conference in advance of the Senate Commerce Committee's "mark up" of the AV Start Act, Jackie Gillan, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, said the legislation has serious flaws.

"Unfortunately this bill lacks adequate government oversight and industry accountability," Gillan said. "We're urging the Senate Commerce Committee to make safe and sensible improvements to the bill."

The safety advocates voiced several concerns, but among them is the fact that the AV Start Act gives a greenlight to carmakers to begin turning out self-driving cars for consumers to purchase.

'Ignores recent history'

Joan Claybrook, a former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), said the legislation ignores recent history, including mistakes made by the auto industry.

"It puts auto and tech companies who basically wrote the bill in the driver's seat in the development and deployment of unproven autonomous vehicles," Claybrook said. "It puts the federal auto safety agency in the back seat in terms of ensuring industry accountability."

Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, acknowledged that autonomous vehicles are part of the future, but he worries they will be rushed to market and will create as many problems as they solve.

"[Autonomous vehicles can] pose major safety, as well as privacy and cybersecurity, problems if there are no appropriate safeguards in place," he said.

Amendments to be offered

Markey said he would introduce amendments to the bill to "establish enforceable rules of the road." Fellow Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is concerned the AV Start Act would override state laws that are more strict in their regulation of autonomous vehicles. He says he will also seek an amendment requiring automakers to provide a manual override in all vehicles.

Safety advocates are concerned that the legislation exempts autonomous car makers from many federal safety standards. Currently, only 2,500 vehicles are exempt from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), since they are being tested. Under the proposed bill, they said that number jumps to 50,000 in the first year and then 100,000 in year three.

Drug laws are stricter

Safety advocates also point out that these exempt vehicles have not yet been proven to be safe. Dr. Steve Hargarten, emergency physician and professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, says the AV Start Act is nothing like the laws governing new drugs.

"It rushes new technologies to market without adequately balancing public safety and economic motives, or ensuring government oversight of industry progress," he said. "New drugs have to undergo much more vigorous testing."

The groups represented at the news conference agreed that autonomous cars can be a public benefit by reducing the number of traffic accidents caused by human error. But they say the technology has not yet proven itself and that the rules Congress is considering don't go far enough to ensure public safety.

Tesla has had a rather rocky relationship with Consumer Reports. At times, Tesla models have been top picks by the magazine's experts, but the romance doesn't always last.

The latest incident concerns Tesla's Models S and X. Consumer Reports is lowering the cars' ratings because the automaker has not enabled the new models with the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) safety feature it said would come as standard.

Tesla says it is working through some software issues. But the process has stretched on for six months, leaving owners without the safety feature they thought they were getting. 

Earlier models had it

The previous Model S and Model X came with functioning AEB as standard. Models produced between late Oct. 2016 and now do not. In a statement to Consumer Reports, Tesla says it expects the software update to come Thursday.

Consumer Reports gives extra rating points to cars that offer AEB as a standard feature, placing value on the braking technology because of its potential to prevent crashes and reduce injuries. Consumer Reports encourages companies to offer the technology standard, without requiring consumers to pay thousands more for a higher option package.

“When we purchased our latest test car, we were assured automatic emergency braking would be enabled by the end of 2016,” said Jake Fisher, director of Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center in Colchester, Conn. “We’ve been waiting for this important safety feature, which is standard equipment on much cheaper cars.”

Car buyers often assume that the dealer has taken care of any outstanding safety recalls on the car they're buying, but that is frequently not the case and, often, no one does anything about it.

But New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman recently corralled 104 car dealers into a settlement that requires them to alert consumers that their cars may have unrepaired safety recalls.

Schneiderman said the dealers have been selling cars without disclosing that they had unfulfilled recalls for problems including unintended acceleration, airbag problems, vehicle fires, and steering and brake loss.

“The safety recalls we uncovered were serious — and potentially deadly," said Schneiderman. “Consumers deserve to know of any unresolved safety issues before buying a car for themselves or their family."

Dealers agree to guidelines

As part of the settlements, the 104 dealers are required to adhere to a set of guidelines in order to alert consumers that their vehicles may have unrepaired recalls, including the following:  

Dealers that advertise used vehicles online must include information that enables consumers to check the recall status of advertised vehicles; that information includes the SaferCar.gov website operated by NHTSA.

Dealers who advertise in print or other media must also disclose in the advertisement that the vehicle is subject to a safety recall.  

Dealers must place a decal notice in the window of used cars that include information that allows consumers to check the recall status of the vehicles, including the SaferCar.gov website and mobile application operated by NHTSA.

Two days prior to any sale, dealers must provide consumers with a copy of the NHTSA recall status report for a vehicle with an unrepaired safety recall, and obtain a written acknowledgment from the consumer.

Dealers must send notices to customers who have purchased vehicles with unrepaired safety recalls that are still unrepaired, from January 2016 to present. Manufacturers’ franchise dealers must also cover up to five days of a loaner car for consumers if their vehicle requires repairs that will take longer than one day.

Each auto dealer will also pay a fine of $1,000 to New York State.

Car safety groups are suing to overturn a Federal Trade Commission consent order that lets car dealers and manufacturers say that "certified" cars are "safe" and have passed a "rigorous inspection," even though safety recall repairs have not been done.

“We’re optimistic that the Court will rein in the FTC’s dangerous and irresponsible abuse of its authority. Instead of protecting consumers, the FTC is protecting unscrupulous auto dealers who engage in false and deceptive advertising about the safety of the cars they offer for sale to the public. This is a serious threat to used car buyers, their families, and all who share the roads,” said Rosemary Shahan, President of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, one of the organizations filing the legal action.

The FTC’s order set a de-facto standard for the auto industry that allows dealers to deceptively advertise cars with dangerous and potentially lethal safety defects that have killed and maimed people, the groups said. 

“Even if there is a 100% certainty that an unrepaired safety recall defect will immediately kill anyone who buys a so-called ‘certified’ car and their family, the FTC would allow car dealers to advertise that car as ‘safe’ and ‘repaired for safety,’” said Michael Brooks, Acting Director of the Center for Auto Safety. “Clearly the Court should intervene and force the FTC to reverse itself.”

Greater risk

The consumer groups said the FTC’s consent order is already putting motorists at greater risk of death or injury, citing a recent report in the New York Times, 

“Until [the FTC entered into consent orders with GM, Lithia and Koons] every major car company had said that they forbade their dealers from selling certified used vehicles with any open recalls, including ones for Takata airbags. [But] with the FTC settlement for cover...Ford broke ranks, issuing an update to dealers on its ‘enhanced’ recall process and giving them permission to certify used vehicles that had open recalls after all," the groups allege in their petition seeking an appellate review of the lower court's approval of the consent order.

Citing the FTC’s Consent Order and the election of Donald Trump on an anti-regulation platform, the groups note that AutoNation (the largest new car dealership chain in the U.S.) reversed its policy of ensuring that all used cars are repaired prior to being sold to consumers, and now also allows its new car dealers to sell unrepaired recalled cars, including cars with Takata airbags that cannot be made safe because of severe shortages of repair parts.

Groups filing the action are Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety (CARS), the Center for Auto Safety, U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), MASSPIRG, CONNPIRG, and CALPIRG. 

“Certified” cars are supposedly subject to rigorous inspections, and dealers and manufacturers charge an average of approximately $1200 extra for them.  Consumers are led to believe the cars have not only been inspected, but that any significant problems have been repaired.

As Obama Era safety regulators head for the exit ramps, they leave behind a lot of unfinished business. That's pretty much par for the course in Washington, where "long-term" means until the incumbent administration leaves office.

But departing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration head Dr. Mark Rosekind is philosophical and says he knew what he was getting into when he took the job.

"When I came in, I knew I only had two years,” he said in a recent interview with the Detroit Free Press. “I knew coming in I only had a limited time. And I also used that to push people really hard.”

President Obama nominated Rosekind to head the agency in November 2014, after Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and NHTSA head David Strickland resigned shortly after working out a secret deal with Chrysler to resolve complaints that Jeep Cherokee SUVs were prone to burst into flame after rear-end collisions. They wasted little time finding lucrative lobbying positions.

Trump has nominated former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to replace Anthony Foxx as Transportation Secretary, but there has been no word on who, if anyone, is being considered for the NHTSA post.

Rosekind has not said what he plans to do after leaving government, but he is credited by safety advocates with shaking up an agency that was seen by many critics as being too slow to act and a bit too cozy with the industry it regulates.

Over at the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulates non-auto safety, Chairman Elliott F. Kaye's term runs through October 2020.

Stiff fines

Under Rosekind, NHTSA was much faster to impose stiff fines on automakers who failed to report safety issues. He also developed new policies on testing self-driving cars, data sharing among automakers, and accident prevention initiatives. He presided over the massive Takata airbag scandal, which is likely to include a $1 billion penalty against the Japanese company.

Obama, like many presidents before him, was often criticized for naming lawyers to positions that might more logically have gone to engineers or scientists with a deep knowledge of the subject matter. No such criticism was attached to Rosekind, who was previously a member of the National Transportation Safety Board.

A psychologist who specializes in the study of human fatigue and its effects on people's ability to perform various intellectual or mechanical tasks, Rosekind quickly took up the issue of distracted driving and urged automakers to avoid loading up dashboards with flashy gadgets that took drivers' eyes off the road.

Rosekind said in the Detroit Free Press interview that his intention was always to put safety first, and he urged the Trump Administration to follow the same principle.

“I think there is a lot of work that has gone on for the last two years that will stand on its own,” he said.

Does Donald Trump care about highway safety? AutoNation is betting he doesn't. The new-car chain has backed down on its pledge to fix all outstanding recalls before selling cars to customers, apparently based on an assumption that Trump will not pursue the matter.

AutoNation started selling used vehicles with open recalls on Monday, Nov. 28, after CEO Mike Jackson concluded that Trump's victory would mean the end of legislative efforts to require used car dealers to stop selling recalled used cars that have not been repaired.

But U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), say Jackson's conclusion is dead wrong.

“AutoNation’s decision to resume the sale of deadly used cars in the wake of this presidential election is deeply troubling, and will lead to tragic consequences on our nation’s roads and highways," the two said in a statement emailed to ConsumerAffairs.

"After reversing course on its widely-advertised pledge to not sell defective cars, AutoNation now bears the responsibility of informing consumers about its broken promise. The company now has an obligation to publicize its decision to reverse course as widely as its original move towards better safety,” the senators said. “In the wake of this announcement, we plan to double down on efforts to protect consumers from the worry that they might be buying a used car with unrepaired recalls.”‎

CEO frustrated

Blumenthal and Markey are the authors of the Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act, introduced in 2015. It would require used car dealers to repair any outstanding safety recalls in used automobiles prior to selling or leasing and the Repairing Every Car to Avoid Lost Lives (RECALL) Act that would require owners of vehicles with open safety recalls to be notified and help ensure defects are repaired.

Jackson expressed frustration with the situation, seeming to say that AutoNation had done its part but had not been supported by lawmakers or the rest of the auto industry.

AutoNation, the largest car-dealer chain in the country, voluntarily adopted its policy of performing all outstanding recalls around the time Blumenthal and Markey introduced their bill, which is still pending and unlikely to pass in the few days remaining in the current Congress, but other dealers failed to follow suit and there was little evidence the heavily advertised initiative produced much in the way of new business for AutoNation.

Jackson is, in effect, throwing up his hands.

"It's been a very difficult journey, but with the Trump administration there's no way that that issue is going to be addressed from a regulatory point of view," he said, according to an Automotive News report.

Jackson said his company will still try to perform all outstanding recalls if it is able to do so but, like all dealers, it's not able to fulfill recalls if the manufacturer fails to make parts available.

"If parts are available, we repair them," Jackson told Automotive News. "If the parts are not available, we'll either auction or retail it. In both cases, we use full disclosure if we retail or auction it without having made a repair."

The recall of millions of Takata airbags worsened the situation. By the end of 2015, AutoNation had allowed some vehicles to go to auction if they had waited six months or more for parts. 

In the next week 2.6 million owners of General Motors (GM)vehicles will start receiving their official recall notices in the mail for a faulty ignition switch.

At the same time 1.3 million Toyota owners in the U.S. will soon be getting recall notices for safety issues, ranging from air bags to windshield wipers.

What happens next is up to the consumers.

What's supposed to happen is this: the owners take their cars to dealers, where the repairs to address the recall issues will be performed at no charge.

But unless the owners follow through, the whole point of the recall – removing safety threats from the nation's highways – is lost. It's like continuing to operate a Windows XP computer after XP support has ended -- it endangers everyone.

No action

Unfortunately, some recall notices are never acted upon. Automotive website Edmunds.com recently reported that a 2009 GM recall prompted by auto engine fires did not completely quell the flames.

Three years after the recall notices had been sent out, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received nearly as many reports of engine fires as it had before the recall.

Checking the ConsumerAffairs complaint database, we see that this issue still seems to be out there.

“My daughter's Chevy Silverado pickup truck caught on fire in the front yard, destroying the truck, her brand-new Toyota Camry, and melted siding on the house next to them,” Susan, of Tucson, Ariz., wrote in a January 2014 ConsumerAffairs post.

Could have been unaware

If Susan's daughter's vehicle was, indeed, an unrepaired recall vehicle, the incident might not have been her fault. She might not have even seen the recall notice.

Recall notices are sent to the owners of record. Sometimes that information is correct, sometimes it isn't.

Another complicating factor is when the owner of record is no longer the owner. The used car market in the U.S. is huge, and if a consumer sells their vehicle without responding to the recall notice, the buyer is usually unaware.

Sometimes, consumers simply ignore the notice, mistaking it for an advertisement. In February, the feds required automakers to use a prominent label on recall notices, in hopes consumers will pay more attention to them.

Online buyer beware

Carfax, an automotive data provider, reports that in 2013 there were 3.5 million used cars for sale online with an open, or unrepaired, recall.

"Open recalls are still a major public safety issue," said Larry Gamache, a Carfax spokesman. "In fact, our research indicates that more than one in ten used cars for sale online has an open recall. It's another reminder that consumers, especially those shopping online, need to know as much as possible about a used car before they buy. This includes if an open recall or other potentially dangerous issue exists.”

According to the Carfax report, Texas, California, Missouri, Florida and Ohio had the most recalled cars for sale online last year, accounting for one-third of the total.

New online tool

What's a used car buyer to do? NHTSA is requiring automotive manufacturers to provide a free online tool that will allow consumers to search recall information by Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

Consumers will be able to use the tool to instantly see whether the car they own, or are considering buying, has an open recall. NHTSA says some automakers have already complied. The rest have until August 14, 2014.

To access databases of companies that have already complied, click here.

In the case of the latest GM recall, it may be critically important for drivers to check this database. Since the issue goes back several years, chances are affected vehicles have changed hands a number of times.