State transportation officials encourage vehicle owners to check for safety recalls

Hawai‘i Department of Transportation officials encourage island drivers to take a simple step to increase vehicle safety: Check online for vehicle safety recalls and get any necessary repairs done.

Last year, 1,073 safety recalls nationwide affected more than 35 million vehicles and pieces of equipment, including tires and car seats.

Recalls can range from minor software fixes to major safety concerns such as faulty airbags or brake failures.

Despite recall notifications from manufacturers and even though repairs can be made at no cost to the owner, a report by vehicle history reporting service CARFAX found that an estimated 1 in 5 vehicles has an unresolved recall issue.

That means of the close to 1.4 million vehicles on Hawai‘i’s roads, about 280,000 could have at least one outstanding safety recall that poses potential danger to drivers, passengers and other roadway users if not addressed.

National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers a free tool to check for open manufacturer recalls on vehicles, car seats, tires and other vehicle-related equipment.

Visit the safety administration website and enter the license plate number or vehicle identification number to check for an open recall. If there is an open vehicle recall, owners should contact their local dealership and schedule a free repair.

Owners might need to contact the manufacturer for information for recalls involving tires, car seats or other equipment.

“Checking if your vehicle has an open safety recall is a simple and smart step every car owner can take to reduce the risk of vehicle failure or a breakdown on road that could cause a serious crash,” said Hawai‘i Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen on a release from the state.

National Highway Transportation Safety Administration recommends checking for recalls at least twice a year.

Vehicle owners can also sign up to receive notifications by email about future safety recalls by visiting the safety administration website.