Millions of California drivers could have vehicles not safe for the road
Millions of vehicles on California roadways might be unsafe to drive.
According to data from Carfax, more than 6.2 million vehicles in California have at least one unresolved safety recall, and more than a million of those have two or more.
Nationwide, one in five vehicles—totaling 58.1 million—has an outstanding recall, a 16% increase in just two years, Carfax says.
California leads the nation in the number of vehicles with open recalls, with Los Angeles ranking first among U.S. cities with 3 million vehicles that have at least one open recall. San Francisco and San Diego also appear in the top 50, with 1.1 million and 563,000 affected vehicles, respectively.
Last year, Carfax data showed at least 700,000 open recalls in California related just to the nationwide recall of Takata airbags.
What’s worse is there are at least 1.5 million vehicles in California that have not one, but two or more unaddressed recalls, second only to Texas.
Many of these recalls, like the Takata airbag recall, involve critical safety components such as brakes and seatbelts, which could lead to serious accidents if left unaddressed.
These are the top 10 states with the highest number of vehicles that have two or more open recalls, according to Carfax.
| State | Vehicles with 2+ Recalls |
|---|---|
| Texas | 1.6 million |
| California | 1.5 million |
| Florida | 901,000 |
| New York | 528,000 |
| Georgia | 509,000 |
| Ohio | 508,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 508,000 |
| North Carolina | 477,000 |
| Illinois | 406,000 |
| Arizona | 389,000 |
“Drivers should be aware of the recalls on their vehicles, especially those with two or more. Addressing them can save lives and protect your wallet in the long run,” said Paul Nadjarian, general manager of Carfax Car Care.
While automakers issue recalls under the supervision of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, many vehicle owners fail to get necessary repairs, even though they are provided at no cost.
Carfax and NHTSA have been working to raise awareness and encourage drivers to address recalls promptly.
Drivers can check for open recalls by entering their vehicle identification number on the NHTSA website or at carfax.com/recall.