Agency encourages vehicle owners to check their VIN number on website

NHTSA 33-15
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Contact: Gordon Trowbridge, 202-366-9550, Public.Affairs@dot.gov

Agency encourages vehicle owners to check their VIN number on website

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced today that all vehicle identification numbers affected by the massive Takata air bag recall are loaded into the agency’s search system. The recall involves 11 auto manufacturers and roughly 34 million vehicles.

“An informed consumer is one of our strongest allies in ensuring recalled vehicles are repaired, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “NHTSA’s VIN search tool at safercar.gov makes it easy for consumers to check if their vehicle is affected by the recall, and to take action in getting the air bags replaced.”

Last month Takata announced a national recall of certain types of driver and passenger side air bag inflators. These inflators were made with a propellant that can degrade over time and has led to ruptures that have been blamed for seven deaths and more than 100 injuries worldwide. The recall is one of the largest and most complex product recalls in history.

“As this recall progresses, NHTSA will organize and prioritize the replacement of the defective air bag inflators to ensure that defective inflators are replaced with safe ones as quickly as possible,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind.

The agency has established a new website, SaferCar.gov/RecallsSpotlight, to provide regular updates on the status of this and other recalls of high interest.

Below are additional tools and tips from the nation’s auto safety agency:

• Register Your Cars, Tires and Car Seats: Receive NHTSA email notifications when the manufacturer files the recall with the federal government. There is no way to locate or notify individual owners of car seats or tires if the product is not registered with the manufacturer or NHTSA.
• Receive recall alerts on Apple devices, Android devices, or Email.
• Check NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) 5-Star Ratings System when considering purchasing a new or used vehicle.

Stay connected with NHTSA: Search for open recalls with VIN look up | Download the Safercar Mobile App for Apple or Android devices | Receive recall alerts by email | Visit us on Facebook.com/NHTSA | Follow us on Twitter.com/NHTSAgov | Watch 5-Star Safety Ratings crash tests on YouTube.com/USDOTNHTSA | SaferCar.gov