Crossings TV Asian Television – Home to Asian Americans
March 2-8 is Vehicle Safety Recalls Week
LOS ANGELES – State and national organizations joined auto industry leaders today to kick off Vehicle Safety Recalls Week and urge drivers to check for and repair open vehicle safety recalls.
The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), New Motor Vehicle Board (NMVB), Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association (GLANCDA), California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA), National Safety Council (NSC), Alliance for Automotive Innovation (Auto Innovators) and Automobile Club of Southern California (Auto Club) held a news conference at the BMW of Downtown Los Angeles in a continuing effort to alert vehicle owners of the urgent safety risks of unchecked recalls.
“Checking for open safety recalls and bringing in your vehicle for repairs is a critical safety measure that every driver should take,” OTS Director Stephanie Dougherty said. “With our partners, the OTS is focused on making sure every California driver knows there is an easy, quick way to find out if their vehicle has an open safety recall – ChecktoProtect.org. It takes less than a minute to search for any open recalls, and repairs are free at any authorized dealership. This is a potentially life-saving action for not only drivers, but their passengers and everyone on the road.”
WHY IT MATTERS: There are more than 5.4 million vehicles in California with unrepaired safety recalls, including 115,000 vehicles with a “Do Not Drive” warning due to the seriousness of the repair needed. Older vehicles and those with multiple owners are at greatest risk, as many drivers are unaware of open recalls. Nationwide, 53.2 million vehicles, or one in every five vehicles on the road, has an unrepaired recall.
TAKATA AIRBAG RECALLS
In California, more than 500,000 vehicles still have defective Takata airbags that date back to 2014. Among the California vehicles with defective airbags, four out of every five vehicles are in Los Angeles (252,000), the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto (81,900), the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose (77,700) and San Diego areas (42,300).
The defective airbag inflators on Takata airbags could explode and spray sharp metal fragments toward the driver and passengers – like shrapnel from an exploding grenade. Owners of certain vehicles are at a substantially higher risk of having faulty Takata air bags and must replace the air bags immediately. These vehicles include certain model year Honda and Acura vehicles, Chrysler 300s; Dodge Chargers, Magnums and Challengers; certain BMW 3 Series, 5 Series and X5s; and certain 2006 Ford Rangers and Mazda B-Series vehicles.
Since the Takata Airbag Recall started in June 2014, 28 people have been killed in the United States, including four people in California, due to defective air bag inflators that exploded. At least 400 people have been injured.
Between April 2024 and April 2025, California ranked No. 1 in making the most progress with 107,500 Takata Airbag replacements or recall closures, fixing nearly 15 percent of all vehicles with open recalls in a single year.
“60 seconds. That is the amount of time it takes to determine if your vehicle has an open safety recall and where you could go to get it repaired,” NMVB Assistant Director and Equity Officer Kimberlee Vaye said. “Take the time to check. You owe it to yourself and your family. Safety recalls can involve parts like brakes, tires, seatbelts, airbags and steering, putting drivers and passengers, and even pedestrians at unreasonable risk of injuries or crashes. Check to Protect for peace of mind of keeping you and your loved ones safe. Get your recall fixed as soon as possible. Contact your local car dealership today. Dealerships are obligated to repair any recall free of charge, whether you purchased your vehicle there or not. Many dealers offer free transportation, loaner cars or even mobile repair.”
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determines that a vehicle or its components pose a safety risk or fail to meet minimum standards.
Act Now: Check to Protect
To check for open recalls, drivers can visit CheckToProtect.org or CheckToProtect.org/es (Spanish) and enter their license plate or vehicle identification number (VIN) to see if their vehicle has an open recall. Nearly 80 percent of vehicles checked are repaired within 90 days.
The program encourages vehicle owners to check for any open recalls every three months and to schedule free recall repairs as soon as a fix is available.
“Road safety remains a critical priority for everyone traveling on California’s roads,” NSC Check to Protect senior program manager Lonny Haschel said. “With millions of vehicles still operating with unrepaired safety recalls, it is essential for drivers to take simple steps to ensure their vehicles are safe. We urge all drivers to visit CheckToProtect.org, enter their vehicle information to check for any open recalls and schedule the free repair at an authorized dealership if one is found. When safety recalls are addressed, every roadway user benefits.”
“We take great pride in our member dealers offering the best, safest vehicles,” CNCDA President Brian Maas said. “All our dealers stand ready to help make sure your car is working efficiently and safely on every trip. Recall repairs are free and fixing recalls is a top priority for dealers, who want every driver in a safe car.”
“We strongly encourage drivers not to overlook recall notices,” said GLANCDA Executive Director Bob Smith. “Every vehicle owner should make it a habit to regularly check for recalls as part of their vehicle maintenance plan. Completed recall repairs are an important step in maintaining both vehicle safety and performance.”
“Vehicle recalls help ensure that all cars and trucks on our roads are safe to drive,” Auto Club Senior Public Affairs Specialist Kandace Redd said. “Driving a vehicle that has had any recalls repaired also helps protect passengers and other people who use our roads, including people walking and biking.”
“Safety is the top priority for the auto industry, and making sure every vehicle recall repair is completed is crucial to keeping our roads safe,” Alliance for Automotive Innovation senior director of state affairs Curt Augustine said. “In fact, reaching a 100 percent completion rate for recalled vehicles is a shared goal of automakers, and we hope a shared goal of all stakeholders.”
Businesses and other organizations that operate fleets can also conduct bulk recall checks on the NSC website.
All recalls are repaired for free at authorized dealers, regardless of where the vehicle was purchased. For more information, visit CheckToProtect.org or CheckToProtect/org/es (Spanish). Additionally, you may search for vehicles, car seats, tires, and other equipment for safety recalls on the NHTSA website.
To learn about other helpful ways to stay safe on to go, visit www.GoSafelyCA.org.