According to News10 ABC, this week marks National Vehicle Safety Recalls Week and The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles says drivers should check to see if the vehicle you are driving is the subject of a safety recall.

The only way I have known if one of my vehicles had a recall was when I got a notice in the mail or I saw it on the news. Just this morning CSB6 reported a recall of over 300,000 Kia's. Well now, in addition to those methods, you can click HERE to see about your car, truck or SUV.

First you will need your VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) You will find that on your dashboard on the drivers side. Look through the windshield to read the numbers. By entering your VIN on the site you will discover whether an unrepaired vehicle was affected by a vehicle safety recall in the past 15 calendar years.

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What you won't find is a repaired safety recall, manufacturer customer service or other non-safety recall campaign, international vehicles and there may be a delay with very recently announced safety recalls for which not all VINs have been identified. VINs are added continuously so please check regularly.

 “Every recall is serious and can affect you and others on the road, so if you own a vehicle, it is very important that you make sure it is safe,” said DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder. “It is so quick and easy to check for recalls, and if there are any, you should take care of them so you can be confident your vehicle is in good operating condition.”

I was once given a free car. It was actually a nice car at the time and because it was free I decided I will drive it until it literally stops and has given up. When I got the car it was around 6 years old and it finally died just shy of 200,000 miles and 11 years old.

I sold that car for $500 to a scrap yard and every month for the next 2 years I received a recall notice for that car. I wasn't concerned about anyone's safety because the car was no longer drivable but the persistence of those notices were impressive. In some weird way it was like having the ghost of the car come visit me each month. RIP Lincoln MKZ.

Recalls are fairly common for most products, not just cars. Check Recalls.com to see what is on the recall list.

 

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