TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — It’s National Vehicle Safety Recall Week for the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a part of the federal Dept. of Transportation. From March 7 to March 13, safety advocates and government agencies encourage drivers to check their cars for recall notices and other potential safety or repair needs.
The hundreds of millions of drivers in the U.S. all have different cars, different commutes and different needs. CARFAX released a report showing the number of cars in each state in need of recall as of 2021. Florida has the third largest number of vehicles with recall notices in the country, behind just California and Texas.
According to the National Safety Council, and research data from CARFAX, there are 53.2 million cars in the U.S. in need of repair due to a safety recall or defect. Some of those recalls are for “defective parts that can pose life-threatening risks to drivers or passengers.”
In Florida alone, there are 3.34 million cars with recall notices. According to CARFAX, 19.7% of all vehicles in Florida have a recall notice, across all cars, light trucks, minivans and sport utility vehicles. The company said of all light trucks, the percentage of recalls is 25% nationally.
- California – 6,323,608 recalls
- Texas – 5,364,968 recalls
- Florida – 3,346,321 recalls
- New York – 2,109,098 recalls
- Pennsylvania – 1,945,599 recalls
Of other types of vehicles, cars and minivans have 21% and 20% recall rates, respectively, according to CARFAX. The NSC’s Check to Protect campaign is a way to help vehicle owners and drivers “proactively check their recall status,” with an option to plug in their car or truck’s vehicle identification number to check recall statuses online.
According to CARFAX, different Florida communities and metro areas have different proportions of the state’s recalls. Here’s how some of Florida’s metros hit the road when it comes to recall notices.
| Area | # of Cars | % of Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 742,506 | 18.72% | |
| 769,536 | 22.32% | |
| 670,076 | 18.78% | |
| 320,541 | 19.34% | |
| 205,348 | 18.57% | |
| 300,773 | 22.47% | |
| 134,937 | 22.12% |
According to the NHTSA, the largest segment of recall notices, by producer, are for Ford Motor Company. Ford has eight active recalls, covering everything from service brakes and hydraulic systems, to fuel systems, power trains, air bags, and engine cooling concerns.
“Preparing your vehicle before you depart for your destination is a critical component to safety,” said Lonny Haschel, senior program manager of mobility safety at NSC. “Checking for open safety recalls is important and easy to do. NSC encourages every driver to check their vehicle for an open recall and get it repaired for free as soon as possible, so they can drive safely knowing their vehicle is in good-working condition for all involved.”
However, Ford’s recall with the biggest potential pool of vehicles affected is for back over prevention, with rearview cameras producing blank or distorted images for drivers. The recall was issued on Feb. 16 and could affect a reported 330,784 vehicles.
Ignoring brand, across all U.S. vehicles, more than 45.5 million could be recalled for equipment problems across 3,526 different recall notices. That’s 19% of all U.S. vehicles, according to USDOT.
NSC said recall repairs are free, and can be scheduled whenever necessary. The organization is encouraging all vehicle owners and drivers to check their recall statuses, and check for new notices every time they have their vehicle serviced.
