The agency already offered a lookup system organized by model and year, however it lacked repair status information for individual vehicles.
The move follows reports that General Motors had bungled its own VIN lookup system, which only identified a vehicle as recalled if the repair process had begun. Most repair programs do not begin until months after the initial recall announcement, leading the NHTSA to accuse the company of providing ‘misleading’ results.
“Safety is our highest priority, and an informed consumer is one of our strongest allies in ensuring recalled vehicles are repaired,” said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
The agency has also issued a mandate that requires manufacturers to provide VIN search capability for uncompleted recalls on their own websites. The data is required to be updated at least weekly.
Some legislators are separately pushing for tighter regulations regarding used-vehicle sales, highlighting a loophole that allows used dealers to sell unrepaired vehicles. In the meantime, the NHTSA tool can be utilized by buyers who want to know if a potential purchase has been properly repaired by the dealer or previous owners.
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