In a new article, Consumer Reports extols the virtues of a new rule from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that seeks to streamline the recall identification process for the owners of vehicles. The people behind Consumer Reports see the rule as an important step toward protecting citizens from potential defects.
In essence, the rule stipulates that any manufacturer of a motorcycle or an automobile has to create an online tool that a consumer can use to identify if their vehicle is under an open recall. Rather than just typing in make and model, the tool has to allow the user to type in their specific Vehicle Identification Number to deduce whether the exact vehicle in their possession is affected by a recall announcement.
The tool should set at ease the minds of those who are in the market for a used car. Not only will a listing be pulled up if an issue hasn’t been fixed, but a listing will also be pulled up if there was a recall that has since had the necessary repairs made.
Those manufacturers that don’t currently have this search function must do so within a year. Once up, the data for the search function will have to receive weekly updates. The NHTSA is also getting in on the act, offering a similar search on their website.