CARFAX Says: Alarmingly High Number of Cars With Urgent Recalls Remain Unrepaired in U.S.

More Than 2.5 Million Vehicles with “Do Not Drive” or “Park Outside” Orders Need Fixing

by Patrick Olsen
CARFAX

CENTREVILLE, Va., May 17, 2023 – More than 2.5 million vehicles that have been tagged with “Do Not Drive” or “Park Outside” safety recalls remain unrepaired as of May 1, CARFAX data shows. Ten states have more than 70,000 of these vehicles driving on their roads, with California leading the way.

1. California: 245,000
2. Texas: 242,000
3. Florida: 237,000
4. New York: 118,000
5. Pennsylvania: 106,000
6. Ohio: 101,000
7. Georgia: 96,000
8. Illinois: 92,000
9. North Carolina: 85,000
10. Arizona: 71,000

“Despite efforts by state and federal governments – and the auto industry itself – too many consumers are driving in vehicles that have been deemed too dangerous to drive, or that shouldn’t be parked in or near a home for fear of a fire,” said Faisal Hasan, General Manager for Data at CARFAX. “Officials and communities need to break through consumer recall notice fatigue and drive home the message: We can save lives today by getting these recalls fixed.”

“Do Not Drive” and “Park Outside” notifications are recalls issued by automakers and federal safety officials.  A “Do Not Drive” recall advises drivers not to operate their vehicles because a serious safety issue could lead to an accident or physical harm.  A “Park Outside” recall is issued for vehicles with a high risk of causing a fire, and owners are advised to park these vehicles outside of garages and parking structures, and away from buildings. These recalls are rarely issued.

CARFAX already warns its 30 million Car Care members when there’s an unfixed recall for their car. Soon, CARFAX will highlight these urgent recalls in Car Care and through email campaigns.

In addition, CARFAX is working with the Alliance for Automotive Innovation to involve more states with the Vehicle Recall Search Service (VRSS). The VRSS is used by Arizona, California, Connecticut, Maryland, New York State, Ohio, and Texas to alert residents to open safety recalls and get them fixed. Texas, for example, provides a free recall check using VRSS for every vehicle that undergoes a state safety inspection and those results are provided to the vehicle’s owner. Launched in 2018 as a completely free system, the VRSS has checked more than 3 billion vehicles since its launch 5 years ago. CARFAX data shows that, since 2018, 212 million recalls identified by the VRSS have been closed.

Vehicles Under Recall

There are about 200 separate models from various automakers, over multiple model years, for which “Do Not Drive” or “Park Outside” safety recalls have been issued.

Consumers can check – for free – to see if their car has any open recall at Carfax.com/recall.

More than 2.5 million vehicles that have been issued a “Do Not Drive” or “Park Outside” safety recall remain unrepaired, Carfax data shows. Ten states have more than 70,000 of these vehicles driving on their roads, with California leading the way.

Do Not Drive and Park Outside Recall Orders

"Do Not Drive" and "Park Outside" notifications are recalls issued jointly by automakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

• A Do Not Drive recall advises drivers not to operate the vehicles because a serious safety issue could lead to an accident or physical harm.
• A Park Outside recall is issued for vehicles with a high risk of causing a fire. Drivers are advised to park the vehicles outside of garages and parking structures and away from buildings. Both of these recalls are rarely issued. 

If you’re not sure whether a vehicle you own has one of these recalls, you can check for any unfixed recalls for free on Carfax. The good news for consumers whose cars have any recall is that they can get the specified repair work done for free at a dealership affiliated with the brand of their vehicle. If you need help finding a nearby dealership, check the Carfax Directory.

All recalls need to be taken seriously, but these two types are more time-sensitive than most because they urge owners to either not operate their vehicle, or to park away from any structure to avoid a fire. There have been serious consequences from some of the problems that these vehicles are being recalled for. Among them:

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says 23 people have been killed in the U.S. because of exploding Takata airbags; more than 400 people have been injured. These airbags have had an issue with their chemical composition and have, at times, had the metal that encases the airbag turn into shrapnel inside the car’s cabin.
• NHTSA says more than 3,100 Hyundai and Kia models under recall have caught fire nationwide. The agency says one person has been killed and more than 100 have been injured.
• General Motors says 19 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars have caught fire, but the automaker says there have been no reports of injuries or deaths as a result.

These are not the only issues that these urgent recalls have been issued for, but they are the most well-known.

“Despite efforts by state and federal governments – and the auto industry itself – too many consumers are driving in vehicles that have been deemed too dangerous to drive, or that shouldn’t be parked in or near a home for fear of a fire,” said Faisal Hasan, General Manager for Data at Carfax. “Officials and communities need to break through consumer recall notice fatigue and drive home the message: We can save lives today by getting these recalls fixed.”

Which Vehicles Are Affected?

There are about 200 vehicles from many automakers over many model years that have been affected. Below are the vehicles facing either a Do Not Drive recall or a Park Outside recall:

‘Do Not Drive’ Vehicles

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‘Park Outside’ Vehicles

Efforts to Get Recalls Repaired Nationwide

Carfax has been working with the Alliance for Automotive Innovation to involve more states with the Vehicle Recall Search Service (VRSS). The VRSS is used by Arizona, California, Connecticut, Maryland, New York State, Ohio, and Texas to alert residents to open safety recalls and get them fixed. Texas, for example, provides a free recall check using VRSS for every vehicle that undergoes a state safety inspection and those results are provided to the vehicle’s owner. Launched in 2018 as a completely free system, the VRSS has checked more than 3 billion vehicles since its launch five years ago.

If you have questions about this story, please contact us at Editors@carfax.com

About CARFAX

CARFAX, part of S&P Global Mobility, helps millions of people every day confidently shop, buy, service and sell used cars with innovative solutions powered by CARFAX® vehicle history information. The expert in vehicle history since 1984, CARFAX provides CARFAX Used Car Listings, CARFAX Car Care, CARFAX History-Based Value and the flagship CARFAX Vehicle History Report to consumers and the automotive industry. CARFAX owns the world’s largest vehicle history database and is nationally recognized as a top workplace by The Washington Post. Shop, Buy, Service, Sell – Show me the CARFAX®.

S&P Global Mobility is a division of S&P Global . S&P Global is the world’s foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets.