Thousands of cars on La. roads have unfixed recalls

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - 38,000 cars are on Louisiana roads with open recalls that need to be fixed. These aren’t just minor recalls. They are for cars the government labels “do not drive” until it’s fixed or those you have to park outside, away from buildings because of the high risk of fire.

“We have to do something to alert consumers and get them to go get them fixed,” said Patrick Olen, Editor and Chief of Carfax.

The company just released a state-by-state breakdown of unfixed vehicle recalls. Olsen believes recall fatigue may be the reason so many aren’t repaired.

Olsen said, “I think some consumers get the notice and they think it’s a marketing scam or they think it’s some kind of extended warranty pitch and they ignore it.”

The numbers from Carfax show that one out of every five cars on U.S. roads had open safety recalls in 2022. The recalls hit some of the most popular models including Honda, Toyota, BMW, Chevrolet, and Ford.

Olsen added cars are getting more complex each year as more safety features are added and they are lasting longer with the average now up to 12 and a half years, but getting a recalled car fixed could be the difference between life and death.

“If people got that work done, then they would protect their family. They would protect their community and they would protect themselves. They can honestly save lives today,” said Olsen.

You can check to see if your car has an open recall here.

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