Around 1.1million vehicles on the road are being driven with potential known dangerous faults.
A recent report in the Auto Express reports that according to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in the last five years 2.2million vehicles have been recalled to a variety of safety reasons.
With reported faults including faulty airbags, fire risks and steering failures the alarming stat is that only 47% of car owners issued with a recall notice have actually taken their cars in to be checked!
A recall notice is issued when faults are uncovered after production and although the majority of recalls are done purely as a security measure but it’s important you get your car checked if an issue has been identified.
Of the top 10 biggest issues that has affected vehicles since 2012, Swindon based Honda have three. (BMW also have three but none that affect the MINI model part produced in Swindon)
Manufacturers send recall letters to owners using data held by the DVLA but it’s not always easy to track down the current owner of an older vehicle.
It means that some slip through the net, leaving millions of potentially unsafe cars on the road.
| YEAR | MAKE | MODEL | NUMBERS | ISSUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Toyota | Yaris, Corolla, Avensis Verso, Picnic
Lexus IS220, Lexus IS250 & Lexus ISF |
388,439 | Passenger side airbag failure |
| 2013 | BMW | 3 Series | 291,170 | Passenger side airbag failure |
| 2016 | Honda | FR-V, Civic Hybrid, Jazz, Jazz Hybrid
Legend & CR-V |
252,174 | Drivers’ airbag inflator may rupture |
| 2015 | Honda | Accord, Accord Tourer, Civic, CR-V,
Insight, Jazz & Stream |
242,653 | Passenger side airbag failure |
| 2016 | Vauxhall | Zafira B ( 2005 – 2014 only) | 234,921 | Risk of fire |
| 2016 | BMW | 3 Series, 5 Series & X5 | 227,849 | Drivers’ side airbag failure |
| 2015 | Toyota | Yaris, RAV4 & Hilux | 203,260 | Drivers’ side airbag may rupture |
| 2013 | Honda | Jazz | 171,385 | Risk of fire |
| 2013 | Nissan | Micra | 13,869 | Steering wheel fixing bolt not tightened correctly |
| 2012 | BMW | 5 Series, M5, 6 Series, M6 & Alpina | 128,701 | Risk of fire |
How to check if your car has been recalled
You can use the DVLA’s Vehicle Recalls website to search your make and model of your car. Make sure you have your log book to hand as it will have all the information you need.
Failing that you will find some recall checkers on Google that will make a small charge to check if your vehicle has an outstanding recall.
If you do have a recall outstanding you will need to arrange to take your car to the local car dealership to have it checked.
