KYTC urges holiday travelers to check vehicles for open recalls

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is urging travelers hitting the roads for the holiday to add an important task to their to-do lists: check for unrepaired vehicle recalls.

“Of the 4 million registered vehicles on Kentucky roadways, one in four has recall repairs that need to be addressed,” said John-Mark Hack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Vehicle Regulation. “As the pilot state partnering with the National Safety Council, Kentucky is spreading awareness of the online resource to ensure drivers stay informed. Unfortunately, there’s no warning light on a dashboard alerting drivers of recalls. Our efforts are important in encouraging drivers to take the initiative to check if the vehicle they use daily requires a free repair.”

Kentucky is the first state to partner with the National Safety Council to bring awareness to motorists about Check To Protect, a national campaign to encourage drivers to search the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) open recall database.

By clicking here, drivers can conduct a free search for open recalls on their specific car using their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). A search using the vehicle’s year, make and model yields a list of potential open recalls. Authorized dealers will repair recalls for free.

More than 105,000 clicks have been made to the website since the June campaign launch. KYTC wants to see those numbers increase in Kentucky, the state with the eighth-highest open recall rate in the nation.