In a development the National Automobile Dealers Association said will help stores, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration unveiled a new, free, online search tool both dealers and consumers can use to find out if a vehicle is directly impacted by a recall.

Also becoming effective on Wednesday under new NHTSA mandate, all major light vehicle and motorcycle manufacturers are required to provide VIN search capability for uncompleted recalls on their own websites. Officials indicated this data must be updated at least weekly.

Current NADA chairman Forrest McConnell shared how these moves by federal regulators will assist used-car departments.

"The new online look-up tool will help new-car dealerships identify whether a used car or light truck has an unremedied safety recall prior to making a purchase or taking in a trade,” said McConnell, who is a Honda/Acura dealer in Montgomery, Ala. “It will also help dealerships to determine whether used vehicles in inventory are under recall and to provide used-car shoppers with useful safety recall information.

"To improve vehicle safety, NADA urges every car owner who receives a recall notice from a manufacturer to visit his or her local new-car dealership to have the vehicle inspected, and if necessary, fixed at no charge,” he continued. “Historically, less than 70 percent of all recalled vehicles get fixed. Our goal is to see 100 percent of those vehicles remedied.”

Perhaps, this new website will help get to that level.

NHTSA indicated site users can identify uncompleted recalls by entering the vehicle identification number (VIN). After entering the VIN number into the field, results will appear if the consumer has an open recall on their vehicle, and if there are none, owners will see “No Open Recalls."

In addition, NHTSA is working with NADA to help ensure that franchise dealerships across the United States become aware of and understand how to use the new VIN search tool.

“Just as every single automaker should never hesitate to recall a defective vehicle, consumers should never hesitate to get their recalled vehicle fixed,” NHTSA deputy administrator David Friedman said. “By making individual VIN searches readily available, we’re providing another service to consumers — the peace of mind knowing that the vehicle they own, or that they are thinking of buying or renting, is free of safety defects."

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx offered a similar stance about the new website, which can be found at www.safercar.gov/vinlookup.

“Safety is our highest priority, and an informed consumer is one of our strongest allies in ensuring recalled vehicles are repaired," Foxx said. “Starting today car owners, shoppers, and renters can find out if a specific vehicle has a safety defect that needs to be fixed — using our free online tool.”

The industry set a new record as more than 37 million vehicles have been recalled so far this year.

“AAA applauds the launch of the NHTSA vehicle identification database that enables consumers to identify the status of any vehicle recall by vehicle identification number (VIN). The huge volume of recalls from automobile makers just this year clearly points to the need for better consumer access to data related to the safety of their vehicle,” AAA officials said.

“If accurately maintained by OEMs, the database will provide a single-source tool to help millions of motorists more easily find recall information,” they continued. “The information will also inform prospective automobile purchasers of unresolved recalls. This will go a long way in helping consumers ensure their vehicle is safe to drive.”