This week is National Vehicle Safety Recalls Week, and two companies are intent on delivering its message to check your vehicle for open recalls.

BizzyCar, a recall management platform for dealerships, is encouraging drivers and dealerships to take action on the millions of recalls that remain unrepaired nationwide.

According to BizzyCar’s 2025 recall analysis, 28.4 million vehicles were affected by recalls last year and completion rates continue to lag behind recall totals despite manufacturers’ notifications. The company said industry data shows roughly 20%-30% of recalled vehicles remain unrepaired months after a recall is announced.

During National Vehicle Safety Recalls Week, BizzyCar recommends drivers check for open recalls by visiting NHTSA.gov/recalls and entering their VIN or license plate number, and promptly schedule any necessary recall repairs, which are performed at no cost.

In addition, consumers should confirm their vehicle’s recall status during routine service visits, and verify the recall history before purchasing a used vehicle.

“Many drivers assume a recall notice isn’t urgent, but those repairs are often tied to safety systems that are designed to protect them every day,” BizzyCar CEO Ryan Maher said. “When recall repairs are delayed, those safety systems might not perform as intended. The priority should be removing friction — making it simple for owners to schedule and seamless for dealerships to execute.”

Carfax, meanwhile, said its free Vehicle Recall Search Service, a search tool built in partnership with Alliance for Automotive Innovation, has now made more than 10 billion checks for unfixed safety recalls in the U.S., and more than 30 million of the open recalls found in those checks were repaired.

The vehicle history report provider said its tool allows participating entities, states and eligible businesses and organizations to identify vehicles with open recalls at no cost, helping reduce the number of unfixed safety issues and boosting road safety.

The company encouraged users to check recall status during registration and titling transactions, or as part of safety and emissions inspections, in order to notify owners about open recalls.

“CARFAX data shows some critical recalls have declined in recent years and that progress is encouraging,” Carfax vice president of data acquisition Faisal Hasan said. “This Vehicle Recall Search Service has now checked more than half of all vehicles on U.S. roads. Still, one in five vehicles still has an unfixed recall, an ongoing risk for drivers. We encourage more states to participate. There is more work to be done.”

Since launching in 2018, the Vehicle Recall Search Service has supported state motor vehicle agencies, public safety departments and inspection programs in identifying millions of vehicles with unresolved recalls. Currently, eight state DMVs participate: California, New York, Ohio, Arizona, Texas, Connecticut, Maryland and Washington, with U.S. territory Puerto Rico joining most recently.

The Bureau of Motors Vehicles in Ohio, which began using the service in 2021 and has since checked more than 13 million unique VINs and identifying over nine million open recalls, said in a statement “making information easily accessible is essential. Since the inception of the Ohio Recall Program, the number of recalls remedied has steadily increased.”

The statement said that rise is in part the result of including recall information on vehicle registration renewal reminders and as adding a “Check for Recalls” link to the BMV website.

Carfax said consumers and vehicle owners can check for open recalls at no cost by visiting carfax.com/recall or by downloading the free CARFAX Car Care app, which also provides maintenance reminders.

“Almost a decade ago, we set out with CARFAX to build a tool that helps identify and close open vehicle recalls — and 10 billion checks later, it’s clear the partnership is working,” Alliance for Automotive Innovation president and CEO John Bozzella said. “When drivers know about recalls and get their vehicles fixed, road safety increases. Who isn’t for that?

“We can get even more vehicles checked if additional organizations, including state DMVs, sign up to use this no-cost, easy-to-use vehicle recall service.”

BizzyCar said recalls represent not only a safety responsibility for dealerships, but also a chance to bring customers back into their stores, noting dealerships that consistently flag affected vehicles and schedule repairs efficiently often see stronger completion rates.

And once vehicles return, recall visits can also uncover additional maintenance needs that can be addressed within the same appointment.

As recall activity continues at elevated levels, BizzyCar encourages dealerships to evaluate whether they are regularly identifying vehicles with open recalls, both within their customer base and across their broader market area; proactively contacting affected owners to schedule repairs; and integrating recall appointments into service workflows to reduce friction for staff and customers.

BizzyCar said its artificial intelligence-driven recall management platform is designed to continuously identify vehicles with open recalls, contact owners via two-way SMS and write confirmed appointments directly into the dealership’s scheduling system.

BizzyCar’s 2025 Recall Report is available here.