CENTREVILLE, Va. -

Carfax named seven states where the company said the number of vehicles for sale online with unfixed recalls has increased an average of more than 25 percent.

That group includes Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan.

“Buyers in these neighboring Midwest states need to be concerned about this disturbing trend,” Carfax said Monday.

Officials indicated nearly 2.1 million units with open recalls were for sale online in 2012, an improvement from 2.7 million in 2011. Carfax noted Florida, California and Texas lead the nation with the highest number of units in both years.

To help, Carfax offers a free public service for consumers to check for open recalls at recall.carfax.com. VIN-specific open recall information reported to Carfax by auto manufacturers also is included on Carfax Vehicle History Reports.

“Addressing open recalls is vital to a car’s safety, performance and resale value,” Carfax said.

Just last week, Toyota Motor Sales USA said that it will conduct two separate safety recalls involving approximately 752,000 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles and approximately 270,000 Lexus IS vehicles.

Larry Gamache, communications director at Carfax, emphasized the importance of knowing if a vehicle might be under recall and whether the repair has been made.

“Consumers seem to be more aware of this threat, but there's still a long way to go,” Gamache said. “Before a car changes hands, there are lots of opportunities for everyone involved to check for open recalls. Yet this data is proof that it’s not happening enough. A simple online check and visit with your local dealer is all it takes to help improve public safety.”

More detailed information about specific recall campaigns is available at www.safercar.gov.

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