CENTREVILLE, Va. -

CARFAX announced that its Vehcle Recall Search Service research tool has been used for more than 1 billion vehicles checks. 

The VRSS is a joint effort between CARFAX and the Alliance for Automoitve Innovation, and was designed in an effort to help state governments improve vehicle road satefy. CARFAX said in a news release that this marks a "major milestone" in the ongoing effort to keep car owners and shoppers safe.

"This great milestone underscores our growing partnership with the Alliance for Automotive Innovation toward our shared goal of increasing public safety," CARFAX chief executive officer Dick Raines said in a news release. "For more than two decades, CARFAX has never wavered in our commitment to alerting people about open recalls. Combined with the additional recall resources we provide to consumers and CARFAX Advantage dealers, our data indicates more recalled cars are getting fixed."

And now more than 1 billion vehicle checks for unfixed safety recalls have been processed through the VRSS. An increasing number of state governents and businesses have been using VRSS since its March 2018 launch to identify open recalls on thousands of vehicles at one time, CARFAX reported. .

The tool is designed to allow users to inform consumers when their vehicle has an open recall that needs to be addressed, and they can then get the covered repair fixed free of charge. Approved users of VRSS include commercial and government entities such as state departments of motor vehicles, auto insurers, ride sharing firms, rental car companies, automotive dealers, vehicle fleets and finance companies. 

"The industry strongly supports efforts to increase recall completion rates. That's why we were pleased to join CARFAX in working together to advance recall awareness," said John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation. "As automakers, we understand the importance of recall notification. And we encourage all eligible entities to use our free batch VIN database. The VRSS is a key component in the extensive efforts individual automakers already make to help inform the public of open recalls."

"Repairing a recalled vehicle could save someone's life," said Steven Cliff, acting administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "But you have to know about a recall before you can fix it. This tool allows fleet vehicle owners and other entities to make safety a priority."

Five states have registered to use VRSS for directly notifying consumers of open recalls. California, New York and Texas utilize VRSS duirng routine vehicle inspections, while Ohio and Maryland use it during vehicle registration.  

Combined, there have been 11.1 million open recalls identified by the latter two. 

"As we strive for zero fatalities on our roadways in Maryland, resolving vehicle safety recalls remains a priority," said Chrissy Nizer, administrator of the Maryland Department of Transportation's Motor Vehicle Administration. "Here in Maryland, we are proud to be doing our part to notify drivers of open recalls on their vehicles as part of the vehicle registration process."  

Charlie Norman, registrar for the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), said: "The safety of Ohioans is our top priority. The BMV's public-private partnership with the Alliance for Automotive Innovation and Carfax is an innovative way to proactively alert motorists to potential vehicle safety issues, which will ultimately keep Ohio's roadways safer."