(WTNH) — Car recalls are pretty common, but how do you know if your vehicle is being recalled?
The first step is to find your vehicle identification number, or VIN. You can find that inside of the door of your car, as well as on your registration and insurance card. Once you have your VIN, visit a franchised dealer and ask if your car is being recalled. If for example, you own a Kia, visit a franchised Kia dealership. Most dealers won’t charge you for this. If your car is being recalled, you can talk about how to address it while you’re at the dealership.
It is important to address the recall as soon as possible. Still, dealers say many people don’t take care of recalls. Recall notices are mailed to the address on the car’s registration, so if you’ve moved since you registered your car, you might not get it. Or, if someone has given you a vehicle, you may not get the notice.
“Sometimes if it’s a new owner…you have to get the VIN, the vehicle identification number, off the paperwork from purchasing the car or off the vehicle itself and that takes a little bit of work, so they kind of just don’t do it,” said Francis Drake, General manager of Old Saybrook Kia Mazda.
You can also look online to see if your car is being recalled. Visit http://www.nhtsa.gov – you can search by VIN or by the make and model of your vehicle. You can also see if your tires or your child’s car seat are being recalled.
