BUYERS URGED TO CHECK SAFETY RECALL STATUS

Cars buyers are being urged to make sure their next purchase isn’t a potential deathtrap after figures revealed that almost ten per cent of all cars have safety issues that haven’t been fixed.

Every year manufacturers issue hundreds of safety recall notices but not all owners have the work done. Official figures suggest that as many as one in 13 cars has an outstanding safety recall, leaving the drivers at risk of prosecution for driving an unsafe vehicle and occupants at risk of serious injury.

Recalls cover a wide range of issues, including faulty airbags, fuel leaks, faulty brakes and wrongly fitted steering components. If unaddressed they can lead to dangerous and potentially fatal failures in vehicles.

By law motor dealers must address safety recalls free of charge before selling a car or face prosecution but there are no such rules for private sellers.

To help buyers, or current owners, check the recall status of a specific car, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has now launched an online tool that can give them an answer in seconds.

Using just the car’s registration number owners and potential buyers can find out if any safety recalls haven’t been performed as well as checking the MOT status of the car.

Gareth Llewellyn, DVSA chief executive, said: “Whether you’re buying a car from a dealership, through an auction or from a private seller you want to be confident that the vehicle you’re buying is safe to drive.

“This new service allows you to check if a specific car has any outstanding vehicle safety recalls, making it potentially dangerous, simply by entering its registration number.”

More than eight million used cars were sold in the UK in 2016 according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), meaning a potential 615,000 changed hands despite having outstanding safety recall notices.

The new services uses realtime data from the SMMT. Its chief executive, Mike Hawes, commented: “Car makers in the UK have a world-leading record for successful safety recalls and are constantly striving to make it even better.

“This new service makes it easy for drivers and potential buyers to check for outstanding recall alerts they or previous owners may have missed, giving them peace of mind their car is safe and reliable.”