Carfax: 46 Million Used Cars On Road With Un-repaired Recall Issues

(RTTNews) - A report from Carfax Inc., a unit of IHS Inc. (IHS), said more than 46 million cars on road in the U.S. have at least one safety recall that has never been fixed.

The study warns buyers of used cars to make sure that the vehicle they intend to buy does not have any unfixed recall problems. Carfax is involved in compiling and selling history reports of used cars.

More alarming is the fact that people driving or buying family-oriented vehicles are most at risk, as one in three minivans and one in five SUVs has an unfixed recall, according to Carfax.

Meanwhile, five million used cars bought and sold in 2014 had unfixed recall issues.

According to reports, some of the recalls were for serious safety issues related to brakes and airbags, while some were for smaller problems. However, currently there are no laws that require dealers or individual sellers to repair any recalled cars before selling them.

"America's cavalier response to manufacturer safety recalls is putting lives at risk," said Larry Gamache, communications director at Carfax. "Every morning millions of people drive to work, school and other places in a potential ticking time bomb. Fires, crashes and serious injury are just a few consequences of letting recalls go unfixed. The minor inconvenience that comes from having a recall fixed pales in comparison to what can happen if you don't."