NEWS 8 EXCLUSIVE
GRAPEVINE — According to a study by Carfax to be released within days, Texas ranks third in the nation for the state having the most vehicles with unfixed recalls.
There are more than 100,000 such cars and trucks in Texas.
Carfax said tens of thousands of those vehicles with potential safety problems are likely in Dallas-Fort Worth since it's the state's largest metropolitan area.
The vehicles with unfixed recalls could pose a safety problem — not just for their occupants, but for anyone else on the road around them, experts said.
"If the other vehicle that's coming the opposite direction has a safety defect in the tires... and it should have been recalled... and that tire comes apart... and because it comes apart that vehicle crosses the center line... and hits me and kills me or my family... that's a major concern," said Leon Russell, plaintiffs attorney.
Not a single car comes in for service at Grapevine Ford that doesn't get checked for recalls.
"Even if you're coming in for an oil change, we're going to make you aware that a [safety recall] is on that vehicle and we're going to take care of it right then and there for you," said Brian Ron, Grapevine Ford manager.
But not everyone takes their vehicles to a dealer for service, and those are the ones identified in the Carfax study.
They belong to owners who discard postcards warning of recalls, or they're buyers of used cars who never get their automobiles checked for unfixed recalls.
"There are no laws that say that the seller has to reveal a recall to you," said Carfax spokesman Chris Basso. "You want to make sure you're doing your homework and making sure you're aware if an open recall exists for the car you want to buy."
Russell said Toyota's recent recalls highlight the importance of them.
The new Carfax study suggests potential problems can linger, and aren't limited to a single manufacturer.
Recalls are always fixed for free by dealerships.
E-mail jwhitely@wfaa.com
