Motorists have been urged to make a crucial check to see if their vehicle has an outstanding recall against it. The Driver & Vehicles Standards Agency (DVSA) made the plea to car owners to find out if their vehicle is potentially unsafe.
Manufacturers have to fix or replace your vehicle, vehicle parts and accessories if they find a serious problem with them. If your vehicle is recalled for a safety reason, you’ll usually be sent a letter by the manufacturer telling you why, what to do next and who to contact.
But posting on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday, January 27, the government agency that sets and enforces standards for drivers and vehicles, said the information can be easily found on your current MOT certificate.
They said: “Why stall? Check for recalls. If your vehicle has an outstanding recall, it will appear on your MOT certificate.”
They added: “We’ve updated the MOT certificate to show if your vehicle has an outstanding safety recall. You’ll need to contact the vehicle manufacturer to find out what the fault is and what you need to do next.”
The DVSA went on to say that all recall faults should be fixed free of charge. They added: “You usually won’t have to pay to get the faults fixed.”
It also advised that your MOT tester can inform you of any recall on your motor and can tell you what the fault is and who to contact.
It’s important that you act on any recalls as you can incur a fine of up to £2,500 if you don’t. You’re legally responsible for making sure that your vehicle is kept in a safe condition and safe to drive whenever you drive it. If you fail to have your car inspected and fixed, it can affect any insurance claim you make and it puts you and other road users at serious risk.
The DVSA said that recalls must be carried out for faults relating to:
- cars
- motorcycles, quadricycles and tricycles
- caravans and horseboxes
- child car seats
- seat belts and harnesses
- tyres
- components and parts
- agricultural equipment
- lorries, buses, coaches and minibuses
You will not get a letter if the manufacturer does not have your contact details, for example for car child seats. To check if your car has any recalls against it click HERE.
You can also check your MOT certificate is up to date on the gov.uk website by entering your car registration number.
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