Record number of vehicles with unfixed safety recalls on the roads

TAMPA (FOX 13) - An alarming new statistic says millions of people are driving around with recalled vehicles – and some may not even know it.

According to a new report from Carfax, more than 63 million recalled vehicles are still on the road across the country, a 34% increase from last year.

The annual research suggests this issue impacts nearly one in three vehicles in Texas, the highest rate in the nation. Behind Hawaii, the other Gulf Coast states of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama round out the top five.

In addition, people in California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and New York have the most vehicles with open recalls.

Changes are on the way. The Carfax Communications Director Larry Gamache said, “Safety is our number one concern. Carfax, manufacturers and government are working together to make it easier for drivers to get accurate information and timely alerts about open recalls. It may be inconvenient, but people driving recalled cars should make getting them fixed a high priority.”

Logging onto myCarfax.com will allow you to enter your license plate or VIN. The service sends you recall alerts to your cell phone or email. You can register up to five vehicles.