How car shoppers with credit issues can avoid purchasing a recalled used car that has not been fixed.

What Car Recalls Mean to Bad Credit Buyers

Car Recalls and Problem Credit

With twenty years of experience, at Auto Credit Express we realize that the majority of consumers with problem credit, once they receive a car loan approval, will choose to finance a used car.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, since pre-owned cars are more affordable especially in regards to bad credit auto loans and, as a group, are of higher quality and more reliable than they've ever been. Even so, we always recommend that buyers pay to have an actual physical inspection performed on the vehicle. Both individual mechanics as well as companies offer this service and it should be performed by an ASE Master Technician as well as a Collision Repair Specialist who can perform structural and non-structural analysis and damage repair to determine the extent of any existing or previous accident damage.

But in addition to all this, buyers should also check if there are any open recalls on the vehicle.

Recalled Cars

According to a recent article by Melissa Burden that appeared in The Detroit News, "One of every four cars recalled in the U.S. isn't fixed, leaving millions of potentially dangerous vehicles on the road."

In fact, in a recent press release Carfax pointed out that "last year, 3.5 million used cars were for sale online with an open (unfixed) recall. Thousands of them are likely being sold in your area right now, without anyone knowing a recall exists. Recalls can affect the safety, performance and resale value of used cars if they're left unfixed."

So what can car buyers do about this?

Fortunately, there are a number of resources consumers can tap into to determine if a specific car they're considering for purchase has any open recalls.

Car Recall Resources

Not coincidentally, Carfax has two resources – both free – to help used car shoppers. The first can be found on Carfax.com. Secondly, those vehicles dealers list for sale at the carfax.com website come with a free Carfax report that will show if they have any open recalls.

In addition, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has a number of resources for car buyers including:

  • A free SaferCar mobile app for Android and Apple devices where owners can register their vehicles to be notified by the NHTSA if a safety issue is discovered. The app also makes it simple to submit complaints to NHTSA regarding possible vehicle safety issues
  • Recalls info on Facebook and Twitter for information on the latest recalls announced by vehicle manufacturers
  • The ability to sign up to receive e-mail alerts on recalls to receive notifications for up to 5 vehicles

The NHTSA website also lists the latest recall information and allows consumers to search for recalls by model year, make and model.

The Bottom Line

If you're purchasing a used car, especially if it's part of your efforts at credit repair, you owe it to yourself to check for any open recalls as well as have it thoroughly inspected before taking delivery.

Another tip: Auto Credit Express specializes in helping people with credit issues hoping to finance a car find dealers who work with bad credit that can offer them their best chances for auto loan approvals.

So if you're serious about getting on the road to better credit, you can begin the process now now by filling out our online car loan application.