NHTSA Offers States $1.5 Million to Get More Recalled Cars Fixed
NHTSA is offering states $1.5 million in grants to raise recall repair rates, which fall to 18% for 15-year-old cars. Who can apply and what changes for owners.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is putting $1.5 million from the Transportation Department toward grants that help states get more recalled vehicles repaired. Owners of older cars are the main target: when a new recall hits a 15-year-old vehicle, only 18% of those cars get fixed on average, compared with 68% for vehicles that are three years old, NHTSA said.
The agency announced the money at its Recalls Next: Technological Innovations and Safety Recalls event, Autoblog reported. States and eligible agencies have until Feb. 4, 2027, to apply for a share.
What it means for owners of older cars
The biggest change owners could see is where they hear about an open recall. NHTSA wants states to test new ways of telling drivers about unrepaired defects, including at the moment they register a vehicle or renew that registration. Today most owners learn about a recall from a mailed notice, and many ignore it.
Autoblog pointed to expired warranties as part of the reason older cars go unrepaired. Once the warranty runs out, many owners stop visiting the dealership and take their car to cheaper independent shops, so the recall work never gets done. Recall repairs cost nothing, but the owner still has to bring the car to a dealer.
Any owner can check a vehicle for open recalls by entering its VIN (vehicle identification number) at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for the brand.
What the grant money pays for
The funding has two goals, according to the report:
- New ways to notify owners about open recalls, such as during registration or renewal.
- Data-driven methods to measure how many recalled vehicles actually get fixed, with detailed reports on the methods so other states can copy what works.
Why it matters on the road
More than 29 million vehicles were recalled in 2025. A car with an open safety defect can endanger the people inside it and other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians around it, especially with failures such as exploding airbags or brakes that stop working.
Recent cases show the scale. General Motors recently recalled over 67,000 electric vehicles because a software defect can cause a temporary loss of braking power under certain conditions. Ford issued 153 recalls last year.
Which automakers lead in recalls this year
Among major automakers, Ford has the most recalls so far this year with 84. Stellantis follows with 41, GM and Toyota have 28 each, and Hyundai has 23.
What happens next
Applications from states and eligible agencies are due by Feb. 4, 2027. NHTSA has not said how many grants it will award or how large each one will be.
Source: YAHOO!
