Check for open recalls on the Car-Pass website
For several years now, the Car-Pass document has listed whether any recalls need to be carried out on the vehicle. During the first 6 months of 2025, one Car-Pass document out of eight reported one or more open recalls. Car-Pass is now placing a VIN based module on its website that allows anyone to check whether a recall has yet to be carried out on their car of van.
It is true that today's vehicles are highly complex and contain many high-tech innovations. When vehicles are used in a wide variety of conditions, it is still possible for manufacturing faults to become apparent. This may pose a risk to safety or the environment. Think of the problems with Takata airbags that made the news recently
This is a reason for the manufacturer to organise a recall. Some updates of the software or the electronics can be executed over the air, but in most cases the manufacturer will write a letter to owners asking them to have their vehicle inspected by an authorised repairer. When the owner fails to respond to the manufacturer's request, the recall remains “open”. These open recalls appear on the Car-Pass, listing the specific manufacturer’s code and a brief description of the problem. That way, the new owner has been warned. During the first 6 months of 2025, 51,325 Car-Pass documents (12.5%) showed one or more open recalls. A non-negligible number, therefore.
Michel Peelman, managing director of Car-Pass explains: "It is not always easy for an individual to find the info about recalls on the manufacturer's website. In order to list open recalls on the Car-Pass document, Car-Pass is connected online with (almost) all brands. So it was only a small step to provide a module on our website, where one can check whether a recall is still pending. It only takes entering the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of one's car or van. "
