All automakers must provide a “VIN Lookup,” along with tire companies and child car seat manufacturers
- Transport Canada has amended its regulations on vehicle recalls
- Automakers will now have to provide a “VIN lookup” on their sites for owners to check for recalls
- The amendment is in place, but automakers have until mid-2026 to comply
No one wants a vehicle recall, but if one is issued, owners need to know. The Canadian government has amended the regulations around recalls, requiring automakers to make their recall information available online. Auto manufacturers have always been required to mail recall notices to owners of affected vehicles, which doesn’t change. Some already put recall information on their websites; but the new amendment makes it mandatory for all of them to do so.
Designated vehicle manufacturers will be required to have a new “lookup tool” on their websites, where owners can enter a Vehicle Information Number (VIN) and check if any recalls apply to their vehicle. The regulation came into force on January 1, 2025, and manufacturers must be in compliance with them by mid-2026.
In 2024, there were 785 safety recalls issued by 116 companies, which affected more than eight million vehicles in Canada. Transport Canada estimates that more than one in five vehicles on Canadian roads have an unresolved safety recall.
And even if your neighbour has the same make and model as yours, both might not be affected by the recall. In some cases, the problem might have been with a component or manufacturing process that was changed between the time the two vehicles were built. That’s why it’s important to look up the VIN to ensure that the recall applies.
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