ALMOST three million dangerous cars which have been recalled by their manufacturer are still on the road.
And MPs are now pushing for motorists to fail their MOT if they ignore their recall notice.
Figures from the DVSA reveal 2,988,543 vehicles which had been previously recalled over potentially dangerous faults are yet to be fixed.
That means one in 13 registered cars on UK roads has at least one significant fault which hasn’t been repaired.
But ministers are calling for reforms to the MOT in order to encourage drivers to get their car checked.
Under the proposed changes, owners with faulty vehicles would be given a warning when they take their car in for a MOT test.
The manufacturer will notify the DVSA and then write to every registered keeper of affected models.
The letter will contain details of the defect, what the fix is and the problems that may arise if you don’t have the work done.
The owner will also be advised how to proceed to get the recall carried out – it’s often as easy as calling your local dealer to arrange the free repair.
If you’re in the market for a new car then you can check for any recalls through the DVSA’s tool or via The Motor Ombudsman.
And if they’ve still not got the problem fixed within a year, they will automatically fail.
Drivers could even inherit a faulty motor when going through a second-hand dealership.
According to a study by AutoVHC, UK dealers only addressed 53 per cent of serious faults in vehicles last year before re-selling them to customers.
The warning comes as 158 automotive recalls were made in the first three months of this year – a record number in the history of the EU’s consumer watchdog.
Mark Buckingham, recall consultant at Stericycle Expert Solutions, said: “Consumers will be alarmed to see recalls on the rise across all sectors featured in our quarterly Recall Index.
“The automotive sector will pose a particular worry, with recalls in the first three months of 2019 setting an all-time record.
“However, a high number of recalls does not necessarily mean an increase in unsafe products. What we may be seeing is manufacturers showing increasing willingness to remove unsafe products.”
