Here’s how to check if your car has been recalled

SAN ANTONIO – Ever wondered what’s behind those rattles, shakes and check engine lights in your vehicle?

There could even be an issue with your vehicle that isn’t as obvious, but has the potential to be dangerous.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a tool that allows drivers to check on recalls associated with their vehicles.

Drivers can search by their vehicle’s Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, or by make, model and year.

Results will include complaints made by drivers, recalls, investigations and manufacturer comments. If searching by VIN, the results will not include recalls more than 15 years old.

The search tool can also be used for car seats and tires.

Recalls are issued after the NHTSA investigates numerous complaints about the same issue.

The NHTSA says complaints are added to a public database, and if there are “similar reports from a number of people about the same product,” then it could warrant an investigation.

Following the investigation, a recall may be issued “when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle, equipment, car seat, or tire creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards."

To report a vehicle complaint, click here.

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