Up to 50K vehicles in Mass. tagged ‘do not drive,’ ‘park outside,’ remain unrepaired, CARFAX says

BOSTON — More than 2.5 million vehicles that have been tagged as “do not drive” or “park outside” remain unrepaired and are still driving on roads across the United States, CARFAX said Wednesday.

Ten states have more than 70,000 of these vehicles driving on their roads, with California leading the way, according to CARFAX.

In Massachusetts, there are currently 25,000-50,000 “do not drive” or “park outside” recall orders, data showed. In all of the other New England states, up to 25,000 recall orders exist.

“Do Not Drive” and “Park Outside” notifications are recalls issued by automakers and federal safety officials.

A “Do Not Drive” recall advises drivers not to operate their vehicles because a serious safety issue could lead to an accident or physical harm. A “Park Outside” recall is issued for vehicles with a high risk of causing a fire, and owners are advised to park these vehicles outside of garages and parking structures, and away from buildings.

These recalls are rarely issued, CARFAX noted.

“Despite efforts by state and federal governments – and the auto industry itself – too many consumers are driving in vehicles that have been deemed too dangerous to drive, or that shouldn’t be parked in or near a home for fear of a fire,” said Faisal Hasan, General Manager for Data at CARFAX. “Officials and communities need to break through consumer recall notice fatigue and drive home the message: We can save lives today by getting these recalls fixed.”

There are about 200 separate models from various automakers, over multiple model years, for which “Do Not Drive” or “Park Outside” safety recalls have been issued. See that list here.

Consumers can check for free here to see if their car has any open recall.

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