Nearly half of Hispanic drivers in the United States believe that a vehicle safety recall isn’t urgent if their car still seems to be working fine. That’s one of the striking findings from a new national survey shared by the Check To Protect campaign, which focuses on raising awareness about vehicle recalls and safety in vulnerable communities.

According to the research, 47% of Hispanic drivers hold this belief—compared to 40% of all U.S. adults. The survey also found that many fear they will be charged for recall repairs, pushed into buying other services, or asked for personal information they aren’t comfortable sharing.

In response, Check To Protect has launched an outreach campaign to educate Latino drivers about the importance of recalls and to clear up the misconceptions that keep many families from addressing urgent safety issues.

Six Common Misconceptions That Put Families at Risk

1. "Dealerships will charge me for the repair or pressure me into buying something else."
Many Hispanic drivers (56%) worry that taking their vehicle to a dealership for a recall will result in unexpected charges or sales tactics.

Reality: By federal law, all recall-related repairs are completely free, even if your car is out of warranty. The dealership gets reimbursed by the manufacturer. You are not obligated to accept any additional services—they may suggest them, but you can simply decline.

2. "If my car runs fine, the recall must not be serious."
This belief is one of the most dangerous. 47% of Hispanic drivers say they don’t worry about recalls unless they notice a problem with their car.

Reality: Many safety defects are invisible until a crisis happens. For example, defective Takata airbags appeared normal—until they exploded during a crash, launching metal fragments into the car. Recalls are issued to prevent catastrophic failures, not to fix minor issues.

3. "If my car is out of warranty, I won’t get a free repair."
Nearly 44% of Hispanic drivers believe that vehicles outside the warranty period don’t qualify for free repairs—compared to only 30% of the general public.

Reality: Recalls are completely separate from warranty coverage. Any car with an open safety recall qualifies for a free repair, regardless of age, mileage, or ownership history.

4. "Only the registered owner can take the car in for repairs."
More than a third (37%) of Hispanic respondents believe you need to be the car’s official owner to have a recall fixed.

Reality: Anyone can bring in a vehicle for a recall repair—parents, adult children, neighbors, friends. You don’t need the title. Dealerships just need basic contact information to notify you when the repair is complete.

5. "Recall notices are scams or fake communications."
35% of Hispanics fear that recall notifications are fraudulent attempts to steal personal data—higher than the 23% average across the general population.

Reality: Legitimate recall notices come directly from automakers or authorized government channels. You can verify any notice at CheckToProtect.org or by contacting your dealership directly.

6. "The dealership will collect personal information I don’t want to share."
Privacy concerns are real, with 29% of Hispanic drivers saying they avoid recall visits for this reason.

Reality: Only minimal information is required—name, phone number, license plate, or VIN. These are used solely to confirm and complete the repair. Checking your recall status poses virtually no privacy risk, but ignoring a recall can be life-threatening.

Why Latino Drivers Are Especially Affected

Beyond these misconceptions, additional barriers make it harder for Latino communities to respond to recalls. Many receive safety notices in English and struggle to understand the message. As a result, they may think it’s an optional service rather than a critical safety alert.

Additionally, used vehicles and shared cars are more common in Latino households, and automakers often lack current contact information to reach the actual driver. This disconnect increases the chances that important recalls go unnoticed.

The good news: checking your car for recalls is quick, easy, and free. All you need is your license plate or Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)—usually visible on the dashboard or registration documents.

Go to CheckToProtect.org and enter your information. In less than a minute, you’ll know if your vehicle has an open recall. Many repairs take less than 30 minutes and cost you nothing.