CarMax was founded to fundamentally change the way Americans buy used vehicles and is the industry leader in integrity and transparency. As part of our commitment to transparency, we notify all customers prior to purchasing any vehicle from CarMax about the importance of registering their vehicle with the manufacturer and having any open recalls fixed. When customers register their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), they can get the most up-to-date information on open and future recalls directly from the manufacturer.

The current recall system is based on the manufacturer's relationship with its franchise dealers and vehicle owners and does not take used auto retailers into account. Under the current system, manufacturers direct recall communications to the vehicle owner of record, not used auto retailers like CarMax. Unlike the manufacturer franchise dealers who are intended under the system to fix recalls, independent used auto retailers, like CarMax, are not provided the authority to complete recall repairs and close out recalls.

Our experience shows us customers are in the best position to act on recall information directly with a manufacturer-authorized dealer. Dealers are often more likely to provide timely recall repair to customers rather than to a competitor, like CarMax, so we will continue to strongly encourage customers to have recalls repaired at a manufacturer-authorized facility.

We believe the VIN-specific NHTSA website is a positive development as it will be the first of its kind to centralize VIN-specific recall information. This will provide a means for consumers to be better informed on all recalls. CarMax is evaluating this website to see how it may be useful within our processes.
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