Valvoline Instant Oil ChangeSM (VIOC) last Monday became the first quick lube provider that's teaming up with Carfax to help customers stay informed about open manufacturer recalls on their vehicle. Within the next few months, VIOC will check vehicles serviced at any of their locations for open recalls using myCarfax.com as a courtesy and notify customers by email when any are found. VIOC services more than 35,000 customer vehicles per day – a sample analysis by Carfax suggests nearly one out of every four of them has an open manufacturer recall.

"The sheer number of our customers who are driving vehicles with open recalls is surprising, and we're happy to do our part to help," said Rob Stravitz, VP Marketing at Valvoline Instant Oil Change. "We have a great partner in Carfax that is a leader in the effort to keep people informed about open recalls. Powered by VIN-specific open recall information from myCarfax.com, this customer service initiative is a quick, easy, and trusted way for us to contact affected customers and uphold our commitment to their safety. It's yet another reason to choose Valvoline Instant Oil Change for your car care needs."

Carfax data suggests there are more than 47 million vehicles in the U.S. with unfixed recalls. Drivers often are unaware of recalls on their vehicle and this courtesy email service for VIOC customers can help keep them safe. A link in the email will take customers to myCarfax.com so they can see more recall details and get notified of future recalls after setting up a free account.

"Staying informed about recalls and taking action on them is vital to maintaining the safety and performance of our vehicles," said Vern Poyner, general manager at Carfax. "Almost 3 million people already turn to myCarfax.com for open recall information and other vehicle maintenance needs. Working with VIOC to alert their customers about safety recalls is a total team effort that will help keep our roads safe."

VIOC and Carfax strongly urge owners of recalled vehicles to have the recall fixed by an authorized dealer as soon as possible.