The bill amends Chapter 90 of the General Laws to establish new regulations regarding vehicle recalls. It introduces a new section, Section 7A 1/2, which defines "open safety recall" and outlines the responsibilities of the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) in relation to vehicle registrations. Before issuing or renewing a motor vehicle registration, the RMV is required to check for open safety recalls using information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If a vehicle is found to have open safety recalls, the RMV must notify the owner in writing, detailing the recalls and stating that repairs can be performed at no cost by an authorized dealer. Furthermore, the bill mandates that vehicle owners must complete necessary repairs for any open safety recalls before their next registration renewal, with the RMV denying renewal applications for vehicles that have not been repaired.

The bill also includes provisions for notifying consumers about open safety recalls prior to registration expiration and outlines specific exemptions under which the RMV cannot deny registration for vehicles with open recalls. These exemptions include situations where the manufacturer has not provided a remedy, parts are unavailable, or the vehicle owner faces undue hardship. Importantly, the bill clarifies that it does not change the liability of manufacturers or dealers under common law.