Toyota's pedal-problem fault, which affects thousands of the firm's cars sold here in Britain, has brought a timely warning from Used Car Expert magazine.
With some Peugeot and Citroen models sharing the same accelerator part, and also in need of correcting, Used Car Expert has highlighted the urgent need to include any manufacturer recalls as part of a vehicle's history.
Magazine editor Matthew Tumbridge says the Toyota problem underscores a serious industry failing that has been long over due some attention.
"The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VoSA) tells me that 9.36% of vehicles or components recalled last year never got repaired.
"While this shocking statistic includes stolen vehicles and motors that have been scrapped or written off, what it does mean is that there's huge numbers of cars out there that haven't had a faulty part fixed - for one reason or another, owners have not answered the recall.
"In Toyota's case, with 180,865 vehicles in need of recall in the UK alone, the VoSA percentage translates into a potential 17,417 Toyotas failing to have the pedal problem put right," warns Tumbridge.
"But recalls are fairly common - so naive buyers who don't do their research in this area could end up buying a potentially dangerous car."
Tumbridge goes on: "With Toyota's trouble hitting the headlines, recalls have, quite rightly, become newsworthy. This can only be good for the second-hand sector.
"Our own recall surveys have revealed that eight in 10 car buyers do not check to see if their prospective purchase has had its recalls.This is why Used Car Expert publishes all recalls in our buyers' guides online, in the hope people will check and save themselves from a potentially frightening, and costly, experience."