Massachusetts Vehicle Check

Vehicle Maintenance Tip

When refueling the vehicle, always turn the engine off. Do not add more fuel or top off the tank after the pump has shut off. The evaporative control system needs to have the airspace left over after the pump has shut off in the tank in order to function properly.

More Vehicle Maintenance Tips

What if My Vehicle Doesn't Pass?

Your vehicle must 1) be repaired and 2) pass a re-test within 60 days of its initial inspection.

Step 1: Repair your vehicle

Safety: If your vehicle failed its safety test, it must be repaired immediately. When you drive an unsafe car, truck or bus, you are putting yourself and others at risk. You may also be issued a citation by police, and may pay insurance surcharges.

Emissions: If your vehicle failed its emissions test, it must be repaired within 60 days of its initial inspection. Show your repairer the Vehicle Inspection Report that your inspector gave you - it contains information that will help diagnose the problem(s). Also, if your Vehicle Inspection Report included an “Emissions Repair Form”, have your repairer complete it and bring it to your inspector when you take your vehicle to be re-tested.

Don’t wait to have repairs made, because emissions defects can significantly reduce gas mileage and cause long-term damage to your vehicle’s emissions system. Consider having your vehicle repaired by a state-registered emissions repair technician, an expert who is specially trained to diagnose and repair emission control problems. However, if your vehicle needs to have a major component replaced or repaired (e.g., the transmission or engine re-built), it may be eligible for a one-time one-year “hardship extension” of the deadline for passing a re-test.

Keep the receipts for your repairs inside your vehicle as proof of repairs until you have passed your re-test. This is especially important if safety defects were found, since your vehicle is not allowed to be driven until it is repaired.

Step 1A (for vehicles that failed an emissions test): Make sure that your vehicle is ready for a re-test:

The emissions test checks information stored in an on-board computer which compiles a record of your vehicle’s emissions system performance. After some types of emissions repairs are completed, your vehicle will automatically re-set this computer while it is driven. Your vehicle can’t be given an emissions re-test until the computer has re-set.
About a week of combined city and highway driving is usually enough to allow the computer to record enough new data to be “ready” for a re-test. Some vehicles need more than a week to complete this process. Using a registered emissions repair technician will help ensure your vehicle is ready for its re-test.

Some vehicles may be referred to a “Motorist Assistance Center” for specialized emissions testing. If this happened to your vehicle, it must be evaluated by a specialist at a Center before it can be re-tested. There are twelve MACs to choose from. Please call the toll-free Motorist Hotline at 1-866-941-6277 to schedule an appointment at a Center that will be convenient for you.

Step 2: Have your vehicle re-tested and get a “passing” sticker:

Your vehicle must be re-tested within 60 days of its initial inspection. One free re-test is available at the station that performed the initial inspection. If you take your vehicle to a different station for a re-test or your vehicle fails its re-test, you will need to pay another $29 fee.
If your vehicle failed both the safety and emissions tests, it will be re-tested for both at your re-test.
If your vehicle failed its safety test, the defects must be repaired so that it passes a re-test. No waivers or extensions are available for safety problems.
If your vehicle is turned away from its re-test because its on-board computer is not “ready” to be tested, the experts at a Motorist Assistance Center can help you get your vehicle “ready” for its re-test.
Non-commercial vehicles that fail their emissions re-tests and were repaired by a state-registered repair technician may be eligible for waiver of the emissions standards and a “passing” sticker. Click here to go to the waivers section.
If your vehicle has not completed the inspection process within 60 days of its initial inspection, the Registry of Motor Vehicles may suspend your registration.

Click here to go to the motorist section for more information