How to check your car for recalls by VIN
Enter your car’s 17-character VIN, or its license plate, in NHTSA’s free recall lookup. It tells you whether that specific vehicle has a safety recall that hasn’t been repaired. If it does, contact a dealer: NHTSA says recall repairs are free.
Step by step
- Find your VIN. It is 17 characters long. NHTSA says to look on the lower left of your windshield; the VIN is also on your registration card and may be on your insurance card.
- Open the lookup. Go to nhtsa.gov/recalls, choose Vehicle, and enter the VIN, or your license plate number and state. NHTSA notes that giving your VIN or plate is voluntary.
- Read the result. Any unrepaired safety recall for that vehicle is listed. If there are none, the lookup says “0 unrepaired recalls associated with this VIN.”
- If a recall is listed, book the repair. Follow any interim safety guidance from the manufacturer, then contact a local dealer to have the recalled part fixed for free.
- Check again later. NHTSA adds VINs continuously and suggests checking for recalls twice a year.
What the VIN search won’t show
NHTSA lists these limits of its own lookup. It does not show:
- recalls that have already been repaired on your car;
- some recently announced recalls, before every affected VIN has been identified;
- recalls more than 15 years old, unless the manufacturer offers more coverage;
- recalls by small manufacturers, including some ultra-luxury brands and specialty vehicles;
- customer-service or other non-safety campaigns;
- recalls on international vehicles.
So “0 unrepaired recalls” means no open safety recall is on record for that VIN today. It doesn’t prove the car is free of defects. If something seems wrong, you can report a safety problem to NHTSA. NHTSA reviews every complaint, and similar reports from many owners can lead to an investigation and a recall.
VIN search or year, make and model?
A VIN or plate search answers one question: does this vehicle still need a recall repair? A search by year, make and model gives general results for the model instead: its recalls, investigations, complaints and manufacturer communications. The model search is useful when you are researching a car to buy; the VIN search tells you whether a particular car has been fixed.
If your car has an open recall
Manufacturers must fix a recalled defect by repairing it, replacing it, offering a refund or, in rare cases, buying the vehicle back, and NHTSA monitors each recall to make sure owners get safe, free and effective remedies. Until the repair is done, follow the manufacturer’s interim safety guidance in the recall notice.
Hear about future recalls
Manufacturers mail registered owners within 60 days of telling NHTSA about a recall, so keep your address up to date with them. NHTSA’s free SaferCar app for iPhone and Android sends an alert when it finds a recall for the vehicle or equipment you enter, and NHTSA also offers recall alerts by email.
The same lookup covers car seats, tires and other equipment. For car seats, see how to find a car seat’s expiration date and check it for recalls.
Where Recall Bell helps
Add a vehicle by its make, model and year, and Recall Bell shows the recalls on record for that model, fetched directly from NHTSA, with the remedy first. NHTSA’s Park It (do not drive) and Park Outside advisories go to the top, both on the record and in your list.
Recall Bell can’t tell whether your particular car has been repaired, and vehicle records never send alerts. For your VIN’s repair status it links you to NHTSA’s lookup, which stays the official answer.
Recall Bell is coming soon to iPhone and Android.
Sources
Recall Bell is an independent app from intellidip. It is not a government service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NHTSA, CPSC, FDA or USDA. The agencies’ own lookups are free and are the official record. This guide is general information, not legal advice.