Recall & Safety Check
See every recall campaign NHTSA has on file for a year, make and model, plus the NHTSA crash-test ratings where published. Recall campaigns apply to a model; whether a specific vehicle has an open recall depends on its VIN, and you can check that at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What a recall actually means
A safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle or equipment has a safety-related defect or doesn't comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. It is not a maintenance suggestion.
Repairs are generally free
Recall repairs are generally free at an authorized dealer, whoever owns the car. Some limits apply, for example to very old vehicles and to tires. NHTSA explains the details at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Used cars carry it forward
An unrepaired recall follows the vehicle, not the owner. Federal law doesn't require a private seller to tell you about an open recall, so check before money changes hands.
Notices get missed
Manufacturers mail notices to the registered owner on record. After a sale or a move, that letter often never arrives.
Confirm anything safety-critical
For anything safety-critical, confirm with a franchised dealer, a qualified technician, or NHTSA directly by VIN. Each of our tool pages repeats this, because it matters more than the convenience we offer.
Sources
- NHTSA recalls API (opens in new tab), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Recall campaigns by year, make and model
- NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP) (opens in new tab), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Crash-test ratings per tested configuration
- NHTSA vPIC VIN decoding API (opens in new tab), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Used to turn a VIN into a year, make and model