Guide
How to check a car for open recalls
Put the car's 17-character VIN into NHTSA's free lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls. It shows the safety recalls on that exact car that haven't been repaired, and the repair is free at a dealer.
1. Find the VIN
The vehicle identification number is 17 characters long. Look through the windshield at the lower left corner, on the driver's side. It is also printed on the registration card and usually on the insurance card. For a car you're looking at to buy, ask the seller for the VIN before you go and see it.
2. Run it through NHTSA's lookup
Enter the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The result covers safety recalls from the past 15 years from the major automakers. It leaves out some small manufacturers, some ultra-luxury brands and vehicles built for other countries. NHTSA adds VINs continuously, so check again shortly before you buy.
3. Read the result
- No open recalls: nothing is waiting to be fixed on that car.
- An open recall: the fix hasn't been done on that car. The listing says what can go wrong and what the repair is.
- A recall with no fix available yet: the automaker has announced the problem but doesn't have the parts or the repair ready. Owners get a second notice when it is.
4. Get it fixed for free
Call a dealer for that brand and give them the VIN. Federal law requires the repair to be free unless the car was first sold more than 15 years before the recall, and it doesn't matter whether you bought the car new. For an older car, ask anyway: automakers often still do the repair at no charge.
5. Act at once on do-not-drive and park-outside warnings
A few recalls tell owners to stop driving the car, or to park it outside and away from buildings, until it is repaired, usually because of a fire or crash risk. This list has every one for 2016 and newer models on this site.
Buying used: check before you sign
Federal law bans selling a new car with an open recall, but there is no such rule for used cars. A car on a used lot, or one sold privately, can still have an open recall. Run the VIN before you agree to buy. If a recall is open, ask the seller to have it fixed first, or plan the dealer visit before you drive it much.
Hear about new recalls
Automakers mail recall notices to the registered owner, so a notice can miss you if you've moved or bought the car used. NHTSA's SaferCar app alerts you when a vehicle you've saved is recalled, and NHTSA also sends recall alerts by email.
Where our recall pages fit
Each recalls page on this site lists every safety recall NHTSA has for that model year, with what goes wrong and the fix, and what owners complain about most. Use them to see a model's record before you shop. Whether a particular car is affected, and whether it has been repaired, depends on its VIN, so finish with the lookup.
Sources and method
- NHTSA, Check for Recalls (nhtsa.gov/recalls).
- Consumer Reports, Car Recall Guide: Your Questions Answered.
Written with AI tools from the site's EPA and NHTSA data and reviewed by the editor. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.