How to Check If Your Car Has a Recall (by VIN)

You can check whether your car has an open safety recall in about two minutes, for free, with nothing but its 17-character VIN. The official source is NHTSA's recall lookup, which pulls directly from the manufacturers' records of which specific vehicles are affected and which have been repaired.

This guide shows where to find your VIN, how to run the check, how to read the results, and what the lookup can miss so you do not get a false sense of security.

The vehicle identification number is 17 characters long, letters and numbers, and never uses the letters I, O or Q (to avoid confusion with 1 and 0). You can find it in several places:

• Lower corner of the windshield on the driver's side, visible from outside
• Driver's door jamb sticker, often with the tire pressure placard
• Vehicle registration card and insurance card
• Title and loan paperwork
• Some cars show it in the infotainment system's settings or "About" screen

If the VIN on the windshield, door jamb and paperwork do not match on a car you are buying, stop and find out why before going further.

1. 1Go to nhtsa.gov/recalls (opens in a new tab).
2. 2Enter the VIN and submit.
3. 3Read the result for each recall listed.

Many manufacturers also have their own VIN recall lookup on their owner websites, which pulls from the same records and sometimes adds more detail about parts availability or scheduling. Your dealer's service department can run the same check.

NHTSA's tool uses a few standard results. The wording can change slightly over time, but the meanings are consistent.

Each recall listing includes the NHTSA campaign number, the date, a summary of the defect, the safety risk, and the remedy. Note the campaign number; it is the fastest way to talk to a dealer about it.

Safety recall repairs are done by franchised dealers for that brand, and federal law generally requires the manufacturer to fix the defect at no charge to you. Our guide on whether recall repairs are free covers the rules and the exceptions, such as vehicles more than 15 years old.

When you call:

1. 1Give the dealer your VIN and the recall campaign number.
2. 2Ask whether parts are in stock and how long the repair takes.
3. 3Ask whether a loaner or rental is available. It is not required by federal law in most cases, but manufacturers often provide one for longer repairs or "do not drive" recalls.
4. 4Keep the repair order showing the recall was completed.

The VIN lookup is reliable for what it covers, but it does not cover everything.

Recalls older than 15 years

NHTSA's VIN search shows safety recalls from roughly the last 15 calendar years. For an older car, search by year, make and model on NHTSA's site, or browse campaigns by model year on our recalls page, then ask a dealer whether the work was done.

Very new recalls

When a recall is first announced, the manufacturer may still be identifying exactly which VINs are affected. A brand-new campaign can take some time to appear in the VIN search. Manufacturers are required to update their data regularly, but if you have heard about a recall on the news, also check the year, make and model listing.

Some small and specialty manufacturers

Small-volume and some specialty manufacturers may not be included in the VIN search. Check the manufacturer directly.

Equipment, tires and child seats

Recalls on tires, child car seats and aftermarket equipment are not tied to your car's VIN. Register tires and car seats with the manufacturer when you buy them so you are contacted directly, and search those products on NHTSA's recall site (opens in a new tab).

Non-safety campaigns

Emissions recalls, customer satisfaction programs, extended warranties on specific parts, and technical service bulletins are not the same as safety recalls, and many do not show in NHTSA's safety recall VIN search. Ask the dealer to check the manufacturer's system for "all open campaigns" on your VIN, not just safety recalls.

Manufacturers mail recall notices to the owner on record, using state registration data. If you moved, bought the car used, or registered it in another state, the letter may go nowhere. Ways to stay informed:

• Keep your registration address current with your state DMV.
• Register with the manufacturer through its owner website or app.
• Sign up for NHTSA recall alerts for your vehicle on nhtsa.gov/recalls (opens in a new tab).
• Add the car to your free CarManager garage. Recall watch checks NHTSA's recall data for your vehicle's make, model and year and alerts you when a new campaign appears. It tells you a campaign exists for your model; confirm whether your specific VIN is affected and repaired with NHTSA or a dealer.

Run the VIN check on any used car before you pay. Open recalls are common on used cars, and in most states a used car can be sold with recalls still open. The repair is still free to you after you buy it, but you want to know whether it involves a quick software update or a "do not drive" fix with parts on backorder. Our guide to used car open recalls explains what dealers must and do not have to do.

It also helps to look at the model year's full history. Our research pages, such as /cars/honda/civic/2016, show recall campaigns and owner complaints by component for that model year, which can reveal patterns a single VIN check will not.