Recalls & Safety Records

A vehicle recall is issued when a manufacturer or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determines that a vehicle, equipment, car seat, or tire creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards. Recalls can be initiated voluntarily by manufacturers or mandated by NHTSA after an investigation. Once a recall is issued, the manufacturer must notify all affected vehicle owners by mail and provide a free repair through authorized dealerships. There is no time limit on recall repairs, even if your vehicle is 20 years old, the manufacturer is still legally obligated to fix the recalled component at no charge.

Enter your 17-digit VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) in our free VIN decoder at the top of this page. Your VIN can be found in several locations: on the driver's side dashboard visible through the windshield, on the driver's door jamb sticker, on your vehicle registration or title, or on your insurance card. We check NHTSA's database in real-time and cross-reference it with our own records of over 320,000 recall campaigns to show you every recall ever issued for your specific vehicle, including whether the recall is still open or has been completed. We recommend checking your VIN at least twice a year, as new recalls are issued regularly.

Yes, absolutely. Under federal law (49 U.S.C. Chapter 301), all safety recall repairs must be performed at no charge to the vehicle owner. This applies regardless of whether you are the original owner, how many miles are on the vehicle, or whether the warranty has expired. You can take your vehicle to any authorized dealership of your vehicle's brand, you do not need to return to the dealer where you purchased it. If you already paid for a repair that was later subject to a recall, you may be eligible for reimbursement from the manufacturer. Simply contact the manufacturer's customer service with your repair receipt and VIN.

A recall is an official action by a manufacturer or NHTSA to repair a confirmed safety defect affecting a specific group of vehicles. Recalls are legally binding, manufacturers must fix the problem for free. A complaint, on the other hand, is a safety concern reported by an individual vehicle owner to NHTSA. Complaints describe problems like sudden braking failures, airbag malfunctions, engine fires, or electrical issues. NHTSA analysts review every complaint to identify patterns. When enough complaints point to the same defect, NHTSA opens a formal investigation, which can result in a recall. Our database contains over 2.1 million consumer complaints, a powerful resource for spotting recurring issues with any vehicle before you buy.

Every piece of data on RecallCheck comes directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the U.S. federal agency responsible for motor vehicle safety. We maintain a complete mirror of NHTSA's public databases, including 277,350 recall campaigns covering over 320,000 individual vehicle recalls, 2,234,970 consumer complaints dating back to the 1990s, and active safety investigations. Our data is updated regularly to ensure you always have access to the latest recall information. Because we use official government data, you can trust that every recall, complaint, and investigation on this site is accurate and verifiable.

OBD-II (On-Board Diagnostics) codes are standardized diagnostic trouble codes that your vehicle's onboard computer generates when it detects a malfunction. Every car and light truck sold in the United States since 1996 is required to have an OBD-II system. When your check engine light or malfunction indicator lamp turns on, it means one or more trouble codes have been stored. You can read these codes using an inexpensive OBD-II scanner plugged into the diagnostic port under your dashboard. Codes follow a standard format: P-codes for powertrain, B-codes for body, C-codes for chassis, and U-codes for network communication. Our database covers the most common codes with plain-English explanations, likely causes, and typical repair costs to help you understand what's going on before visiting a mechanic.