Is your car under an open recall?
An open recall means the manufacturer found a safety defect and has to fix it at no cost to you. Check your vehicle in seconds.
Recall check
2016 Honda Civic
Takata airbag inflator may rupture
The inflator can burst during deployment and send fragments toward occupants.
Illustrative result. Data source: NHTSA.
Recall data comes from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Find your VIN on the driver-side dashboard where it meets the windshield, the door-jamb sticker, or your registration.
The basics
What a recall actually means
A recall is not a reason to panic. It is your right to a free fix. Here is what to know.
A safety defect was found
The manufacturer or the NHTSA determined a part does not meet safety standards or poses a risk. It can be anything from airbags to fuel systems to software.
You get notified by mail
Registered owners receive a letter describing the risk and the remedy. If you bought used or moved, you may never get it, which is exactly why looking it up matters.
The fix is always free
By law the manufacturer repairs, replaces, or buys back the affected vehicle at no cost to you, even long after the warranty ends.
Know the difference
Recall, service bulletin, or warranty?
These three words get used interchangeably, but they mean very different things for your wallet.
Safety recall
A defect that affects safety or emissions compliance. The manufacturer must repair it for free, with no time or mileage limit in most cases. You can report an open recall to the NHTSA if it is not getting resolved.
Service bulletin (TSB)
A known issue with a documented fix that the manufacturer shares with its dealers. A TSB is not a recall, so it is only free if the car is still under warranty. It is still worth asking about by name.
Warranty repair
Covers defects for a set time or mileage (for example 3 years or 36,000 miles). Once it expires, so does the free repair, which is what separates it from a recall.
Step by step
How to get a recall repaired
Confirm the recall
Enter your vehicle above, or your VIN for exact results, to see every open recall reported to the NHTSA.
Call any franchised dealer
You do not have to use the dealer you bought from. Any dealer for your brand can perform the recall repair.
Get it fixed free
The manufacturer covers parts and labor for safety recalls, regardless of your car's age or mileage.
Keep the paperwork
Save the repair order. It proves the fix was done and helps at resale or if the issue ever comes back.
The gap
Why plenty of drivers never hear about their recall
The notice system depends on the manufacturer having your current address. Often it does not.
You bought it used
The letter goes to the registered owner on file. Private-party buyers are the most likely to be missed entirely.
You moved
If your registration address is stale, the notice goes to your old mailbox and you never see it.
The recall came later
Defects are often found years after a car is sold. A clean check today does not mean a clean check next year.
It looked like junk mail
Recall letters are plain and easy to bin along with the extended-warranty spam. Checking your VIN removes the guesswork.
Browse
Check recalls by make
Pick your brand to load it into the lookup, then choose the year and model.
Recall FAQ
Common recall questions
Can any mechanic fix a recall, or does it have to be a dealer?
It has to be a franchised dealer for that brand, because the manufacturer only reimburses their own dealer network for recall work. An independent shop can absolutely do the repair, but you would be paying for something you could get free, so for recall work specifically, go to the dealer.Does this check my specific car?
Entering your VIN pins the search to your exact year, make, and model, which is what NHTSA's public database supports. What it cannot tell you is whether the work has already been completed on your individual car. To confirm that, call a dealer with the campaign number, or run your VIN through NHTSA's own tool at nhtsa.gov/recalls.What is the difference between a recall and a technical service bulletin?
A recall is issued when a vehicle has a safety defect or fails a federal safety standard, and the fix is free. A technical service bulletin (TSB) is guidance from the manufacturer to dealers about a known non-safety problem and how to repair it. A TSB is useful to reference, but you normally pay for that work unless you are under warranty.Are recall repairs really free?
Yes. For a federal safety recall the manufacturer must fix the defect at no cost to you, parts and labor included, no matter how old the car is or how many miles it has. Very old vehicles (roughly 15 years and up) can be an exception.How do I know if my car has been recalled?
Look it up by year, make, and model above, or enter your 17-character VIN for an exact match. Manufacturers also mail recall notices to the registered owner, so keep your address current with your state DMV.Can I keep driving with an open recall?
It depends on the severity. Some recalls address a serious safety risk such as a fuel leak or a faulty airbag and are worth fixing immediately. Others are lower risk. The recall notice tells you how urgent it is. When in doubt, call the dealer and ask.Do recalls ever expire?
Safety recalls generally do not expire, but the free remedy can get harder to claim on a very old vehicle. It is best to handle an open recall as soon as you know about it.What is the difference between a recall and a warranty?
A recall is a safety defect the manufacturer must fix for free after the fact. A warranty is the coverage that came with the car and it runs out. Recall repairs stay free even after your warranty has expired.I bought the car used. Does the recall still apply to me?
Yes. A recall follows the vehicle, not the owner. The catch is that the notice gets mailed to the registered owner on file, so used buyers are the most likely to miss one. Looking up your VIN is the reliable way to check.
You deserve a fair fix.
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