How Do I Check My Car for Recalls?

Where do I find my VIN?

Every modern vehicle has a unique 17-character VIN made of letters and numbers. It is usually in more than one place, so you can cross-check them.

• Dashboard: look at the base of the windshield on the driver side from outside the car. The number is visible through the glass.
• Driver door jamb: open the driver door and check the label on the edge of the door or the frame.
• Paperwork: your registration and insurance card normally list the VIN as well.

Copy it carefully. Letters and numbers that look alike are easy to mix up, so read it twice.

How do I check by VIN?

The federal agency that oversees vehicle safety, NHTSA, runs the official recall database. On nhtsa.gov/recalls you can enter your VIN and see whether the vehicle has an open recall. The recall lookup page on this site performs the same kind of lookup using that official data, so you can check without leaving our website.

A result of no open recalls only reflects what the database holds at that moment. We cannot guarantee a check is complete, and a newly announced recall may take time to appear.

What is the difference between a recall, a service bulletin and a warranty repair?

• Safety recall: a defect or standards problem tied to vehicle safety, with a remedy provided by the manufacturer at no charge through its dealers.
• Service bulletin: a communication from a manufacturer to its dealers about a known issue and how to fix it. It is not necessarily a safety matter and is not the same as a recall.
• Warranty repair: coverage for certain failures under the terms of your warranty, which depends on the vehicle, its age and its mileage.

Should I check a used car before buying, and how often should I recheck?

Yes. Get the VIN from the car itself and from the listing paperwork, make sure they match, and run the lookup before you commit. If a recall is open, ask the seller how it will be handled before the sale.

New recalls are announced all the time, so a clean result today does not last forever. A good habit is to recheck every few months, and any time you receive a notice in the mail.