Free NHTSA recall lookup for every car on U.S. roads
Look up NHTSA safety recall campaigns for any car, truck, motorcycle, or RV by make, model, and year — or start from a VIN. Recall repairs are usually free at authorized dealers, regardless of mileage or owner.
"Do not drive" or "park outside" recalls are genuinely urgent
If your recall is tagged with a park-it advisory, the defect is imminent — usually exploding airbag inflators, fire risk, or uncontrolled acceleration. Stop driving the vehicle, park it outside of structures, and arrange a tow-in to your authorized dealer.
NHTSA defect investigations
Open and recently closed investigations by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, with the vehicles and recalls NHTSA's investigations file lists for each. An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists.
Recall statistics
Vehicle recalls filed with NHTSA by quarter and year since 2014, with the companies that filed the most and CSV downloads.
Recalls grouped by defect
Pages that gather the NHTSA vehicle recalls try.vin groups under one recalled part or problem, with related NHTSA investigations and the evidence each recall is listed on. NHTSA's recall file doesn't record who made a recalled part, so the lists are try.vin's and can be incomplete.
Three ways to find a recall
Start with whatever you have
The 17-character VIN is the fastest and most accurate. Don't have it? Two more ways below.
Start with a VIN
Paste your 17-character VIN to decode it and see the NHTSA recall campaigns for its model year. To confirm a specific car still needs a repair, check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Browse by make, model, year
Not sure of the VIN? Pick the manufacturer below, then drill into the model and year to see every campaign on file.
Inspect from photos
Pair a recall check with AI photo inspection (free account). A recall shows what was reported; photos show what the car actually looks like today.
Directory
Every make with recalls on NHTSA
From NHTSA's recall database, refreshed daily. Pick a manufacturer to drill into models, years, and individual recall campaigns.
Why recalls matter
A recall isn't a "heads up." It's a documented safety failure that the manufacturer must fix for free.
Recalls mean real safety defects
NHTSA recalls are issued when a vehicle, equipment item, tire, or child seat fails to meet federal safety standards or contains a defect that creates an unreasonable risk. These aren't gripe-level issues — they are documented safety failures.
Manufacturer usually pays
Federal law (49 U.S.C. §§ 30118–30120) requires the manufacturer to remedy recalled defects free of charge, whoever owns the vehicle. The free remedy does not apply to vehicles first sold more than 15 years before the recall (5 years for tires).
"Park it" recalls are genuinely urgent
When NHTSA tags a recall as "do not drive" or "park outside," the defect is imminent — exploding inflators, fire risk, uncontrolled acceleration. Stop driving the vehicle, park it outside structures, and arrange a tow to the dealer.
Pair it with AI inspection
Recalls show what was reported. Photos show what the car is now.
Upload 3–8 photos of the vehicle you're considering. Claude returns a structured condition report — visible damage, rust, paint mismatch, tire wear, and specific questions to ask the seller — in about 15 seconds.
Why try.vin
The same NHTSA data — faster, prettier, and paired with tools the federal site doesn't have.
Free, no signup
No signup, no paywall. The recall campaign records NHTSA publishes, organized by make, model, and year.
NHTSA data
Campaign records come from NHTSA's official recall database.
Refreshed daily
Recall data is refreshed from NHTSA every day. For a specific vehicle's current status, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
AI-powered inspection
Something nhtsa.gov doesn't offer: pair the recall check with a visual condition scan from the seller's photos, free with an account.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions owners ask about NHTSA recalls.
Check your car — it only takes a minute
Paste a VIN, scan the dashboard plate, or browse by make. Recall repairs are usually free, and staying on top of them can literally be a safety decision.