How do I check if my car has an open recall?

Grab the 17-character VIN from your windshield or registration and run it through try.vin. The free lookup pulls every open NHTSA recall on your specific vehicle in seconds, plus the free manufacturer remedy and the authorized dealers who will perform the repair at no charge.

Are NHTSA recall repairs really free?

Yes. Federal law requires the vehicle manufacturer to repair any safety-related defect identified in an NHTSA recall at no cost to the owner, regardless of how old the vehicle is or how many owners it has had. The dealer cannot charge for diagnosis, parts, or labor on a valid recall repair.

What is a "do not drive" or "park it" advisory?

NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect poses an imminent safety risk — most often for airbag inflators that can explode, fuel-system fires, or uncontrolled-acceleration issues. If your vehicle is covered by one of these advisories, stop driving it, park it outside of structures, and arrange a tow-in to an authorized dealer. The tow is frequently covered too.

What is the difference between a recall and a service bulletin?

A recall is a mandatory free repair issued when a defect affects safety or fails to meet federal safety standards. A technical service bulletin (TSB) is a manufacturer recommendation for a common problem — TSB repairs are not free unless the vehicle is still under warranty.

How long do I have to get a recall fixed?

There is no deadline — recall obligations don't expire. Even if a recall was issued 10+ years ago, the manufacturer must still perform the repair for free. That said, for "do not drive" or "park it" advisories you should act immediately; the defect is genuinely dangerous.

What if my recall was "fixed" by a previous owner?

The fix should be recorded in the VIN-level database and your recall status should show as "remedied." If the repair record is missing or you're unsure, take the VIN to an authorized dealer — they can confirm the remedy status in their internal system and redo the repair if documentation is missing. Either way, the repair is still free.

Does a recall hurt my car's resale value?

An open (unremedied) recall can reduce resale value because buyers factor in the trip to the dealer. A recall that has been performed and is documented in the vehicle history generally does not. Before you sell, run the VIN through try.vin to confirm every open recall has been remedied.

Does NHTSA cover tire, child seat, and motorcycle recalls too?

Yes. NHTSA recalls cover cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, RVs, trailers, tires, motorcycle helmets, and child-seat equipment. try.vin indexes vehicle recalls on this page; for car-seat station lookup, we have a dedicated tool under Recalls.

Can I pair a recall check with a used-car photo inspection?

Yes, and you should. A recall check tells you whether the manufacturer reported a safety defect. An AI photo inspection (try.vin's free condition checker) tells you whether the specific car in front of you has visible damage, prior body repair, rust, or tire wear. Together they catch far more than either alone.

Where does this recall data come from?

try.vin pulls recall data live from the official NHTSA database at api.nhtsa.gov, maintained by the U.S. Department of Transportation. That is the same source your dealership uses — every campaign, defect description, and remedy matches the official federal record.

Free · Live from NHTSA · No signup

Free NHTSA recall lookup for every car on U.S. roads

Check any car, truck, motorcycle, or RV for open safety recalls — by VIN, or by make, model, and year. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers, regardless of mileage or owner.

Free No signup NHTSA-direct Live data

Open recall

Sample

NHTSA 24V-123

Fuel pump may fail, causing engine stall

2015–2017 Honda Accord · affects ~472,000 vehicles

Safety consequence

An engine stall while driving increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy — free at any Honda dealer

Dealers will replace the fuel pump at no cost.

"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. Tow-in is often covered by the manufacturer.

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.

Check by VIN

Most accurate — recalls apply to specific VIN ranges. Paste your 17-character VIN and see open recalls that actually affect your car.

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 ever issued.

Inspect from photos

Pair a recall check with AI photo inspection. A recall shows what was reported; photos show what the car actually looks like today.

Try AI inspection

Every make with recalls on NHTSA

Pulled live from the NHTSA database. Pick a manufacturer to drill into models, years, and individual recall campaigns.

616 makes

Source: api.nhtsa.gov

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 pays, not you

Federal law (49 U.S.C. § 30118–§ 30120) requires the manufacturer to repair every recalled defect free of charge at any authorized dealer — parts, labor, and diagnosis. The obligation has no expiration and is owner-independent.

"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.

Try AI inspection free See a sample report

Why try.vin

The same NHTSA data — faster, prettier, and paired with tools the federal site doesn't have.

Free, always

No signup, no paywall. The same data you'd get from the dealership or nhtsa.gov — delivered faster.

NHTSA-direct

Pulled live from the official federal database at api.nhtsa.gov — the authoritative source for every recall.

Live, not cached

Recalls refresh continuously. A campaign filed this morning shows up here by afternoon.

AI-powered inspection

Something nhtsa.gov doesn't offer: pair the recall check with a visual condition scan from the seller's photos.

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 free, and staying on top of them can literally be a safety decision.

Inspect from photos