How to check whether your car has an open recall
Step-by-step: find your VIN, check NHTSA's recall lookup, understand park-outside and do-not-drive warnings, and get a free repair.
Recall repairs are free, but they only happen if the owner brings the car in, and many recalled vehicles are never repaired. Checking takes two minutes.
1. Find your VIN
The 17-character vehicle identification number is on the driver's side of the dashboard (visible through the windshield), on the door-jamb sticker, on the registration and on the insurance card.
2. Look it up
Enter the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup (nhtsa.gov/recalls). The result lists the open safety recalls that manufacturers have reported for that vehicle; a recall announced in the last few days may not appear yet. Manufacturer websites offer the same lookup and sometimes show customer-satisfaction campaigns that are not safety recalls.
Outside the United States, use your national authority: Transport Canada, the UK DVSA, the EU Safety Gate, Australia's Product Safety site, Japan's MLIT, or the local importer's site. A recall issued in one market is not always issued in others, so check with the authority where the car is registered.
3. Read the warning level
- Park outside: a fire risk exists even when the vehicle is off. Park away from buildings until repaired.
- Do not drive: the risk is serious enough that the vehicle should not be driven until it is repaired. Arrange a tow or ask the dealer about a pickup.
- Over-the-air: the fix is a software update the vehicle installs itself; confirm it has actually been applied.
4. Book the repair
In the United States the recall repair is free at any franchised dealer of the brand, regardless of where the car was bought or whether it is still under warranty. If parts are not yet available, ask to be put on the notification list and check for interim guidance. If a dealer refuses or charges, report it to NHTSA.
5. Keep the paperwork
The repair order proves the recall was completed and matters at resale. If you paid for a repair before the recall was announced, the manufacturer may reimburse it; ask the dealer for the reimbursement process.
On this site, every model-year page lists the recalls on record with their campaign numbers and any park-outside or do-not-drive flags.