How to check a VIN for open recalls

This site shows the recalls that apply to a make, model and model year. Whether a particular vehicle has actually been repaired is a question about that vehicle, and only a VIN lookup answers it.

The free lookup

1. Find the 17-character vehicle identification number on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb label, the registration or the insurance card.
2. Go to nhtsa.gov/recalls and enter the VIN. NHTSA's lookup is free; it covers safety recalls from major light-vehicle and motorcycle manufacturers over the past 15 calendar years.
3. The result lists unrepaired recalls for that vehicle. A recall that has been completed on that vehicle does not appear. If the result says "0 unrepaired recalls", the vehicle has none outstanding in the manufacturer's data.

What the lookup does not show

• Recalls announced very recently, for which the manufacturer has not yet loaded VIN-level data; NHTSA notes these can take days to appear.
• Recalls older than 15 years, international vehicles, and vehicles from very small manufacturers.
• Consumer complaints and investigations, which are not tied to a VIN. Those are on this site by make, model and model year.

Getting the remedy

NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are performed free of charge at the manufacturer's authorised dealers. Take the campaign number from the record (for example 23V158000) and the manufacturer's own campaign number, both shown on this site, when contacting a dealer. If parts are not yet available, the manufacturer's notification letter says so and a second letter follows when they are.

Other products

Consumer products have no VIN. CPSC recall records on this site carry model numbers and date codes in the description where the CPSC published them, and link to the CPSC page, which explains how to identify the product. FDA enforcement records carry lot and code information in the agency record linked from each event.