Free car recall checker
See every safety recall for your car, straight from the official U.S. government database (NHTSA). Recall repairs are free at any dealer for that brand, even if you bought the car used.
Where to find your VIN
Scan it instead of typing. Tap Scan VIN with camera and point your phone at the barcode on the driver's door jamb sticker, or at the VIN plate through the bottom of the windshield, then tap Read VIN. You can also pick a photo you already took. The scan runs on your phone; the picture is never uploaded.
Your VIN (vehicle identification number) is 17 letters and numbers. Look through the windshield at the bottom of the driver's side, check the sticker on the driver's door jamb, or find it on your registration card or insurance card. VINs never use the letters I, O or Q, so those are always the numbers 1 and 0.
What this tool shows, and what it doesn't
This checker lists every recall NHTSA has on file for your car's model year, make and model, including the risk and the fix the automaker promised. When you search by VIN, we decode it with NHTSA's own VIN decoder first, so you get the right model year and model name.
One honest limit: a recall can apply to only some cars of a model (for example, ones built in a certain plant or with a certain engine), and NHTSA's public data feed can't tell us whether your car already had the fix. To see open, unrepaired recalls for your exact car, enter your VIN on nhtsa.gov/recalls or call any dealer for your brand. It takes them about a minute.
Recall repairs are free
Under federal law, automakers have to fix safety recalls for free. That covers parts and labor at any franchised dealer for that brand, whether you're the first owner or the fifth. If you already paid for a repair that later became a recall, ask the automaker about reimbursement; many recall notices explain how.
- "Park outside" recalls mean a fire risk even when the car is off. Park away from buildings until it's fixed.
- "Do not drive" recalls mean the risk is serious enough that the automaker says to stop driving. Ask the dealer about a tow or a loaner.
- Over-the-air recalls are fixed by a software update, sometimes without a dealer visit.
Before you pay for a repair
Run this check any time a shop quotes you for brakes, airbags, fuel leaks, engine or electrical problems. If the problem matches an open recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Our car repair cost estimator shows what the repair would cost if it isn't covered.
Where this data comes from
Recall data comes live from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public recalls API, and VINs are decoded with NHTSA's vPIC VIN decoder. We refresh results every few hours. Recall details are written by the automakers and NHTSA, not by TopRepairShop.