Checking your car for open recalls

A recall covers a safety defect in a vehicle or its equipment, or a failure to meet a federal safety standard. Cars, tires and child car seats can all be recalled. An open recall means the maker has recalled the vehicle but the repair isn't done yet. Checking your car takes a few minutes and one number.

What you need

• The car's registration
• A phone or computer

Steps

1. 1

   Find the VIN

   The vehicle identification number is on the registration. On a used car at a dealer, it's printed on the front of the Buyers Guide in the window.

   3 min

2. 2

   Enter it at nhtsa.gov/recalls

   The search shows any open safety recall on the car. It works for a car you're thinking of buying, too. You can also call the Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

   3 min

3. 3

   Note what it shows

   Write down any open recall, what it covers and the date you checked. Save a screenshot of the result with the car's records.

   2 min

4. 4

   Call a dealer about any open recall

   Call a dealer for your car's make to schedule the repair. Recall repairs are free. For questions about the recall itself, call the maker's toll-free number.

   5 min

5. 5

   Sign up for alerts

   Sign up at nhtsa.gov/alerts to get an email if a future recall affects your car.

   2 min

6. 6

   Confirm the result

   The search shows no open recalls, or every open recall has a repair booked.

   1 min

A recall notice in the mail

A recall notice signals a safety defect worth fixing quickly, and some notices are fake. In 2018 a group of dealerships mailed notices marked "URGENT RECALL NOTICE" to more than 21,000 vehicle owners, most of whom had no recall. Before booking anything a notice asks for, check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. If you think a notice is fake, report it to the FTC, and to NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236.

Car seats

Register a new or used car seat with its maker so you're told about a future recall and guided through the repair. Fill out the registration card that came with the seat, which is already filled in with the seat's details and needs no postage, or register on the maker's website using the label on the seat. It takes about two minutes.

To check a seat for a recall, you need the maker's name, the model number and the date it was made. The label on the seat usually has all three. Save a photo of the label on your phone.

Before you buy a used car

Check the VIN before you buy, since an open recall means the repair was never done. Ask the seller or the dealer whether the work has been completed.