A recall is not news about a new defect — it is an admission of an old one. Across 9,756 campaigns the average gap between building the car and admitting the fault is 3.79 years, and 33% of defects surface five years or more after the car left the factory.
What gets recalled
By number of separate campaigns, not by cars affected — one campaign can cover a million vehicles or a thousand.
| System | Campaigns | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 10% | |
| Air Bags | 9.1% | |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 7.7% | |
| Power Train | 6.9% | |
| Equipment | 6.8% | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 6.3% | |
| Steering | 6.1% | |
| Seat Belts | 5.3% | |
| Suspension | 4.9% | |
| Exterior Lighting | 4.8% | |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 4.2% | |
| Structure | 4% |
How long a defect stays unadmitted
Every campaign number carries the year it was announced — «09V419000» means 2009. Subtract the model year and you get how long the car had been on the road before anyone admitted the fault. NHTSA doesn't publish this figure; we compute it.
| Gap before the recall | Campaigns | Relative to peak |
|---|---|---|
| Same year | 9,759 | |
| 1 year later | 6,106 | |
| 2 years later | 4,295 | |
| 3 years later | 3,346 | |
| 4 years later | 2,761 | |
| 5 years later | 2,397 | |
| 6 years later | 1,967 | |
| 7 years later | 1,607 | |
| 8 years later | 1,415 | |
| 9 years later | 1,232 | |
| 10 years later | 975 | |
| 11 years later | 801 | |
| 12 years later | 645 |
Average 3.79 years; 33% of campaigns land five years or more after the car was built. A recall notice is rarely news about a fresh defect — usually it is an old one finally acknowledged.
Recalls by brand
Campaign count follows how many models a brand sells, so the meaningful column is the gap — how long it takes to admit a defect.
| Brand | Campaigns | Avg gap before admission |
|---|---|---|
| Ford | 4.14 yrs | |
| Chevrolet | 4.94 yrs | |
| Dodge | 4.65 yrs | |
| Mercedes-Benz | 3.03 yrs | |
| Toyota | 4.27 yrs | |
| BMW | 4.82 yrs | |
| Nissan | 3.81 yrs | |
| Jeep | 4.17 yrs | |
| Honda | 6.75 yrs | |
| GMC | 3.86 yrs | |
| Lincoln | 3.86 yrs | |
| Volkswagen | 3.64 yrs | |
| Buick | 4.44 yrs | |
| Hyundai | 3.09 yrs | |
| Chrysler | 4.07 yrs | |
| Volvo | 2.74 yrs | |
| Freightliner | 2.46 yrs | |
| Cadillac | 3.46 yrs | |
| Audi | 3.49 yrs | |
| Peterbilt | 2.57 yrs | |
| Kia | 3.73 yrs | |
| Mazda | 5.89 yrs | |
| Kenworth | 1.63 yrs | |
| Forest River | 3.11 yrs | |
| Mitsubishi | 4.93 yrs | |
| Subaru | 6.33 yrs | |
| RAM | 1.86 yrs | |
| Acura | 6.86 yrs | |
| Pontiac | 5.69 yrs | |
| Land Rover | 2.62 yrs |
Check your own car
A campaign applies to a range of production, not to every car of the model. The only way to know whether yours is affected — and whether the repair was already done — is by VIN.
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| Enter the VIN above | Open campaigns for that exact vehicle, straight from NHTSA |
| Check the repair status | Whether the free fix has already been carried out on this car |
| Book at any franchised dealer | Recall work is free regardless of age, mileage or owner |
Go deeper
A campaign covers a production range. Yours is one car.
- Check whether this exact VIN is affected — and whether the fix was done
- Alerts if a new campaign lands on a car in your garage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
What is a car recall?
A manufacturer's admission that a specific fault exists in a specific production range, plus an obligation to fix it free of charge. It is enforced by NHTSA, not offered voluntarily.
How long does it take for a defect to be recalled?
On average 3.79 years after the car was built. 33% of campaigns land five years or more later — by then the car is usually well out of warranty and on its second owner.
Is recall repair free?
Yes, at any franchised dealer, regardless of the car's age, mileage or how many owners it has had.
Does a brand with more recalls make worse cars?
Not necessarily. Campaign count follows model range and sales volume. The more telling figure is how quickly the brand admits a fault once it exists — that column is in the table above.