Recall Check by VIN — Free NHTSA Recall Lookup

Quick answer

To check a car for recalls, enter its VIN in the field above: the number is matched against all 9,819 NHTSA campaigns and shows which of them are still open on that exact car, with the repair free at any franchised dealer. A recall is not news about a new defect — it is an admission of an old one: the average gap between building the car and admitting the fault is 3.78 years, and 32.9% 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.

FIG.01·what gets recalled
System	Campaigns	Share
Electrical System	984	10%
Air Bags	891	9.1%
Fuel System, Gasoline	749	7.6%
Power Train	677	6.9%
Equipment	667	6.8%
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	611	6.2%
Steering	595	6.1%
Seat Belts	516	5.3%
Suspension	483	4.9%
Exterior Lighting	470	4.8%
Engine And Engine Cooling	410	4.2%
Structure	394	4%

ROWS 12·SOURCE NHTSA recall campaigns

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.

FIG.02·How long before a defect is recalled
Gap before the recall	Campaigns	Relative to peak
Same year	9,851	100%
1 year later	6,165	63%
2 years later	4,348	44%
3 years later	3,379	34%
4 years later	2,795	28%
5 years later	2,426	25%
6 years later	1,985	20%
7 years later	1,615	16%
8 years later	1,419	14%
9 years later	1,238	13%
10 years later	980	10%
11 years later	805	8%
12 years later	648	7%

ROWS 13·SOURCE ForCar, computed from NHTSA campaign numbers

Average 3.78 years; 32.9% 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.

FIG.03·Recall campaigns and response time by brand
Brand	Campaigns	Avg gap before admission
Ford	1,302	4.11 yrs
Chevrolet	708	4.93 yrs
Dodge	514	4.65 yrs
Mercedes-Benz	449	3.04 yrs
Toyota	402	4.25 yrs
BMW	383	4.79 yrs
Nissan	371	3.8 yrs
Jeep	362	4.05 yrs
Honda	349	6.75 yrs
GMC	333	3.86 yrs
Lincoln	314	3.84 yrs
Volkswagen	311	3.63 yrs
Buick	287	4.42 yrs
Hyundai	283	3.08 yrs
Chrysler	273	4.04 yrs
Volvo	264	2.74 yrs
Freightliner	258	2.47 yrs
Cadillac	252	3.45 yrs
Audi	223	3.5 yrs
Peterbilt	214	2.57 yrs
Kia	197	3.72 yrs
Mazda	194	5.89 yrs
Kenworth	172	1.63 yrs
Forest River	171	3.11 yrs
Mitsubishi	171	4.92 yrs
Subaru	166	6.31 yrs
RAM	155	1.87 yrs
Pontiac	144	5.71 yrs
Acura	140	6.86 yrs
Land Rover	134	2.76 yrs
Jaguar	125	3.22 yrs
Lexus	120	4.07 yrs
Porsche	119	3.28 yrs
Isuzu	116	2.68 yrs
Mack	113	2.57 yrs
Western Star	111	2.09 yrs
Infiniti	105	5.67 yrs
Autocar	96	2.5 yrs
Jayco	96	1.48 yrs
Tesla	92	2.57 yrs
Suzuki	91	3.65 yrs
Entegra	86	1.33 yrs
Coachmen	85	1.7 yrs
Saab	70	3.72 yrs
Saturn	64	4.47 yrs
Ferrari	53	4.06 yrs
Triumph	51	1.3 yrs
Maserati	43	1.5 yrs
Bentley	39	3.03 yrs
Alfa Romeo	37	2.19 yrs
Kawasaki	37	1.39 yrs
Yamaha	37	2.76 yrs
Scion	35	3.3 yrs
International	34	3.13 yrs
Rolls-Royce	34	4.93 yrs
Harley-Davidson	32	1.81 yrs
Heartland	32	1.36 yrs
Ducati	31	5.68 yrs
Genesis	31	1.96 yrs
Airstream	30	1.24 yrs
Lamborghini	30	2.83 yrs
Winnebago	28	1.14 yrs
Aston Martin	24	3.05 yrs
Rivian	24	1.15 yrs
Mini	23	5.21 yrs
Lucid	22	1.06 yrs
Fiat	20	3.09 yrs
Lotus	17	3.26 yrs
Daewoo	12	2.68 yrs
McLaren	12	2.22 yrs
Fisker	11	1.29 yrs
Oshkosh	10	1.17 yrs
Peugeot	9	3.78 yrs
Keystone	8	0.25 yrs
Aprilia	7	1 yrs
KTM	7	1.69 yrs
Renault	5	4.17 yrs
Smart	5	3.5 yrs
Hino	4	0.8 yrs
Husqvarna	4	1.58 yrs
Zeekr	4	0 yrs
Daihatsu	3	13.2 yrs
Ural	3	4.44 yrs
CFMOTO	2	0.5 yrs
Royal Enfield	2	2.25 yrs
Vespa	1	1 yrs

ROWS 86·SOURCE NHTSA + ForCar

Check your own car

All 9,819 campaigns above cover production ranges, not whole models — which is why two identical-looking cars of the same year can differ. The only answer for one specific car comes from its number: check recalls by VIN, free and without signup.

FIG.05·How to check a recall 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

ROWS 3·SOURCE ForCar

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Frequently asked questions

How do I check for a recall on my car?

Enter the VIN in the field at the top of this page. Campaigns cover production ranges rather than whole models, so the make and year alone cannot answer it — of all 9,819 campaigns on record only a handful ever touch one particular car. The check is free, needs no signup, and also shows whether the repair was already carried out.

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 3.78 years after the car was built. 32.9% 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.

Recall campaigns from NHTSA, published as filed. Years elapsed before admission computed by ForCar from the campaign number, which encodes the year it was announced. Last updated Oct 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.

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