If your car has an open recall, check the specific vehicle using its 17-character VIN or license plate, read the campaign’s safety instructions, and contact a manufacturer’s dealership to arrange the remedy. NHTSA says recall repairs at the manufacturer’s dealership are free. Follow any recall-specific warning—such as “do not drive” or “park outside”—rather than assuming every recalled car has the same risk.
1. Check whether the specific car has an open recall
Use the NHTSA recall lookup and search by VIN or license plate. A VIN is 17 characters and is commonly visible at the lower-left corner of the windshield; it may also appear on registration or insurance documents.
A search by year, make, and model can show general recall information, but it does not confirm whether a particular vehicle has an unrepaired recall. For a vehicle-specific result, use its VIN or plate. NHTSA’s recall guidance also explains how to check and what owners should do.
2. Read the recall details before driving or making an appointment
Open the campaign details and identify the defect or noncompliance, the safety risk, whether a remedy is available, and any temporary precautions. NHTSA says to follow the automaker’s instructions, including any “do not drive” or “park outside” warning. Those directions depend on the individual recall; the word “recall” alone does not establish whether a specific car is safe to drive.
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If the notice says not to drive, do not drive the car to the dealership. Contact the manufacturer or dealer for instructions on how to proceed. If the notice gives a different interim precaution, follow that specific direction while arranging the remedy.
3. Schedule the recall repair with a manufacturer’s dealership
Contact a dealership for the vehicle’s manufacturer and ask to schedule the recall remedy. NHTSA states that vehicle recall repairs at the manufacturer’s dealership are free. When you call, confirm:
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- Whether the remedy is currently available for your vehicle.
- How long the repair is expected to take.
- Whether the vehicle should be driven to the appointment or handled another way.
- What to do if parts or a remedy are not yet available.
NHTSA’s recall information also directs owners to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and arrange the repair.
4. If you never received a recall notice, check anyway
NHTSA’s owner guide says manufacturers must notify registered owners and lessees by first-class mail within 60 days after initiating a recall. The notice describes the safety problem and remedy, but not receiving a letter is not proof that the vehicle has no open recall. Check the VIN or plate through NHTSA, or ask the manufacturer or a dealer to verify the vehicle.
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5. Keep the repair record and follow up if the recall still appears open
Keep the dealership paperwork showing that the recall remedy was completed. If the recall continues to appear open in NHTSA’s lookup afterward, contact the dealer or manufacturer and ask them to confirm that the repair was recorded. NHTSA notes that completion reporting can take time to appear in its systems.
For ongoing notifications, NHTSA provides recall alerts through SaferCar and email notifications. These can help flag recalls, but an alert is not a substitute for checking a particular vehicle’s current status.
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6. Report a suspected safety defect that is not listed
If you believe your vehicle has a safety defect but cannot find it in a current recall, you can report it to NHTSA online or call the Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236. A report does not itself create a recall or replace an existing recall repair; it gives the agency information about a suspected safety problem.
Why it is worth checking
NHTSA reported 997 safety recalls for vehicles and vehicle equipment in the United States in 2025, affecting more than 29 million vehicles. Those are recall counts for that reporting year, not counts of vehicles that remain unrepaired. The only way to learn whether a particular car has an open recall is to check its vehicle-specific record and confirm details with the manufacturer or dealer.
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