How do I check a car for open recalls?

How to look up a car

1. Find the VIN. “Look on the lower left of your car’s windshield for your 17-character VIN,” NHTSA says. “Your VIN is also located on your car’s registration card, and it may be shown on your insurance card” (NHTSA). It’s also on the label inside the driver’s side doorjamb (NHTSA), and on the Buyers Guide of a used car for sale (16 CFR 455.2(d)).
2. Search it at NHTSA.gov/recalls. The VIN or plate search shows an unrepaired recall “for a vehicle from certain manufacturers.” With none, you’ll see “0 unrepaired recalls associated with this VIN.”
3. Know what it leaves out. Besides recalls already repaired, NHTSA lists other gaps in the search, including:

Our Recall Check lists every NHTSA campaign for a VIN or a model in plain words, with the fix and how to tell whether a car had it done. NHTSA suggests checking “at least twice a year because hundreds of recalls are issued each year and some recalls are updated” (NHTSA).

What federal law says about the fix

When a recall is required, the manufacturer “shall remedy the defect or noncompliance without charge when the vehicle or equipment is presented for remedy” (49 U.S.C. 30120(a)). The manufacturer chooses how: by repairing the vehicle, replacing it with “an identical or reasonably equivalent vehicle,” or “refunding the purchase price, less a reasonable allowance for depreciation.”

The limits:

• Age. The free remedy doesn’t apply if the vehicle “was bought by the first purchaser more than 15 calendar years” before the recall notice or order, or a tire more than 5 calendar years before (49 U.S.C. 30120(g)). NHTSA notes that manufacturers “may still provide a free remedy for older vehicles, even though not legally required” (NHTSA).
• Tires. A recalled tire has to be presented within 180 days after the later of the recall notice or, if the manufacturer is replacing it, the notice that a replacement is available (49 U.S.C. 30120(b)).

You usually aren’t tied to the dealer that sold you the car. NHTSA says that in most cases, contracts between manufacturers and dealers “require all dealers to honor the recall and remedy defects at no extra charge,” “regardless of where the vehicle or equipment was originally purchased,” and that if a dealer refuses, “you should immediately notify the manufacturer” (NHTSA). When the fix isn’t ready yet, NHTSA’s advice is to “follow any interim safety guidance provided by the manufacturer” (NHTSA).

Used cars

The FTC put it plainly in 2016: “Federal law requires that all new cars sold in the United States be free from recalls, but it does not prohibit auto dealers from selling used cars with open recalls” (FTC). For vehicles, the federal sales limit covers new ones in a dealer’s possession and a rental company’s covered rental vehicles (49 U.S.C. 30120(i)(1)). So the check is yours to do, and the Buyers Guide on a dealer’s used car says so: “OBTAIN A VEHICLE HISTORY REPORT AND CHECK FOR OPEN SAFETY RECALLS” (Buyers Guide, Figure 1, 81 FR 81680). Recall letters go by first-class mail to “all registered owners and lessees” (NHTSA), so you won’t get letters for a car you haven’t bought.

Rental cars

A covered rental vehicle is one with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less, rented without a driver for an initial term of less than four months, from a fleet of 35 or more rental vehicles (49 U.S.C. 30102(a)(1)). Once a rental company is notified of a recall on one in its possession, it may rent, sell or lease that vehicle only if the defect is remedied before delivery (49 U.S.C. 30120(i)(1)). It must comply as soon as practicable, and no later than 24 hours after receiving the notice, or 48 hours for a notice covering more than 5,000 of its vehicles. If the remedy isn’t available yet but the notice describes a temporary fix that removes the safety risk, the company may rent the vehicle after doing it, but not sell or lease it, and once the remedy is available it may not rent the vehicle until it’s remedied (49 U.S.C. 30120(i)(3)). NHTSA notes that the FAST Act of 2015 “included a prohibition on renting unrepaired recalled vehicles” (NHTSA).

What to say

Before you sign: checklist

Recalls are one check among several; How to read a dealer worksheet and How to ask for the out-the-door price cover the numbers.

State notes

FAQ

Sources

1. NHTSA – Check for Recalls: where to find the VIN; what the VIN and plate search shows and leaves out; year, make and model results; interim safety guidance (accessed Oct 2026)
2. NHTSA – Vehicle Safety Recalls Week: VIN on the doorjamb label; check at least twice a year (accessed Oct 2026)
3. NHTSA – Motor Vehicle Safety Defects and Recalls: What Every Vehicle Owner Should Know (rev. Nov 2024): free remedy for older vehicles at the maker’s option; any brand dealer; notify the manufacturer; mailed notices to registered owners (accessed Oct 2026)
4. 49 U.S.C. 30120 (U.S. Code, 2024 ed., govinfo): remedy without charge and its forms, (a); tires, (b); 15- and 5-year limits, (g); new and rental vehicles, (i)(1); rental company deadlines and temporary fixes, (i)(3) (accessed Oct 2026)
5. 49 U.S.C. 30102 (U.S. Code, 2024 ed., govinfo): “covered rental vehicle” defined, (a)(1) (accessed Oct 2026)
6. NHTSA – Consent Order with Zipcar (Oct 16, 2023): the FAST Act’s prohibition on renting unrepaired recalled vehicles (accessed Oct 2026)
7. FTC – Statement Concerning Auto Recall Advertising Cases (Dec 15, 2016): federal law doesn’t prohibit selling used cars with open recalls; state laws as safeguards (accessed Oct 2026)
8. 16 CFR 455.2 (eCFR): the VIN on the Buyers Guide, (d) (accessed Oct 2026)
9. Federal Register – Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule, 81 FR 81664 (Nov 18, 2016), PDF: the Buyers Guide line on checking for open safety recalls (accessed Oct 2026)
10. Cal. Civ. Code 1784.43: three-day right to cancel for used vehicles at $50,000 or less; operative Oct 1, 2026 (accessed Oct 2026)

About this guide

This page is general information about federal rules, and some state rules, as of October 2026. It isn’t legal advice. Your contract and the law control, including your state’s law, and the law can change. If a dealer says a recall doesn’t apply, ask the manufacturer to confirm it in writing.