The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began offering a new, free, online search tool to find out if a vehicle is recalled, today.
Entering a vehicle’s VIN (vehicle identification number) at safercar.gov will now show what recall repairs are needed and most recalls from the last 15 years.
Recall information in the the VIN lookup tool is provided by the manufacturer conducting the recall. NHTSA does not record VIN information or results provided through the VIN lookup tool. Car information only goes back to 1999.
According to a new NHTSA mandate all major light vehicle and motorcycle manufacturers are required to provide VIN search capability for uncompleted recalls on their own websites. The data must be updated at least weekly.
NHTSA’s new VIN look-up tool directly relies on information from all major automakers, and regularly updated information from the automakers is critical to the efficacy of the search tool.
The VIN search tool does NOT cover:
- Completed safety recall information
- Manufacturer customer service or other non-safety recall campaigns
- International vehicles
- Very recently announced safety recalls for which not all VINs have been identified
- Safety recalls conducted by small vehicle manufacturers, including some ultra-luxury brands and specialty applications
Starting February 18, all manufacturers must use a distinctive label on required mailings that notify owners of recalled vehicles or equipment.
NHTSA’s Safercar mobile app is available for both Apple/iPhone and Android .