Recalls to check before you buy a used car

Data as of October 23, 2026. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recalls API. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

• Download the CSV (one row per model, year, and campaign)
• Read this page as Markdown

8 model years are not yet in NHTSA's API. Those rows link to the vehicle on nhtsa.gov and are left out of the totals and the CSV.

Up to 3 campaigns per model year. Each campaign number links to NHTSA.

• For each model and each model year from 2016 to 2025, we read NHTSA's public recallsByVehicle API (api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle) and count distinct campaign numbers. The units figure for each campaign comes from NHTSA's campaignNumber API and covers every vehicle in that campaign, which can include other models.
• NHTSA groups most body styles and trims under the base model name. It lists some versions as separate models, for example the RAV4 Hybrid, F-150 Lightning, Grand Cherokee L, and Ram 1500 Classic, and those are not added in.
• A zero means the API answered successfully with no campaigns for that model name and year, and is shown only for model years 2023 and older. For model year 2024 and newer, NHTSA's per-vehicle API can lag its other listings, so a zero there is shown as "Not yet in NHTSA's API, check nhtsa.gov". The same goes for any year where the API gave an empty answer or the request failed. Those rows link to the vehicle on nhtsa.gov and are left out of the totals, the CSV, and the dataset.
• Top campaigns are ordered by NHTSA's Park It or Park Outside flag first, then by units affected, then by newest report date. The table shows up to 3 per model year; the CSV has every campaign.
• A model-year count does not tell you whether a specific car's recall was repaired. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with the manufacturer.
• The 25 models are a fixed list of common US used models picked for this page. The list is not ranked by sales or listing volume.
• The data is refreshed monthly from NHTSA. NHTSA recall data is US government public data.

Where does this recall data come from?

From NHTSA's public recallsByVehicle API, read for each model and model year. This copy is as of October 23, 2026, and the data is refreshed monthly.

Does a recall count mean a used car still has an open recall?

No. A model-year count does not tell you whether a specific car's recall was repaired. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with the manufacturer.

Why do some model years say Not yet in NHTSA's API, check nhtsa.gov?

For model year 2024 and newer, NHTSA's per-vehicle API can lag its other listings, so a zero there is not shown as a count. The same goes for any year where the API gave an empty answer or the request failed. Those rows link to nhtsa.gov and are left out of the totals and the CSV.

Which models does this page cover?

25 common US used models, model years 2016 to 2025. The list is fixed and is not ranked by sales or listing volume.

Can an agent use this data?

Yes. An agent can read this page as Markdown or pull the CSV, which lists every campaign. To check the asking price on the same car, it can call score_deal over MCP.

Agents can read this page as Markdown or pull the CSV. To check the asking price on the same car, connect DealScore over MCP and call score_deal.