About
About RecallRide
A free, independent record of vehicle safety in the U.S.: every owner complaint and every recall the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration publishes, for every year, make and model - and what owners themselves say. Updated every day, for anyone, without an account.
Why it exists
The information that matters most before you buy, or while you own, a vehicle is public: owners file safety complaints with NHTSA, and manufacturers report every safety recall to it. But it is hard to read in bulk. RecallRide puts it together one vehicle per page - 2018 Honda Accord, 2015 Ford F-150 - so you can see in a minute what owners report, which problems keep coming up, which recalls apply, and how a model year compares with the others.
Where the data comes from
- Complaints - NHTSA's public complaints database: what owners report to the agency, with the components involved and whether there was a crash, fire, injury or death. NHTSA publishes the first 11 characters of the VIN and removes personal details.
- Recalls - NHTSA's recalls database: the campaign number, the defect, the risk, the remedy, how many vehicles are affected and the vehicles covered.
- Owner experiences - written by owners on this site (share yours).
The site reads NHTSA's public APIs every day: new model years and models are added automatically, newer vehicles are re-checked daily and older ones less often (complaints arrive mostly in a vehicle's first years). Nothing is edited by hand. NHTSA does not verify each complaint, and neither do we - look for patterns, not single reports. RecallRide is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NHTSA, the U.S. Department of Transportation or any manufacturer.
Problem areas
NHTSA files complaints under component names written for engineers ("POWER TRAIN", "SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC"). We group them into the plain-English problem areas people search for - transmission, engine, brakes, electrical, airbags, driver assistance and so on. One complaint can name more than one area, so the areas of a vehicle can add up to more than its complaints.
The Safety Index
Each model year gets a score from 0 to 100 and a grade from A to F. It answers one question: how does this year compare with the same model's other years?
- Severity. Complaints, plus 2 for each crash, fire and injury described, 10 for each death and 3 for each recall.
- Per year on the road. Severity is divided by the vehicle's age (1 to 10 years), because complaints build up over a vehicle's life - a new model is not "better" just because nobody has had time to complain.
- Against its own model. That rate is compared with the median of the model's other years: a typical year scores 50, a year with half the problems about 74, with twice the problems about 26. It needs at least three model years on file.
| Grade | Score | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| A | 75-100 | Far fewer problems than a typical year of the model |
| B | 60-74 | Fewer problems |
| C | 40-59 | Typical |
| D | 25-39 | More problems |
| F | 0-24 | Far more problems than a typical year |
Comparing a model with its own years removes the biggest distortion in raw complaint counts - how many were sold. Comparing different models by complaint totals, as rankings do, mostly measures popularity, so read rankings as "where to look", and read the complaints themselves.
Owner experiences and moderation
Anyone can share an experience, anonymously. Every one is checked automatically before it goes live: a signed form and a hidden field stop bots, there are limits per person per day, emails, phone numbers and full VINs are masked, links are disabled, and anything that looks like spam is held back. Readers can flag a report; three flags hide it automatically. IP addresses are never stored - only a one-way code used for those limits. See the rules and the privacy policy.
Free, and staying that way
The site may show advertising to pay for itself. Advertisers have no say in what is shown, and the data is the same for everyone. Developers can use the free API.
Questions
How do I check if my car has a recall?
Choose your vehicle's year, make and model above (or decode your VIN with the VIN check) to see every recall NHTSA lists for it. Not every vehicle of a model year is in every recall, so confirm your exact car by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls - it also shows whether the repair has been done.
Where does the data come from?
Complaints and recalls come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal agency that collects vehicle safety complaints from owners and oversees recalls. The site checks NHTSA every day. Owner experiences are written by owners on this site. RecallRide is independent and not affiliated with NHTSA.
Are recall repairs free?
Yes. Manufacturers must fix safety recalls free of charge at their authorized dealers, whether or not you bought the vehicle there. If you paid for the repair before the recall was announced, you may be able to get reimbursed - see how.
What is the Safety Index?
A score from 0 to 100 (grades A to F) comparing a model year with the same model's other years: complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls, per year on the road. 50 is a typical year; higher means fewer problems. It needs at least three model years to compare and is recalculated every few hours. How it works.
Which car years should I avoid?
Open the model's page (for example Honda Accord) to see every year compared: complaints, recalls and the Safety Index side by side, with the year that has the most complaints for its age highlighted. Then read that year's complaints to see whether the problems matter to you.
Can I share my own experience?
Yes - and please do. Share your experience in two minutes: rate your vehicle, say what went wrong (or that nothing did), and add the mileage and repair cost if you like. It's free and anonymous, goes live straight away and helps every owner and buyer who checks that vehicle. For safety defects, also report them to NHTSA - that's how recalls start.
Are the complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as owners file them, without verifying each one, and the same is true of owner experiences here. Look for patterns - many owners describing the same problem - rather than single reports.