Recalls
How vehicle recalls work
Most vehicle recalls start with a pattern: owners report the same problem, the manufacturer sees warranty claims pile up, or regulators spot a trend. The manufacturer then decides, often under pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), that the problem is a safety defect and must be fixed for free. Here is how that process works.
What counts as a safety defect
A recall is needed when a vehicle or piece of equipment has:
- a safety defect, meaning a problem that poses an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety, or
- a noncompliance, meaning it does not meet a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS).
Things like a failing transmission that can suddenly lose drive, brakes that lose pressure, wiring that can catch fire or an airbag that may not deploy can all be safety defects. Cosmetic problems, normal wear and tear, poor fuel economy or a radio that stops working usually are not, although a fault in a system needed for safe driving, such as the windshield defroster, can be.
Problems that are costly but not a safety risk are sometimes handled through warranty extensions or service bulletins instead. See service bulletins and goodwill repairs.
Where recalls start
NHTSA and manufacturers learn about possible defects from several sources:
- Owner complaints to NHTSA. Every complaint is reviewed and goes into a public database. You can read recent ones on our complaints page.
- Early Warning Reporting. Manufacturers must regularly send NHTSA data such as warranty claims, field reports and claims involving deaths or injuries.
- The manufacturer's own testing and warranty data.
- Dealer and technician reports, crash investigations and other regulators.
Owner complaints matter more than most people think. One complaint rarely triggers a recall, but many complaints describing the same failure can. That is why we encourage owners to file a complaint with NHTSA.
How NHTSA investigates
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) screens complaints and other data, looking for trends. When it sees a possible safety defect, it can open a formal investigation. Each type has its own code, followed by the year and a number.
| Code | Name | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| DP | Defect Petition | Anyone can petition NHTSA to open an investigation. NHTSA reviews the petition and decides whether to grant it. |
| PE | Preliminary Evaluation | The first stage. ODI gathers information from the manufacturer and owners to see if there is a problem worth deeper study. |
| EA | Engineering Analysis | A deeper investigation, often with testing and detailed analysis, to decide whether a safety defect exists. |
| RQ | Recall Query | Looks at whether an existing recall covered all the affected vehicles or whether the fix works. |
| AQ | Audit Query | Looks at whether a manufacturer met its recall obligations, such as reporting on time. |
An investigation can close with no action, close because the manufacturer issues a recall, or move to the next stage. Many recalls happen during or after a PE or EA without NHTSA ever ordering anything.
Voluntary, influenced and ordered recalls
- Voluntary recalls. Most recalls are started by the manufacturer itself, after it decides a defect exists.
- Influenced recalls. Many recalls are technically voluntary but follow an NHTSA investigation. The manufacturer agrees to recall rather than go through a contested process.
- Ordered recalls. If a manufacturer refuses, NHTSA can issue an initial decision, hold a public meeting and then order a recall. Orders can be challenged in court. This is rare.
For you as an owner, the type does not matter. Every safety recall must be fixed for free.
What happens once a recall is decided
- The manufacturer reports to NHTSA. Within five business days of deciding a safety defect or noncompliance exists, it must file a Part 573 Safety Recall Report. This describes the defect, the vehicles affected, the risk and the planned fix.
- NHTSA publishes the recall. It appears on nhtsa.gov/recalls and in our latest recalls and weekly roundups.
- Dealers are told. Dealers receive instructions on how to do the repair.
- Owners are notified. Letters go to registered owners by first-class mail, generally within 60 days of the Part 573 report. If the fix is not ready, owners get an interim letter, then a second letter when it is.
- The fix is made for free. The manufacturer can choose to repair the vehicle, replace it or refund the purchase price. Repair is by far the most common.
- Progress is tracked. Manufacturers send NHTSA regular reports on how many vehicles have been fixed.
How to read a recall number
Each recall gets an NHTSA campaign number. It looks like 20V314000, and each part means something:
| Part | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 20 | The year NHTSA received the recall, here 2020. |
| Type | V | What is being recalled: V for vehicles, E for equipment, T for tires, C for child seats. |
| Sequence | 314 | The order the recall was received in that year and category. |
| Suffix | 000 | Usually 000. |
Manufacturers also give each recall their own campaign code, which is what dealers often use. The recall letter shows both. Give the dealer whichever they ask for, along with your VIN.
What you can do
- Check your VIN for open recalls every few months with our VIN check or at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
- Look up your model, for example /ford/f-150/2015, to see its recalls and complaints side by side.
- If you have a safety problem, file a complaint with NHTSA. It is the official way to get a pattern noticed.
- Share your experience on this site too, so other owners can see it.
Questions and answers
Who decides if a car is recalled?
Usually the manufacturer, often after an NHTSA investigation. If a manufacturer refuses, NHTSA can order a recall, but that is rare.
How many complaints does it take to start a recall?
There is no fixed number. NHTSA looks at how serious the risk is and whether the complaints show a pattern, along with other data. A few reports of a deadly failure can matter more than many reports of a minor one.
What does the V mean in a recall number?
V means the recall covers vehicles. Other letters are E for equipment, T for tires and C for child seats. The first two digits are the year.
What is the difference between a PE and an EA?
A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage of an NHTSA defect investigation. An Engineering Analysis (EA) is a deeper follow-up investigation that may lead to a recall.