Is this lookup free and keyless?

Yes. It uses the NHTSA vPIC decoder and the public NHTSA recalls API, both of which are open to the browser with no API key or account. Data is fetched directly from the U.S. government services.

Why does it need the full 17-character VIN?

The VIN is first decoded to a specific year, make, and model. Recalls are issued by vehicle type rather than by individual VIN in this endpoint, so an accurate decode of all 17 characters is required to find the right campaigns.

Does no recalls found mean my car is safe?

It means NHTSA has no open recall campaigns on record for that year, make, and model at the moment you checked. Recalls can be issued at any time, so re-check periodically and confirm with a dealer before major repairs.

What is the NHTSA campaign number?

Each recall is assigned a campaign number such as 23V123000. You can enter that number on NHTSA.gov to read the full notice, affected build dates, and the official remedy instructions, which the tool links to directly.

Does this work outside the United States?

The data covers vehicles sold in the U.S. market, since NHTSA is the U.S. regulator. A vehicle sold elsewhere may not appear even if a similar model has a recall in another market with its own safety authority.

NHTSA Recall Lookup — Gera Tools

Open safety recalls are a free, fast way to catch known defects before they cause harm. This tool takes a full VIN, decodes it through the NHTSA vPIC service, and pulls every open recall campaign for that year, make, and model straight from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

How it works

The lookup runs in two steps, both against keyless NHTSA endpoints:

1. DecodeVinValues/<VIN>  -> ModelYear, Make, Model
2. recallsByVehicle?make=&model=&modelYear=  -> recall campaigns

For each campaign the service returns the affected Component, a Summary of the defect, the Consequence if left unrepaired, the Remedy, and the NHTSACampaignNumber. The tool renders these and links each campaign to its official NHTSA.gov page.

Notes and tips

Recalls are matched by year, make, and model — not by your individual VIN — so a result lists every campaign that could apply to that vehicle type. Always confirm against the dealer whether your specific VIN falls inside the affected build range, because campaigns frequently cover only a subset of production. A clean result is a snapshot in time; new recalls are issued continually, so a periodic re-check is worthwhile, especially before buying a used vehicle.