Advice:  Two free federal tools to check car and household product recalls before you buy or drive

Advice:  Before a used-car purchase — or about twice a year on a car you already own — run the free recall check on NHTSA's Check for Recalls page.  Enter the 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN) from the lower-left windshield, registration card, or often the insurance card; license-plate search works too.  NHTSA says the VIN or plate search shows unrepaired safety recalls for that vehicle and will display "0 unrepaired recalls associated with this VIN" when none match.

Limits NHTSA states:  repaired recalls may not appear; brand-new recalls may lag while VINs are added (check regularly); recalls older than 15 years are generally omitted; some small or specialty makers are excluded; non-safety service campaigns and international-vehicle recalls are omitted.  Year/make/model search returns broader recall, investigation and complaint results; the same page also covers car seats, tires and equipment.  Manufacturers must fix safety recalls by repair, replacement or refund.

For household products, search published reports of harm or potential harm at SaferProducts.gov — the CPSC public database for products you own or may buy — and browse official recall announcements on the CPSC Recalls listing.  No affiliate links.  This is federal consumer-safety guidance, not a product endorsement.

Source:  NHTSA: Check for Recalls; SaferProducts.gov; CPSC Recalls, checked Nov. 6, 2026.