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Free NHTSA Recall Database

Car Recalls Canada

Check whether your vehicle has an open NHTSA safety recall. Recalls cover defects that affect safety — brakes, airbags, fuel systems, electronics — and manufacturers are required by law to repair them at no cost to you.

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Most-checked vehicles in Canada

These three model lines see the highest recall lookup volume from Canadian buyers. If you drive one, it's worth checking the year-by-year recall breakdown — there's a reasonable chance at least one campaign affects your vehicle.

Honda Civic Recalls (2016–2023)

One of the most-checked vehicles in Canada. Multiple recall campaigns spanning fuel system, airbag inflator, and electronic safety components.

Toyota RAV4 Recalls (2016–2023)

Canada's best-selling SUV. Recall history includes fuel evaporative system, transmission control, and seatbelt anchor campaigns.

Ford F-150 Recalls (2016–2023)

Canada's best-selling truck. Major recall campaigns covering brake system, rear-view camera, transmission, and powertrain components.

How vehicle recalls actually work

A vehicle recall is issued when a manufacturer or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration determines that a defect creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recalls cover everything from cosmetic-but-required label corrections to severe defects that can cause fires, sudden loss of control, or airbag failure.

Once a recall is issued, the manufacturer is required to notify registered owners by mail, provide a free repair, and continue making the repair available indefinitely. The repair is performed by any authorized dealer of that manufacturer — you don't need to go back to where you bought the car. Every NHTSA recall is assigned a campaign number (the format looks like 20V-123 or 21E-456) that tracks the specific issue and authorizes the dealership service system to process the free repair.

The recall database we surface on this site pulls directly from NHTSA's public API. Each recall record includes the affected component, the failure mode, the consequence if unaddressed, the manufacturer's remedy, and an estimated count of vehicles affected. We don't modify the data, we don't paywall it, and we don't require an account — we present it cleanly so Canadian buyers can make informed decisions before purchase or before service.

Canadian recalls and the NHTSA database

Canadian vehicle buyers occasionally ask whether US-issued NHTSA recalls are relevant to vehicles sold in Canada. The short answer is yes, in nearly all cases. Major automakers design and homologate vehicles for the integrated North American market, and safety defects identified by NHTSA almost always affect Canadian-sold variants. Canadian dealerships are required to honour these recalls and perform the free repairs.

For thoroughness, Transport Canada operates a parallel Vehicle Recalls Database at tc.canada.ca that catalogues recalls issued by Canadian authorities or applied to Canada-specific vehicle variants. The overlap with NHTSA is substantial — most recalls appear in both databases — but checking Transport Canada as a secondary source is sensible due diligence, particularly for vehicles imported from countries other than the US.

There are three Canadian-specific factors that affect how recall data should be interpreted in practice. First, the country of manufacture matters for warranty: a vehicle with VIN character 1 indicating US manufacture has the same recall coverage but may have different warranty terms if it was originally sold in the US and later imported. Second, climate exposure compounds defect risk: a recall affecting cold-weather operation (battery, fuel line freezing, heater core) is more relevant for vehicles that have spent years in Canadian winters than the same model driven only in California. Third, salvage and rebuilt titles vary by province: provincial rules around what makes a vehicle a write-off after collision differ significantly, and rebuilt vehicles may have had recall-mandated parts replaced with non-OEM substitutes during repair.

What to do if your car has an open recall

If your VIN check returns one or more open recalls, the path forward is straightforward but worth doing properly. Here's the workflow we recommend:

  1. 1

    Read the Consequence statement on each recall

    Each NHTSA recall includes a Consequence field describing what could happen if the defect goes unaddressed. Most recalls are advisory and can wait for your next service appointment. A smaller subset (involving airbags, fuel systems, brakes, steering) are urgent enough that NHTSA explicitly recommends not driving the vehicle until repaired. Read this section first — it determines urgency.

  2. 2

    Note the campaign number and your VIN

    The campaign number (formatted like 20V-123) is how dealerships look up the specific repair procedure. Save it along with the recall summary and your full VIN somewhere accessible — phone notes, screenshot, email to yourself. You'll need both when you contact the dealership.

  3. 3

    Call any authorized dealer of your vehicle's manufacturer

    You do not need to return to the original selling dealer. Any authorized dealer of your make can perform the recall repair at no cost. Mention you have an open recall, provide the campaign number, and ask about availability of parts and labour time. For uncomplicated recalls, you can often book the appointment immediately.

  4. 4

    If the remedy is "not yet available," wait for parts

    Some recalls are issued before manufacturers have fully produced replacement parts. If yours is in this state, the dealer will note your VIN and contact you when parts arrive (usually 60-90 days). For interim safety measures (alternative transportation, mitigation steps), call the manufacturer's customer service number listed on the official recall notice.

  5. 5

    Keep documentation after the repair is complete

    Once the recall is performed, request the service receipt showing the campaign number and repair date. This documentation is valuable when you later sell the vehicle (it answers the buyer's question "have all recalls been addressed?") and protects you if the same issue recurs after repair.

Browse recalls by manufacturer

Looking for recalls on a specific make? Jump directly to the year-by-year breakdown. We cover the most popular vehicles in the Canadian market.

Toyota

Camry & more

Honda

Civic & more

Ford

F-150 & more

Chevrolet

Silverado & more

Hyundai

Elantra & more

Kia

Sportage & more

Mazda

CX-5 & more

Nissan

Rogue & more

Browse all 15+ makes

Frequently asked

How do I know if my car has an open recall?
The fastest way is to enter your 17-character VIN in our free decoder above — it cross-references the NHTSA recall database and shows any active campaigns affecting your specific vehicle. Alternatively, you can browse by manufacturer and model below for a year-by-year breakdown. NHTSA also operates a direct VIN lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls, and Transport Canada maintains a parallel database at tc.canada.ca for Canada-specific variants.
Are NHTSA recalls free to repair?
Yes. By US federal law (Motor Vehicle Safety Act), manufacturers must repair recall defects at no cost to the vehicle owner, regardless of whether the vehicle is under warranty or how old it is. This applies to recalls issued within the past 15 years for cars sold in the US and Canada through authorized dealerships. The repair is performed by any authorized dealer of that manufacturer — you do not need to return to the original selling dealer.
Are US NHTSA recalls valid for cars sold in Canada?
In most cases, yes. Because automakers design vehicles for the integrated North American market, recalls issued by NHTSA almost always apply to vehicles sold on both sides of the border. Canadian dealers are required to honour the recall and perform free repairs. For the small subset of Canada-specific variants (different fuel grade calibrations, climate adaptations, market-only feature sets), Transport Canada maintains a parallel recall database — we recommend checking both sources for thoroughness.
What does the recall "campaign number" actually mean?
Each recall is assigned a unique NHTSA campaign number (formatted like 20V-123 or 21E-456) that identifies the specific issue, its scope, and the assigned remedy. The dealership uses this number to look up the repair procedure in the manufacturer's service system. When you bring your car in for a recall fix, mention the campaign number — it speeds up the service write-up and ensures the correct repair procedure is applied. The campaign number is also useful for tracking whether the repair has been performed if you buy a used car later.
How serious is a recall — should I stop driving immediately?
NHTSA classifies recalls by severity. Most are advisory and can wait until your next scheduled service appointment (weeks to a few months is reasonable). A smaller subset are urgent — affecting airbags, fuel systems, brakes, or steering — where NHTSA explicitly recommends parking the vehicle until repair. Our recall pages show each recall's Consequence statement (what could happen if unaddressed) and Remedy (what the fix involves). For ambiguous cases, the conservative move is to call the manufacturer's customer line or your dealer and ask whether the recall affects safe operation in the meantime.
I bought a used car — am I responsible for unfixed recalls?
You as the new owner are not legally liable for performing the recall, but you bear the safety risk of driving a vehicle with a known defect. Used car dealers in many Canadian provinces are required to disclose known open recalls before sale, but enforcement varies and private-sale transactions usually have no such requirement. The safer assumption: every used car purchase should include a VIN-based recall check, performed before money changes hands. If open recalls are found, the seller should be expected to address them or reduce the price accordingly.
My recall says "remedy not yet available" — what does that mean?
When manufacturers issue a recall, they sometimes do so before parts or repair procedures are finalized — this is required because federal law mandates timely notification once a defect is identified, even if the fix is still in development. "Remedy not yet available" means the manufacturer has acknowledged the problem and is producing replacement parts or finalizing the service procedure. You will receive a follow-up notification (usually within 60-90 days) when the fix is ready. In the interim, the manufacturer may offer alternative measures (loaner vehicles, mitigation steps) — contact the customer service line listed on your recall notice for specifics.
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Data disclaimer:Vehicle history information on CarHistoryReport.ca is compiled from publicly available government sources, primarily the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Reports may not include all incidents, recalls, or issues related to a specific vehicle. Data is provided "as-is" without warranty of completeness or accuracy. Always obtain a professional pre-purchase inspection before buying any used vehicle. CarHistoryReport.ca is not liable for purchasing decisions made based on report contents.