Most recalls are issued after manufacturers see an increase in warranty claims or complaints from owners, says Michael Crossen, lead auto technician at CR. Automakers may also uncover a defect during routine quality control tests, or a supplier may discover that a machine was out of calibration or that employees weren’t properly trained.

Recalls address safety problems. Steering systems that don’t work or seat belts that don’t buckle properly, for example, would be causes for a recall, but peeling paint or a bad Bluetooth connection probably would not. Sometimes vehicles are recalled because they don’t meet specific regulations put forth in federal motor vehicle safety standards. For example, there could be a misprint on a warning label or, in the case of the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, which had a recall earlier this year, the rear seats could be wider than regulations allow based on the number of available seat belts. Not every recall requires a trip to the dealership. In some cases, the manufacturer can fix a problem with a software update, much like for a phone or computer.

All recalls are supervised by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which can fine automakers that don’t disclose defects or fix them quickly enough. In most cases, automakers initiate recalls themselves, but sometimes they need encouragement. “While NHTSA isn’t out there actively doing recalls, they’re influencing manufacturers behind the scenes and pushing them to take action,” says Michael Brooks, executive director for the Center for Auto Safety, a nonprofit advocacy group. Fortunately, it’s very rare for NHTSA to have to order a manufacturer to recall a vehicle.

Recalls are a key part of car safety, says Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at CR’s Auto Test Center. Recalled vehicles can still be reliable in the long term, and even multiple recalls don’t necessarily mean a car is a lemon. “Timely, comprehensive recalls that fix a problem show that the system is working to address a safety issue,” she says.

• Manufacturing defects happen when a part isn’t built correctly, such as when a supplier doesn’t follow specifications given to it by an automaker. That’s what led to a recall this year of nearly 600,000 General Motors pickup trucks and SUVs for potential engine failure. 

• Design defects are when parts are manufactured properly but don’t work as expected or fail prematurely, such as in the case of the infamous and ongoing Takata airbag recall, in which millions of airbag inflators turned into dangerous projectiles after a few years of moisture exposure. 

• Assembly defects occur if the right parts aren’t installed correctly, which was the situation when rear-seat mounting bolts were left off some Kia EV9 SUVs this year.

When a manufacturer recalls a vehicle, it must mail an official recall notice to the most recent registered owner as soon as it’s aware of the problem. “The notice must explain any potential safety hazard, and detail when and how people can get the problem corrected,” Wallace says. Automakers might also email owners or put an alert on the car’s infotainment screen. You can also see recalls posted at nhtsa.gov/recalls. There, you can enter your license plate number to determine whether your car has any open recalls. 

Even if you see on the news that the specific make, model, and year of vehicle you own has been recalled, your individual vehicle may not be part of the campaign. To find out for certain whether your car is included in a recall, you need its unique vehicle identification number (VIN), a 17-digit combination of numbers and letters that can be found on the dashboard near the bottom of the windshield on the driver’s side. (You will need that number not only when checking for a recall but also when contacting your dealer to schedule a repair, so keep it handy.)

If your car has been recalled, the next step is to contact a local dealership to handle the repair. You can take your car to any dealership that sells the brand of vehicle you own, even if it isn’t the dealership where you purchased the car. “Automakers send instructions to dealerships on how to fix the problem,” Crossen says. “Those instructions will include what parts to use and directions on how to perform the recall.” Because dealership service centers are often busy, he says you should make an appointment for a recall repair rather than just showing up.

If you’ve already paid to fix a problem that was later included in a recall, you may be able to get reimbursed. But hurry; many automakers put strict time limits on how long you have to file.

Most recalls are seamless, Crossen says. But occasionally, you might come across a hiccup, like one of the following five scenarios. “If something goes wrong, start by talking to the dealership,” he says. “If that fails, call the automaker’s customer service hotline number that’s printed on every recall notice.”

“Automakers may announce a recall before they’ve figured out how to handle the problem, because of federal reporting requirements,” Crossen says. “If that happens, you’ll have to wait for a second notice to tell you that a repair is ready.” Sometimes, as an owner, you might even find out about a recall before a dealership does.

Another cause for that delay may be a lack of replacement parts. It might take weeks or even months after a recall announcement for parts to be ready. Even if parts are available, recalls that include hundreds of thousands of cars can overwhelm dealerships, and the next appointment might not be available for a while.

The original recall notice should tell you about how long the repair will take. If it’s a multihour or multiday procedure, when you make an appointment, ask the dealership for a loaner vehicle or at least a ride home. Loaner vehicles aren’t required by law, but Crossen says automakers will sometimes offer one depending on the severity of the problem and the length of the repair.

Occasionally, unscrupulous dealerships may artificially limit the number of recall repairs they schedule so that their service technicians can do other, more lucrative jobs, says Raymond Roth, director and automotive recalls practice leader at Stout. “We have observed some instances of dealers telling vehicle owners that parts are not available when they actually were, because [the dealerships] viewed other repair work as being more profitable,” he says. If your local dealership tells you to wait, call the next closest one to see whether it has appointments available.

Recall repairs are required to be free for vehicles up to 15 years old, and automakers will often voluntarily waive costs for safety repairs on older models. But Brooks and Roth say that they’ve heard complaints about car dealerships that use recall repairs to get owners to spend extra. “They use it as kind of a sales pitch, so they can offer other services,” Brooks says. If a dealership doing recall work tells you that your car needs other pricey repairs, Crossen recommends taking your car to a trusted mechanic for a second opinion before committing to any work beyond the recall fix.

It’s important to note that a free recall repair doesn’t extend to other related components that might need to be replaced in the process, Brooks says. “If there’s a bumper recall and the structure behind the bumper is so rusted out that they can’t even attach the replacement, the consumer would be on the hook for that other portion of the vehicle,” he says.

Similarly, if the dealership determines that your car is unsafe in ways unrelated to a recall—if the tires are bald or the brakes are failing, for example—it may rightfully recommend that you get those problems fixed immediately.

Crossen says that drivers should look closely at the details in the recall notice. That will help determine whether you’re comfortable driving the vehicle while you wait for a repair. It’s fine to drive a car with a misprinted warning label, for example. Or if the issue is with the front-passenger seat belt, it may be safe to drive alone or with passengers in the rear seat. Sometimes the notice will caution drivers against using a specific feature until it can be repaired, such as when Chrysler told drivers of some Pacifica plug-in hybrid minivans that they shouldn’t charge their vehicles until they had been repaired.

For more serious problems, such as engine or transmission defects, the notice may tell drivers which signs to watch or listen for that could indicate imminent failure—dashboard warning lights or a funny sound. If you notice one of those signs, you should pull over safely and call a tow truck.

Federal law prohibits dealerships from selling new vehicles with unrepaired recalls. When a dealership receives a “stop sale” order, it means you might have to wait to buy the car you want until the defect is remedied. (The Toyota Prius had a stop-sale for a few months in 2024 due to faulty door handles, for example.)

Crossen says that’s when you should stay in touch with the dealership and gauge the situation. If it’s a simple problem and parts are available, it might be worth waiting a few days or weeks for the new car to be fixed and available for sale. “If the repair time frame is unknown, usually because they have not yet figured out how to fix the issue in the first place, I would definitely consider other options, such as making a repair that would let you keep your current car a little longer, or searching for another make and model that isn’t subject to a stop sale,” he says.

Things get a bit more complex with used cars, which can be resold even if there’s an unrepaired problem mentioned in a recall. Before you purchase any used car, enter its vehicle identification number (VIN) at nhtsa.gov/recalls and check to see whether it has any open recalls. (You can often find the VIN on a dealer’s online listing for the vehicle. If you’re already looking at a car in person, you can find it on the dashboard, near where it connects to the windshield, or on the driver’s-side doorjamb.) If you find one, ask the dealership or seller to fix the car before you take delivery. Like any owner, a used-car dealer can take the vehicle to a new-car dealership to have recall work done free of charge. 

Remember that if the prior owner neglected to get recall work done, they may have skipped other maintenance and repair issues, too, so follow our perennial advice: Get any used car inspected by a trusted mechanic before you purchase it.

Official recall notices often use the following terms to explain a problem and its severity.

Do Not Drive
It’s dangerous to operate a car with a Do Not Drive warning. If you receive this notice, call your local dealership immediately to schedule a repair. Ask them to tow your car to the dealership so that you don’t have to put yourself at risk. Many older vehicles in the Takata airbag recall have a Do Not Drive warning, and for good reason. NHTSA says there have been 28 deaths and at least 400 alleged injuries in the U.S. due to defective Takata PSAN airbag inflators.

Fire Risk Warning 
This is exactly what it sounds like: The car in question may catch on fire. If the recall says it could ignite while parked and/or the engine is turned off, the notice may tell you to park outdoors and away from structures. That was the case with many Hyundai and Kia vehicles that were recalled in recent years. If you don’t have a place to park outdoors, contact your local dealership or the automaker’s customer service to ask about alternative transportation.

Do Not Charge
This warning applies only to some recalls of electric cars and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Sometimes automakers say drivers can charge a battery only partway. That was the advice during a Chevrolet Bolt recall from 2020. In 2023, Audi and Porsche warned some drivers not to use certain 220V/240V portable charging cables that came with the car. And in 2022, Chrysler told Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid minivan owners not to charge their vehicles at all.

Not every repair will require a trip to a dealership service department waiting room. With many modern cars, manufacturers can solve problems through an over-the-air (OTA) software update, just like one for your phone or computer. In most cases, if your car is new enough to have a built-in internet connection, you only need to accept a prompt on the infotainment screen. In some cases, the updates happen automatically, and the problem is already fixed by the time the official recall notice arrives. Michael Brooks, from the Center for Auto Safety, says it’s still important for owners to read the entire recall notice. “It lets owners know they don’t have to call their dealer and set up an appointment, because the entire recall is going to take place virtually,” he says.

Your car will probably be undrivable while the update installs. It can take minutes or hours, says John Ibbotson, CR’s chief mechanic. But if you’re not comfortable running the update yourself or if your car is having trouble connecting, you can still go to a dealership and get the new software installed for free.

“Even if your car doesn’t have any open recalls, it’s important to make sure it is running on the latest software,” Ibbotson says. “The next time you bring your car in for scheduled service, ask the dealer to check to make sure everything is up to date.”

These are some of the biggest active recalls, covering millions of vehicles from multiple manufacturers. Problems include software issues and dangerous, faulty airbags. They’re shown chronologically, in order of each recall’s original date.

Automakers are required by law to contact the current owner of a recalled vehicle. But sometimes database errors mean that names and addresses might not match, and automakers may be unable to contact owners who have changed addresses without notifying their state’s department of motor vehicles. To make sure your car doesn’t have an open recall, check nhtsa.gov/recalls and sign up for CR’s Car Recall Tracker.