Vehicle recall glossary

What the codes on a recall notice mean: how a VIN is built and checked, how NHTSA numbers a campaign, what a manufacturer must file and send, and what the free remedy covers. Legal points link the US Code and the Code of Federal Regulations; live data links NHTSA.

• VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)The 17-character code that identifies one vehicle. Recall lookups use it to tell whether that exact vehicle is in a campaign and whether it has been fixed.
• VIN check digitThe 9th character of a North American VIN: a digit 0–9 or X calculated from the other 16 characters, used to catch typos and fake VINs.
• WMI (World Manufacturer Identifier)The first three characters of a VIN, which identify the manufacturer and the region or country where it is registered.
• VIN model year codeThe 10th character of a VIN, a letter or digit that encodes the vehicle's model year on a 30-year cycle.
• NHTSA campaign numberNHTSA's ID for a safety recall, such as 26V606000: the two-digit year, a letter for the recall type and a sequence number.
• Manufacturer recall numberThe carmaker's own code for a recall campaign (for example a short letter-number code on the owner letter), different from NHTSA's campaign number.
• Recall remedyThe fix a manufacturer must provide free of charge for a safety recall: repair, replacement, or a refund of the purchase price less reasonable depreciation.
• Part 573 Safety Recall ReportThe defect or noncompliance report a manufacturer must file with NHTSA within 5 working days of deciding a safety defect or noncompliance exists.
• Owner notification letterThe recall letter mailed to registered owners, due no later than 60 days after the manufacturer files its Part 573 report.
• Do-not-drive and park-outside advisoriesFlags on the most dangerous recalls: owners are told not to drive the vehicle until it is repaired, or to park it outside and away from buildings because of fire risk.
• FMVSSFederal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards: the minimum safety performance rules in 49 CFR Part 571 that vehicles and equipment sold in the US must meet.
• Technical service bulletin (TSB)A manufacturer's repair instruction to dealers for a known problem. It is not a recall: the repair is usually not free once the warranty has ended.

Live data on this site

• US vehicle recalls by make (last 12 months of NHTSA data)
• Recalls by year, make and model

All glossaries