VIN-based recall lookup · US
Check your car for active recalls
A vehicle recall is a manufacturer-funded repair issued when a safety defect is discovered after a car has been sold. The repair is free at any authorized dealership for the life of the recall. STEER checks your car's VIN against the official NHTSA recall database (US only at launch — EU coverage is on the roadmap). Roughly one in four recalled vehicles in the US is never brought in for the repair.
NHTSA tracks recall completion rates and historically reports that around 25% of recalled US vehicles remain unrepaired — not because owners refuse, but because the notification got lost, the car changed hands, or the address on file is out of date. That's the gap STEER's VIN-based recall check is built to close.
What recalls are
When a manufacturer discovers a safety issue affecting a batch of cars, they issue a recall. Repairs are usually free at any authorised dealership for the life of the recall.
The catch: notifications get lost in the mail, owners change, addresses change, and a huge number of recalled cars stay unrepaired. STEER closes that gap by checking your VIN against the official database every time it scans.
How STEER checks
When you plug STEER in, it reads your VIN over OBD2 and checks it against the official NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) recall database. If there's an active recall, you see it in the Plan tab with a plain-English summary of the issue and what to do.
Honest disclaimer
Recall lookup is currently US-only
Recall lookup is currently available for US-registered vehicles only. We're actively working on EU recall integration — the data is more fragmented in Europe (each country maintains its own register, and there's no single NHTSA-equivalent yet), so we'd rather wait until we can do it properly than fake it.
Until then, for vehicles registered outside the US please check your manufacturer's website directly, or use your national road-safety authority's recall portal.
What to do if you have a recall
- 1
Call your local authorised dealer
Reference the recall number STEER shows you. They can confirm parts availability.
- 2
Confirm your VIN is eligible
Recalls usually apply to a specific production range, so your VIN is checked at the appointment.
- 3
Schedule the repair
Most recall repairs are free and take a few hours. Some need parts ordered in.