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Consumer Alert: NHTSA Encourages You to Report Your Vehicle’s Safety Issues

| Washington, DC

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) identifies safety-related defects in vehicles and equipment to help keep everyone safe on the road. We’re committed to promoting awareness of these safety defects, urging vehicle owners to repair open recalls, and keeping everyone safe. We encourage you to report any issue with your vehicle that you think could be a safety defect. We look closely at every complaint we receive.

It doesn’t matter if your ride is basic or fancy, big or small – we want to hear from you. And whether your safety issue is mechanical, electrical, or governed by software—if it presents an unreasonable risk to safety, manufacturers are required to file a NHTSA safety recall to fix it for free.

Unrepaired vehicle recalls are dangerous to you, your passengers, and others on the road. NHTSA administered nearly 900 safety recalls affecting more than 55 million vehicles and other equipment in 2020. Many of those recalls began as a complaint from a member of the public. 

Let NHTSA know if you think your vehicle may have a safety defect that isn’t part of a current recall. Contact NHTSA online or call the agency’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

NHTSA also encourages you to keep yourself, your family, and your neighbors safe by checking for vehicle safety recalls and getting any open recalls fixed for free. For more information, visit NHTSA.gov/Recalls. Don’t risk your safety, that of your loved ones, or others on the road by failing to address any open vehicle recall. Protect yourself and your family.

How to Check for Recalls

  • Use NHTSA’s Recalls Lookup Tool to check your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for any open recalls, including Takata recalls.
  • Download our SaferCar app and let it check automatically for you. 
  • If a vehicle does have a recall, call your local dealer to schedule the free repair. 
  • Sign up at NHTSA.gov/Alerts to be notified by email if your vehicle is affected by a future recall.

NHTSA

NHTSAmedia@dot.gov 202-366-9550