Data source and method

Last data refresh: 2026-10-20.

Sources

• Recalls: NHTSA recall flat file for model years 2010 and later (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010), vehicle recalls only.
• Fuel economy and yearly fuel cost: EPA data from fueleconomy.gov (vehicles.csv).
• The VIN check on our home page asks NHTSA's public APIs directly from your browser (vPIC VIN decoder and recalls by vehicle). We do not store VINs.

How we group models

NHTSA and EPA name models differently (for example NHTSA lists "330I XDRIVE" while EPA groups it under "3 Series"). We match NHTSA model names to EPA model families with a reviewed mapping table. Each page combines every NHTSA name mapped to that family. Names we could not match with confidence, and vehicles EPA does not rate (such as heavy-duty pickups, chassis cabs and motorcycles), are left out.

This build uses 106,845 recall rows covering 4,737 campaigns across 592 model families from 59 makes.

Limits

A recall on a model does not mean every car of that model is affected, and a car may already have been repaired. Only a VIN check with NHTSA or the automaker tells you about a specific vehicle. Recall summaries are NHTSA's text, shortened. Fuel cost figures are EPA estimates.

Found an error? Tell us.