US vehicle recall statistics
A citable summary of US vehicle recall activity compiled from the NHTSA recall database: how many campaigns are issued each year, how many vehicles they affect, and which defect categories account for the most units. Recall repairs are performed free of charge by franchised dealers.
Pricing
Free: VIN decoding and NHTSA safety recall lookups, unlimited, no signup and no credit card. Paid: a full vehicle history report is $9.99 for one VIN, $14.99 for a 3-report pack and $24.99 for a 10-report pack. One-time payment, no subscription and no auto-renewal.
Frequently asked questions
How many vehicle recalls are issued in the US each year?
NHTSA typically records roughly 900 to 1,100 recall campaigns per year, covering tens of millions of vehicles. Exact counts by year are listed on this page and sourced from the NHTSA recall database.
Can I cite these recall statistics?
Yes. Figures are derived from the public NHTSA recall database and each page states the source and the date it was last updated.
Data sources
- NHTSA vPIC VIN decoding API
- NHTSA safety recall database
- NHTSA complaints database
- NMVTIS (U.S. DOJ) title-brand records
CleanVins is not affiliated with Carfax, AutoCheck, NHTSA or NMVTIS.