Buying or Selling a Used Car With an Open Recall
Millions of cars on U.S. roads have a safety recall that was never repaired, and many of them are for sale. An open recall is not a reason to walk away from a car on its own — the repair is free — but you should know it is there before you buy, and know the rules that apply to the seller.
What the law says about selling
- New-car dealers may not sell or lease a new vehicle that has an open safety recall until it has been repaired.
- Rental companies with fleets of 35 or more vehicles may not rent out a vehicle with an open recall until it is fixed, under the federal Safe Rental Car Act. When a recall has no fix yet, the car has to be grounded unless the manufacturer's notice specifically allows an interim measure.
- Used-car sales are different. Federal law does not currently prohibit a dealer or a private seller from selling a used vehicle with an open recall. Some states have their own disclosure rules, and some dealers and certified pre-owned programs choose to complete recalls before sale, but you should not assume it has been done.
How to check a used car before you buy
- Get the VIN. It is on the lower left of the windshield and on the driver's door jamb. Make sure the two match and match the title.
- Run it at nhtsa.gov/recalls. This shows recalls that are still unrepaired on that exact vehicle, for recalls in roughly the last 15 years. It is free and takes seconds.
- Read what each open recall means. Look up the model and year on this site. Each recall page explains the defect in plain English, its severity, and whether the notice tells owners to stop driving or park outside.
- Look at the bigger picture for that model year. Our used-car pages (linked from each model page under its model years) collect every recall for a model year along with how many complaints owners have filed with NHTSA, and which problem areas they cluster in.
- Ask for service records. A dealer can print the recall and warranty history for a VIN. Completed recalls show up there.
When an open recall should change your decision
Most open recalls are simply a dealer visit you will need to book. A few deserve more thought:
- Do-not-drive or park-outside recalls. If the notice says not to drive the vehicle, you should not drive it home either. Ask the seller to get the repair done first, or arrange towing straight to a dealer. See the do-not-drive and park-outside lists.
- Recalls with no remedy yet. If parts are not available, you may be buying a car you cannot fully use for weeks or months. Check whether the notice is an interim one.
- Repeated recalls in the same area. Several recalls on the same system — fuel, steering, air bags — can mean an ongoing problem. Our problem guides show this pattern by make.
- Lots of complaints without a recall. If owners report many problems in an area with no recall, a fix is not guaranteed. The watchlist highlights these model years.
Negotiating
Because the repair is free, an open recall is usually not a big price lever on its own. What it can do is give you a reason to ask the seller to complete it before handover, or to adjust the price if the car will be off the road while you wait for parts. A long wait for parts on a do-not-drive recall is a genuine cost to you.
After you buy
- Recalls follow the vehicle, not the owner. You are entitled to the free repair even as the second or third owner.
- Update your registration promptly. Manufacturers mail recall letters using state registration records, so a car registered under the previous owner's address can miss future notices.
- Save the car in My Garage on the home page of this site, or follow the model's RSS feed, to see new recalls.
If you are the seller
The simplest thing is to get any open recall repaired before listing — it is free and removes a question from every buyer's mind. If parts are not available, tell buyers up front and give them the campaign number. They will see it in a VIN check anyway, and being clear about it builds trust.