Car recall glossary
A vehicle recall is a free, manufacturer-funded repair for a safety defect or a failure to meet a federal safety standard. Each gets a unique NHTSA campaign number (e.g. 23V865000); the remedy is the fix and the consequence is what could happen if it isn't done. An open recall is one not yet repaired on your VIN. The most serious carry Do Not Drive or Park Outside warnings. Definitions of these and other terms are below.
Source: NHTSA Recalls API. Data as of June 2026.
Recall terms, defined
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Recall campaign | A manufacturer's program to repair, replace or refund a vehicle (or part) that has a safety defect or fails a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. Each campaign has a unique NHTSA campaign number. |
| NHTSA campaign number | The unique ID NHTSA assigns to a recall, formatted like 23V865000. The middle letter shows the type: V = vehicle, E = equipment, T = tires, C = child seats. The first two digits are the year it was filed. Quote this number when booking the free repair. |
| Remedy | The free fix the manufacturer must provide for a recalled vehicle — repair, replacement, or in rare cases a refund or buyback. Most safety-recall remedies never expire and are done at a franchised dealer. |
| Consequence | NHTSA's plain-language statement of what could happen if the defect is not fixed — for example, increased crash risk, fire, or loss of steering. It tells you how urgent the repair is. |
| Component | The vehicle system the recall affects, in NHTSA's category scheme — e.g. AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL SYSTEM, STEERING, POWER TRAIN. Pages on this site group recalls by their top-level component. |
| Open vs. completed recall | An 'open' recall has not yet been repaired on a specific VIN; a 'completed' recall has. The NHTSA VIN lookup only shows open (unrepaired) recalls. A model's recall history can list many campaigns even if your VIN's repairs are all done. |
| Stop-sale / Do Not Drive | A Do Not Drive advisory tells owners to stop driving the vehicle until the recall is fixed because the risk is severe (e.g. certain unrepaired Takata airbags). A stop-sale order bars dealers from selling affected new or used vehicles until they are remedied. |
| Park Outside | A NHTSA/manufacturer warning to park the vehicle away from structures and other vehicles because it can catch fire even when off — used for some electrical and battery recalls. The data flags this as 'parkOutSide'. |
| Takata airbag recall | The largest recall in US history: tens of millions of vehicles whose Takata airbag inflators can rupture and spray metal fragments. Some unrepaired vehicles carry a Do Not Drive warning. The repair is free; check your VIN. |
| Owner complaint | A safety report an owner files with NHTSA about a suspected defect. A high complaint count can signal a problem and sometimes leads to an investigation or recall, but a complaint is one person's report, not a confirmed defect. |
| Investigation (PE / EA / RQ) | An NHTSA inquiry into a possible defect, opened from complaints or data. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) can become an Engineering Analysis (EA) and, if a defect is confirmed, a recall. A Recall Query (RQ) checks whether an existing recall is adequate. |
| TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) | A manufacturer notice to dealers about a known issue and its fix. Unlike a recall, a TSB is not safety-mandated and the repair is usually only free under warranty. A TSB is not a recall. |
| VIN | The 17-character Vehicle Identification Number unique to your vehicle. It encodes make, model, year and plant, and is how NHTSA and the manufacturer tie a recall to your exact car. Letters I, O and Q are never used. |
| Over-the-air (OTA) update | Some recalls — especially software defects on EVs and newer vehicles — are remedied by an over-the-air update with no dealer visit. The data flags these as 'overTheAirUpdate'. |
| NCAP 5-Star Safety Rating | NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash-test program. Vehicles get up to 5 stars overall and for frontal crash, side crash and rollover resistance. Not every model or year is tested, so a 'Not rated' result is common. |
Use these terms
- Check your VIN for open recalls at NHTSA.
- Browse vehicle recall histories by make and model.
- Recall vs TSB vs investigation explained.
- The Takata airbag recall explained.
Definitions reflect how NHTSA uses these terms (nhtsa.gov/recalls). For your exact vehicle, always rely on the official VIN lookup. Data as of June 2026.
Last updated: 2026-06-20