Drive DTC

Free VIN check

What is it, and what does somebody else owe you?

Type a VIN. You get what the vehicle actually is, the safety recalls open on that model – free to fix, for the life of the vehicle – and the repairs federal law makes the maker pay for. No account, nothing to install.

The VIN is on the driver's door sticker, the bottom corner of the windscreen, and your insurance card. It is sent to NHTSA (the U.S. safety regulator) to look up – Drive DTC doesn't keep it.

What it is

Year, make and model from NHTSA's VIN decoder – with trim, body, engine, drive and where it was built when the decoder has them.

Open safety recalls

The recalls NHTSA lists for that model year, the fix for each, and a flag when NHTSA says not to drive it.

Repairs somebody else may owe you

The parts federal emissions law covers for 8 years or 80,000 miles: the catalytic converter, the engine computer and the onboard diagnostic system.

Where the data comes from

An honest note about the source

Recall and vehicle data from NHTSA's free public API. Recalls are listed per model – not every vehicle is affected, and many have already been fixed. A dealer can confirm what is outstanding on your exact VIN, and does recall work free of charge.