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Used car checks by make and model year: problems and recalls to check

Buying a used car? Find its make and model year below: 747 pages across 27 makes list the NHTSA recall campaigns to verify by VIN and the systems owners complain about most, and the $14.99 original ClearVIN PDF shows title brands, odometer readings, accident and auction records on file for the VIN you enter.

By VIN Lookup Research DeskPublished 2026-11-10NHTSA data 2026-09-15
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How to use these pages

Open the exact model year you are looking at. Each page starts with that year’s NHTSA recall and complaint counts, then a checklist built from them: verify the recall campaigns with NHTSA’s free VIN lookup, test-drive the systems owners report most, check title brands and odometer readings in the history report, and book an independent inspection. Complaints are unverified owner reports, not proven defects, and model-year data describes the production run, not the car in front of you.

Used model years with the most NHTSA recall campaigns

Counted from the NHTSA data collected on 2026-09-15. A campaign covers part of a production run; only the VIN shows whether one car is affected and still unrepaired.

Most NHTSA recall campaigns among the 747 model years on this site
Model yearRecall campaignsOwner complaints
2020 Ford Explorer331,207
2019 Ram 1500301,468
2021 Ford F-150291,253
2021 Ford Explorer26422
2020 Ford Escape241,810
2022 Ford Explorer24263
2022 Ford Bronco23373
2022 Ford F-15023799
2019 Tesla Model 322609
2021 Tesla Model 322658

Used Toyota problems and recalls: 75 model years to check

Toyota VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Ford problems and recalls: 68 model years to check

Ford VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Chevrolet problems and recalls: 81 model years to check

Chevrolet VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Honda problems and recalls: 59 model years to check

Honda VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Nissan problems and recalls: 44 model years to check

Nissan VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Hyundai problems and recalls: 43 model years to check

Hyundai VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Kia problems and recalls: 44 model years to check

Kia VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Subaru problems and recalls: 36 model years to check

Subaru VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Jeep problems and recalls: 43 model years to check

Jeep VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Ram problems and recalls: 16 model years to check

Ram VIN check and buyer guide →

Used GMC problems and recalls: 32 model years to check

GMC VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Dodge problems and recalls: 29 model years to check

Dodge VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Mazda problems and recalls: 24 model years to check

Mazda VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Volkswagen problems and recalls: 31 model years to check

Volkswagen VIN check and buyer guide →

Used BMW problems and recalls: 5 model years to check

BMW VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Mercedes-Benz problems and recalls: 6 model years to check

Mercedes-Benz VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Lexus problems and recalls: 9 model years to check

Lexus VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Cadillac problems and recalls: 12 model years to check

Cadillac VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Buick problems and recalls: 13 model years to check

Buick VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Chrysler problems and recalls: 14 model years to check

Chrysler VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Acura problems and recalls: 23 model years to check

Acura VIN check and buyer guide →

Used INFINITI problems and recalls: 5 model years to check

INFINITI VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Tesla problems and recalls: 6 model years to check

Tesla VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Mitsubishi problems and recalls: 7 model years to check

Mitsubishi VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Lincoln problems and recalls: 4 model years to check

Lincoln VIN check and buyer guide →

Used MINI problems and recalls: 6 model years to check

MINI VIN check and buyer guide →

Used Porsche problems and recalls: 12 model years to check

Porsche VIN check and buyer guide →

VIN checks for 44 more makes

These makes have a VIN check and buyer guide. Their model years are not part of the 2015–2022 NHTSA collection (dated 2026-09-15) behind the pages above.

What model-year data cannot tell you

  • Whether one car still has an open recall. Run its VIN through NHTSA’s free lookup and ask for dated repair paperwork.
  • Whether a complaint is accurate. NHTSA publishes owner reports without verifying them, and a popular model collects more of them.
  • Anything about one car’s title brands, odometer readings, accidents or auction history. Those are in a vehicle-history report, when a record is on file.
Evidence

Sources behind these pages

Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.

  1. Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  2. NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and API documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  3. Approved NMVTIS Data Providers — checked October 26, 2026U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance