Over 2 million UK vehicles have outstanding manufacturer recalls
RecallClear

UK Vehicle Recall Check

Check UK vehicle recalls by registration

The UK's dedicated recall-check service. Recall data on its own, not buried inside a wider history report.

Combined DVSA + SMMT data, every UK manufacturer, £1.99 per check. Results in seconds, emailed to you and accessible any time.

  • · Official DVSA + SMMT data, combined for maximum coverage
  • · Full recall description where the manufacturer provides it
  • · Every past recall for your make and model since 1992
  • · No subscription · No account needed to start

Start your recall check

Enter the vehicle's UK registration to begin.

100,000s recalled every year

Hundreds of thousands of UK vehicles enter a recall campaign each year. A meaningful share are never repaired because the letter never reaches the current owner.

DVSA + SMMT, combined

One check, two official sources. DVSA confirms outstanding status. SMMT typically supplies the recall description and remedy.

Manufacturer repairs are free

Every UK safety recall is repaired free of charge by the manufacturer, regardless of vehicle age or ownership history.

How it works

  1. 1

    Enter your VRM

    Type the UK registration of the vehicle you want to check.

  2. 2

    Pay £1.99

    Single payment. No subscription, no account needed to start.

  3. 3

    Get instant recall status

    Combined DVSA + SMMT result appears in seconds and is emailed to you.

Every major UK manufacturer covered

Combined DVSA + SMMT recall data for every brand registered in the UK. Start with the most-driven names below, or browse the full A–Z. Each brand page explains the recall history, common defects and how to check the vehicle on your driveway.

See every UK manufacturer →

Latest UK recall news

Plain-English coverage of the campaigns hitting the DVSA register right now. Owners, used-car buyers and the affected models in each case.

All recall news →

Looking for a specific campaign? Search every UK recall since 1992 in the DVLA archive →

What is a vehicle safety recall in the UK?

A vehicle safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or the DVSA identifies a defect in a car, van or motorcycle after it has left the production line. The defect could be mechanical (faulty brakes, fuel-system leaks, suspension components), electrical (a wiring loom that overheats), or software-related (a control unit that misreads sensor input). In every case the manufacturer is required to put the vehicle right at no cost to the owner.

In the UK the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency oversees the recall system. The DVSA monitors defect reports, investigates patterns and ensures manufacturers contact registered keepers when a recall is raised. Outstanding recall status is recorded against the vehicle's VIN and stays in the DVSA recall database indefinitely until the repair is completed.

For UK drivers the practical issue is simple: recall letters are sent to the address held on the DVLA record. If you have bought a used car, recently moved house, or transferred a registration plate, the letter for an outstanding recall may never reach you. A quick recall check against the registration number is the only reliable way to know whether the car you own (or the one you're about to buy) has unfinished safety work on it. You can browse the manufacturer pages for background on common defects by brand. We also pull in the recall description from the SMMT manufacturer feed where it's published, so the report explains the fault rather than just flagging it.

What our UK recall check covers

Our combined check pulls from the DVSA recall database, the SMMT manufacturer feed and the DVLA recall archive going back to 1992. DVSA confirms whether a recall is outstanding; SMMT supplies the description; the DVLA archive surfaces every historical campaign issued for the same make and model. Together they cover every manufacturer with vehicles on UK roads.

DVSA database

The UK government's official recall register. Confirms whether a recall is outstanding for the vehicle.

SMMT manufacturer feed

Industry data from vehicle manufacturers. Typically includes the recall description, not just a flag.

DVLA recall archive

Every UK recall campaign issued since 1992. Surfaces the historical campaigns for the same make and model alongside the live status.

Search the full DVLA recall archive →

Recall or service campaign?

The terms get used interchangeably but they mean different things, and only one is actively chased by the manufacturer.

Safety recall

  • ·Issued for a defect that could pose a safety risk.
  • ·Registered keeper receives a recall letter from the manufacturer.
  • ·Repair is free, regardless of vehicle age or ownership.
  • ·Outstanding status is recorded against the VIN in the DVSA database.
  • ·Shows in this recall check, on gov.uk MOT history, and on the manufacturer's portal.

Service campaign

  • ·Issued for a non-critical issue such as a software refinement or wear-rate update.
  • ·No legally required owner notification.
  • ·Usually carried out only if the car visits a franchised dealer for unrelated work.
  • ·Not always logged against the VIN in a way the public can see.
  • ·Does not appear in a DVSA-based recall check.

If you want to know whether anything is open against your vehicle, run a recall check by registration. Service-campaign information is best obtained directly from the manufacturer with your VIN.

How a UK recall campaign works, step by step

From the first defect report to your VIN being cleared, a recall follows the same sequence. Understanding it helps explain why used buyers and recent house-movers are the people most likely to be driving with an open recall.

  1. 1

    The defect is identified

    Manufacturers find defects through their own post-production testing, through customer reports of unusual behaviour (warning lights, soft brake pedals, intermittent stalling), or through DVSA investigations into accident data and complaint patterns. If the issue looks systemic rather than one-off, a formal investigation begins.

  2. 2

    The recall campaign is raised

    Once the manufacturer confirms the defect affects a defined range of vehicles, it raises a recall campaign with the DVSA. The campaign gets a unique reference number, a list of affected VIN ranges and build dates, and a description of the fault and the remedy. From this point the recall is public record.

  3. 3

    The registered keeper is notified, in theory

    The manufacturer uses the DVLA record to write to the current registered keeper. In practice this is where the system leaks. If the car has changed hands since the last DVLA update, if the owner has moved, or if the registration plate has been transferred to another vehicle, the letter goes to the wrong address. Thousands of recall letters never reach the person now driving the car.

  4. 4

    The repair is carried out, free of charge

    The owner books the car into any franchised dealer for the manufacturer, quotes the recall reference and has the work done. Repairs vary from a 30-minute software update to a multi-hour part replacement. The manufacturer pays the dealer for labour and parts. There is no charge to the owner under any circumstances.

  5. 5

    Completion is logged against the VIN

    The dealer marks the recall as carried out on the manufacturer's system, which feeds back to the DVSA database. The outstanding-recall flag against the vehicle is cleared. A future recall check by registration will then come back clean for this campaign.

What a recall report looks like

Every check returns the same structured response. Switch between the three possible outcomes below: a recall outstanding, a clean record, or a status we couldn't confirm.

Action required

Outstanding recall on this vehicle

1 recall found. Contact the manufacturer or a main dealer to arrange a free repair.

Vehicle

AB21ABC

Citroen DS3 Performance

VIN ABCDE123456F78910

Recall details

  • AIRBAG REPLACEMENT

Manufacturer recall page →

Checked 01/01/2022, 16:07:33 (source: SMMT)

See the annotated version with per-field explainers →

What you'll see in your recall check results

Every report returns the same fields, so you can scan straight to the bit that matters. Where the manufacturer or DVSA hasn't published a value, the field is shown as not provided rather than invented.

Active recall status
A clear yes or no answer to the question that brought you here: does this vehicle have any outstanding manufacturer recall today?
Past recall history
Where available, a list of previous recalls associated with the model, including the campaign date, reference number, affected VIN range and build period.
Recall concern
A short headline summary of the issue, for example 'Front passenger airbag inflator' or 'High-voltage battery cells'.
Recall defect
The full technical description provided by the manufacturer or DVSA. Explains exactly what is wrong and how it can manifest while driving.
Recall remedy
What the dealer will do to put the vehicle right. For example, replace the inflator module, update the battery management software, or inspect and replace as necessary.
Manufacturer portal link
A direct link to the manufacturer's official recall page so you can verify the result and start the booking process with no extra clicks.

Why outstanding recalls matter

Recalls aren't precautionary, marketing exercises or upsells. They exist because a regulator or manufacturer has concluded that the defect can hurt someone. Driving past an open recall is one of the cheapest preventable risks on the road.

Safety

Recalls exist because the manufacturer or regulator found a defect that could pose a safety risk. They aren't precautionary. They're the system working as designed.

Free of charge

Manufacturers carry out recall repairs free of charge, regardless of who owns the vehicle and regardless of vehicle age. There's no cost to fixing one.

Resale & trust

A buyer asking about recall status is a sign of due diligence. A clean, dated report removes a category of risk from any private sale.

One price, every vehicle

Pay as you go

£1.99

per check

No subscription. No account needed to start. Refund issued if a recall status can't be returned.

Recall check FAQs

How do I check a UK car for recalls by registration?+

Enter the UK number plate on this page, pay £1.99 and the result is returned in seconds. No VIN, no account, no sign-up. We query both the DVSA recall database and the SMMT manufacturer feed, then return the outstanding-recall status, a description of the defect where available, and a link to the manufacturer's official recall portal.

See a sample report →

Are vehicle recall repairs free?+

Yes. UK manufacturers cover the full cost of any safety recall repair, regardless of who owns the vehicle and regardless of its age. You take the car to an authorised dealer, they perform the work and bill the manufacturer. There is no charge to you.

Can I drive a car with an active recall?+

It depends on the recall. Most allow continued use until you can book the repair, but some are flagged 'do not drive' because the defect could cause an immediate safety risk. The recall description in your report will say which category applies, and the manufacturer's recall portal carries the official guidance.

What should I do if my car is recalled?+

Contact any franchised dealer for the manufacturer of your vehicle, quote the recall reference from your report and book the repair. The work is free and a typical recall is fixed in under a day. Once complete the dealer logs the repair against your VIN and the recall closes on your vehicle.

Find your manufacturer's recall page →

Do recalls expire?+

No. Manufacturer safety recalls in the UK do not have an expiry date. A recall raised ten years ago is still repairable free of charge today, provided the vehicle is in the affected VIN range and the recall has not yet been carried out on it.

Browse every UK recall since 1992 →

Are recalls linked to the registration or the owner?+

Recalls are linked to the vehicle (specifically the VIN), not the owner. Buying a used car means inheriting any open recall on it, but it also means the previous owner's recall letter is unlikely to reach you. A registration-based recall check is the only reliable way for a used buyer to know.

Will recalls show on MOT history?+

DVSA records outstanding recalls against the vehicle and they appear on the gov.uk MOT history page. They do not cause an MOT failure on their own, but the tester is required to flag them. A dedicated recall check returns the same DVSA status plus the SMMT manufacturer description, which the gov.uk page does not include.

Compare side-by-side in a sample report →

Check the gov.uk MOT history page ↗

What if the check returns 'Unknown'?+

Some vehicles aren't in either database. These are usually very new registrations, grey imports, or specialist marques. We'll tell you and point you at the manufacturer's recall portal. A refund is available on request.

See what an Unknown result looks like →

Do I need an account?+

No. You can pay and get the result immediately. A magic-link sign-in is emailed so you can access the report later if you want.

See all FAQs →

Recall check for every UK manufacturer

Combined DVSA + SMMT recall data for every UK-registered manufacturer.