AI DamageNHTSA is the US federal road traffic safety agency. Its open databases show what fails systematically on a model and whether recall campaigns have been carried out on a specific car.
What the NHTSA databases contain
| Database | What it shows | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Recalls by VIN | Open safety recall campaigns from major manufacturers over the last 15 years | What needs doing for safety: airbags, seat belts, fuel system |
| Complaints | Owner complaints by component and year | A model's typical failures: gearbox, engine, electrics |
| Investigations | Defect investigations | An early signal of future recalls |
| NCAP | Crash test safety rating | How the body behaves in an impact |
| vPIC | VIN decoding | Engine, body, plant and safety systems by VIN |
How to check by VIN
Enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. If a campaign is open, a dealer in the US will carry it out free of charge. For a car in Ukraine it is a hint on what to check and which model problem to keep in mind.
- Recalls concern safety, not the quality of a repair.
- An empty result does not mean the car has no problems: complaints and investigations are separate databases.
Why complaints are more useful than recalls
Complaints show what owners complain about most for a specific model year. We group them by component in the Model faults section: for example, Mazda CX-5. This helps you understand what may have broken before the accident and what is worth checking regardless of the impact.
Limitations
The NHTSA databases are about the model and safety, not the history of a specific car. Check the damage and repair history in separate sources: see VIN and damage history.
Sources
- NHTSA Recalls: nhtsa.gov/recalls
- NHTSA Complaints and Investigations: nhtsa.gov
- vPIC: vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov