Vehicle Recall Search Service (VRSS): No-cost safety tool raises consumer awareness, improves road safety
The Vehicle Recall Search Service, a powerful no-cost safety tool built by Alliance for Automotive Innovation and CARFAX, has checked vehicles in the U.S. more than 10 billion times for unfixed safety recalls since launching in 2018.
The new milestone comes as NHTSA kicks of its Vehicle Safety Recalls Week, a consumer awareness campaign that runs through March 8, 2026.
Through the VRSS, participating entities, states and eligible businesses and organizations can conveniently identify vehicles with open recalls, reducing the number of unfixed safety issues and increasing road safety. Participants can check recall status during registration and titling transactions, or as part of safety and emissions inspections, to notify owners about open recalls.
“Almost a decade ago, we set out with CARFAX to build a tool that helps identify and close open vehicle recalls – and 10 billion checks later, it’s clear the partnership is working. When drivers know about recalls and get their vehicles fixed, road safety increases. Who isn’t for that?” said John Bozzella, president and CEO of Alliance for Automotive Innovation. “We can get even more vehicles checked if additional organizations, including state DMVs, sign up to use this no-cost, easy-to-use vehicle recall service.”
Since its launch, the VRSS has supported state motor vehicle agencies, public safety departments and inspection programs in identifying millions of vehicles with unresolved recalls. Today, eight state DMVs participate: California, New York, Ohio, Arizona, Texas, Connecticut, Maryland and Washington, with Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, joining most recently.
“CARFAX data shows some critical recalls have declined in recent years, and that progress is encouraging. This Vehicle Recall Search Service has now checked more than half of all vehicles on U.S. roads,” said Faisal Hasan, vice president of data acquisition at CARFAX. “Still, one in five vehicles still has an unfixed recall, an ongoing risk for drivers. We encourage more states to participate. There is more work to be done.”
States and other businesses interested in signing up for the no-cost search tool can request an account HERE.