Car Safety Recall Check: Is Your Car Affected?

What a car safety recall actually is

A safety recall is issued by a vehicle manufacturer when a fault is found that could affect safety. The fault might sit in a braking part, an airbag, a fuel system item or a piece of software fitted to many vehicles. Once the manufacturer identifies the problem, it contacts owners of affected vehicles and arranges for a franchised dealer to carry out the repair, free of charge.

A recall is separate from the checks most drivers already know. Tax, MOT and insurance each have a status the owner is responsible for. A recall is a manufacturer's action on a known fault and sits outside those systems. A car can be taxed, insured and hold a valid MOT certificate and still have an outstanding safety recall, which is why it is worth checking separately.

How to check for a safety recall for free

GOV.UK runs an official, free safety recall checker at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk. It is titled "Check if a vehicle, part or accessory has been recalled" and is looked up by registration number, at no charge.

The checker shows two things plainly:

• safety recalls that have not yet been checked or fixed on that vehicle;
• the vehicle's MOT history.

Because the lookup is by registration number, it takes only a moment. A driver can enter their registration to see whether anything is outstanding, and the same applies to someone viewing a used car before purchase.

Does an open recall fail the MOT?

An open or outstanding safety recall does not automatically fail the MOT test. MOT testers are not required to query the recall database as part of the test, and a vehicle with an open recall can still pass its MOT.

What has changed is how the information is surfaced. DVSA has started adding recall notices as an advisory on MOT certificates and in the MOT testing service, to alert drivers to outstanding recalls found during the test. An advisory is not a failure. It is a note attached to the record drawing attention to something the driver should act on. A fail means the vehicle has not met the test standard; an advisory is information recorded alongside a result. A recall appearing as an advisory is a prompt, not a verdict on the test outcome.

A recall is also a strong safety recommendation rather than a legal roadworthiness requirement enforced at MOT. The MOT and the recall system are separate processes that overlap only when DVSA records an advisory.

What to do if a recall shows up

If the GOV.UK checker shows an outstanding recall, contact a franchised dealer or the manufacturer directly to book the repair. Recall work is carried out free of charge by a franchised dealer or manufacturer, so there is no cost to the owner for the fix itself.

It is sensible to act reasonably promptly. The fault has been identified by the manufacturer as one that could affect safety, which is why the recall was issued. Booking the work also closes the item on the vehicle's record, so it no longer appears as outstanding.

Treat a recall check as one more routine check

A recall check is a separate lookup from a tax, MOT or mileage check, and each tells a driver something different. Someone buying a used car may run an MOT history check to see past results and advisories, a tax check to confirm the current tax position, and a mileage check to look at recorded mileage over time. None of those will list open recalls, because the recall data sits with the manufacturer and GOV.UK's dedicated service.

A recall check is therefore worth adding to the routine, particularly before buying a used car and periodically for a car already owned. Owners who want to keep their checks together can use the site's vehicle tools alongside the official GOV.UK recall lookup. The check takes little time, costs nothing, and covers a safety question that tax, MOT and mileage records do not answer.