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Ford recall lookup by VIN

Want to know whether a Ford has a safety recall? Here is how to check, and what our VIN tool does and doesn't tell you.

Step 1: Find the VIN on the Ford

The 17-character VIN is on the driver's-side dashboard (visible through the windshield), on the driver's door-jamb sticker, and on your registration, insurance card and title. VINs never contain the letters I, O or Q.

Step 2: Check open Ford recalls for that exact VIN (free)

Enter the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. NHTSA's lookup shows open recalls that the manufacturer has reported for that VIN. Safety recall repairs are generally done free of charge by an authorized dealer. Ford owner websites also offer a VIN recall check.

Step 3: Decode the Ford VIN and see model-level data

Our tool decodes the VIN and, for Ford vehicles, shows year, make and model for free. The report adds NHTSA recall campaigns, owner complaints and NCAP ratings for that Ford model and year, plus EPA fuel economy.

On this site you can decode a VIN for free to see the year, make and model. A full report costs a small one-time fee and adds factory specifications, NHTSA safety recalls, owner complaints, crash-test ratings and EPA fuel economy for that model and year. If we can't find your car's details, there's no charge. The report is compiled from free public U.S. government sources – the same sources you can use yourself for free – and it is not an accident, title or ownership history report.

Important: the recalls in our report are listed for the vehicle's make, model and year, so not every campaign applies to every car. The most reliable free way to see whether a specific VIN has an open (unrepaired) recall is NHTSA's own VIN lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Reading a Ford VIN

Many Ford trucks (such as the F-150) have VINs that start with 1FT, and many Ford cars and SUVs start with 1FA or 1FM, but the prefix alone does not tell you the exact model.

NHTSA's public VIN-decoder database lists these WMI prefixes for Ford (as of 2026-11-01); the list may not be complete:

The first three characters identify the manufacturer, characters 4–8 describe the model, engine and body, character 9 is a check digit, character 10 is the model-year code, character 11 is the assembly plant and the last six are the serial number.

Ford recall campaigns on file and models we can cover

For example, we have decoded VINs for the F-150.

Snapshot of NHTSA recall campaigns on file for model-year 2022 Ford vehicles (pulled 2026-11-01). Only models with at least one campaign are listed. A campaign often covers several model years or trims and does not apply to every vehicle, so confirm your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Coverage in our report depends on what the public NHTSA and EPA databases contain for each model and year; some older or less common vehicles have little or no data.

Ford recalls by model and year

Live NHTSA recall lists for popular used Ford models:

Frequently asked questions

Is checking Ford recalls by VIN free?

Yes. NHTSA's recall lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls is free. Decoding a VIN on this site to see the year, make and model is also free; the full report is a small paid add-on.

Does your report show open recalls for my exact Ford?

No. It lists recall campaigns for that make, model and year. To see open recalls for your exact VIN, use NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Will I be charged if you can't find my Ford?

No. If we can't find your car's details, there's no charge.

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