RecallScout

RecallScout looks up official US government safety recall data so you can check what you drive, buy, feed your family and put your child in.

What it does:

• Vehicles: decodes a 17-character VIN into year, make, model, trim, engine and standard safety features; lists every NHTSA safety recall for a make, model and year with the defect, the risk, the free remedy, and whether NHTSA advises not driving the car or parking it outside; summarizes owner complaints filed with NHTSA; shows NHTSA 5-Star crash-test ratings; and explains a recall from its campaign number.
• Child car seats: searches NHTSA car seat and booster recalls since 2010 by brand and model, with the affected manufacturing dates to compare against the label on your seat.
• Consumer products: searches US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalls by product, brand or hazard, such as cribs, strollers, space heaters or magnets, with the hazard, remedy and where the product was sold.
• Food: searches FDA food recall reports by product, ingredient, allergen or company, or lists the latest recalls, with lot codes, the states it was shipped to and the FDA severity class.

Who it's for: parents, car owners, used-car buyers and anyone checking whether something they own has been recalled.

Limitations: United States only. Vehicle recalls are matched by make, model and year; whether a specific car has been repaired must be confirmed with the NHTSA VIN lookup or a franchised dealer. Food coverage is FDA-regulated food only; meat, poultry and egg products are recalled by the USDA and aren't included. Car seat data is refreshed weekly and FDA publishes reports weekly, so the newest recalls can take a few days to appear. Owner complaints are unverified reports. RecallScout is not affiliated with NHTSA, CPSC, FDA or any manufacturer.