Recall answer
Can I buy or sell a used RV or truck with an open recall?
Check the VIN before you buy, and check it again before you sell. An open recall can still be on file for a later owner. The federal sale rules below cover a dealer with a new vehicle, a rental company, and recalled equipment offered for installation. This page is not legal advice. Read the recall letter for your VIN, and ask the manufacturer named in that letter if you are unsure.
1. What a buyer should check
Enter the VIN at the NHTSA recalls lookup, https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls. NHTSA's recalls page says a license-plate or VIN search shows whether that vehicle needs a recall repair. A search by year, make, and model returns general results. NHTSA's resources page says an unrepaired recall for the VIN will display, and it says to contact the manufacturer if you still have questions. A clear result on a model-year page is not a clearance for that VIN.
Ask the seller for the recall letter and for any paperwork that shows a completed repair. NHTSA's resources page also says that once a vehicle has been recalled, that recall never expires, so a campaign can still be open after the RV or truck changes hands. The truck and the trailer have separate VINs. Check both.
2. What the sale rules cover
49 CFR 573.11 applies when a manufacturer has told a dealer about a new motor vehicle, or a new item of replacement equipment, in that dealer's possession. The dealer may sell or lease it only if the defect or noncompliance is remedied before delivery. 49 USC 30120(i) is the statute for that limit. It also says a rental company that has been notified about a covered rental vehicle may sell, lease, or rent that vehicle only if the defect is remedied before delivery.
49 CFR 573.12 applies to equipment. No person may sell or lease any new or used item of motor vehicle equipment, including a tire, for installation on a motor vehicle, when that equipment is under a recall and still in a condition that it may reasonably be used for its original purpose, unless the defect is remedied before delivery. 49 USC 30120 states the same limit for equipment sold or leased for installation. A loose axle, a tire, or an appliance offered for someone else to install is equipment. The letter for that part names the company responsible for the remedy.
3. Put the new owner on the registration
49 CFR 577.7 says the vehicle manufacturer sends the owner letter by first-class mail to each person registered under state law as the owner, when the name and address are reasonably ascertainable through state records or other sources. If that owner cannot be found, the manufacturer notifies the most recent purchaser it knows. After a sale, the state registration is the record that rule points to.
A Grand Design owner letter filed with NHTSA for campaign 25V-119 tells registered owners they will be notified by mail. It also asks a person who no longer owns the trailer to contact Grand Design and to include the 17-digit VIN. Ford says that if a program is announced, Ford notifies the last owner of record by mail. Use the contact printed on the letter for your VIN, and keep the state registration current.
Where to check
- NHTSA recalls lookup
- NHTSA investigations and recalls
- 49 CFR 573.11, new vehicles and new equipment
- 49 CFR 573.12, sale of recalled equipment
- 49 USC 30120, sale and rental limits
- How to check an RV or tow-vehicle VIN for recalls
- Latest recalls
- Recall and issue alerts
- Is it safe to use or tow an RV with an open recall?
- Do RV recalls expire?
- How are RV recall notices mailed, and how do I update my address?
- Does my Grand Design Reflection have a recall?
- Does my Ram 2500 have a recall?
- What recalls affect Ram 2500 and 3500 for towing?
- Grand Design recalls
- Ram recalls
Questions people ask
- What should a used buyer check?
- Enter the VIN at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls. NHTSA's resources page says an unrepaired recall for that VIN will display, and it says to contact the manufacturer if you still have questions (https://www.nhtsa.gov/resources-investigations-recalls). Check the trailer VIN and the tow-vehicle VIN. A campaign on a model year does not mean that VIN is included.
- Does an open recall follow the RV to the next owner?
- It can. NHTSA's resources page says that once a vehicle has been recalled, that recall never expires (https://www.nhtsa.gov/resources-investigations-recalls). 49 CFR 577.7 sends the vehicle letter to the person registered under state law as the owner (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-577/section-577.7). Put the new owner on the state registration.
- Which sales do the federal recall rules limit?
- 49 CFR 573.11 limits a dealer sale or lease of a new motor vehicle, or of new replacement equipment, after the manufacturer has notified the dealer, until the defect is remedied before delivery (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-573/section-573.11). 49 USC 30120(i) also limits rental of a covered rental vehicle. 49 CFR 573.12 limits the sale or lease of new or used motor vehicle equipment, including a tire, for installation, while that equipment is under a recall and still usable for its original purpose (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-573/section-573.12).
- Is this legal advice?
- No. This page explains the NHTSA lookup and the federal recall sections cited above. It is not legal advice. Read the letter for the VIN, and use the state title paperwork for the sale.
Related answers
- How to check an RV or tow-vehicle VIN for recalls
- Who pays for an RV recall repair?
- What if a dealer will not do an RV recall repair?
- What is the difference between a recall, a warranty, and a technical service bulletin?
- Can I get reimbursed if I already paid for a repair that was later recalled?
- Is it safe to use or tow an RV with an open recall?
- How do I report an RV or truck safety defect to NHTSA?
- Do RV recalls expire?
- What if the parts for an RV recall are not available?
- How do I find a recall on an RV part made by another company?
- How long does an RV recall repair take, and which dealer can do it?
- How are RV recall notices mailed, and how do I update my address?
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