Recall answer
What is the difference between a recall, a warranty, and a technical service bulletin?
A recall, a warranty repair, and a technical service bulletin are three different things. Only a safety recall is a NHTSA campaign, and the free remedy applies when the law requires it. 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. A recall is a safety defect or a missed safety standard
NHTSA's recalls page says a recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle, equipment, car seat, or tire creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards. The same page says most recalls are decided by the manufacturer before NHTSA is involved. NHTSA's booklet says a recall is necessary when the vehicle or equipment does not comply with a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, or when there is a safety-related defect.
When the law requires a remedy, the booklet says the manufacturer must provide it at no charge. NHTSA's resources page says a recall does not expire once the vehicle has been recalled. That is about the recall record. It is separate from the age limit on a free repair. The booklet says a free remedy is not required when the vehicle is more than 15 years old on the date the defect is determined, counted from the sale to the first purchaser. A separate answer walks through that age limit, and the shorter limit for tires.
2. A warranty is the manufacturer's own repair promise
A warranty is a promise from the manufacturer to cover certain repairs for a time or a mileage the manufacturer sets. The time and the covered parts are in your warranty documents. A warranty repair is not a NHTSA safety recall. A problem can be a warranty item and still not be a recall. Air conditioners, radios, ordinary wear, nonstructural rust, paint, and high oil use are examples NHTSA's booklet gives of problems that are not treated as safety defects.
The recall rules keep the two ideas apart. 49 CFR 573.13 lets a reimbursement plan exclude money you spent while the original or extended warranty would have fixed the recall problem at no charge, unless a dealer denied warranty coverage or the warranty repair did not fix that problem. NHTSA's resources page also says you can file a complaint if a dealership says a recall repair is not covered by the warranty. The free recall remedy, when the law requires it, is not the same thing as warranty coverage.
3. A technical service bulletin is a message to dealers
NHTSA's resources page says vehicle and equipment manufacturers submit copies of their manufacturer communications, including notices and bulletins. The page tells you to find technical service bulletins by searching the vehicle on NHTSA's recalls page and opening the manufacturer-communication link. NHTSA's defects-and-recalls publication says those communications include technical service bulletins and other notices about defects, whether or not they are safety issues.
A bulletin is not a safety recall. It does not by itself require a free remedy for every owner. Dealers use it as service information. If the condition is a safety defect, the recall is a separate campaign with its own letter. Search the VIN at NHTSA before you treat a bulletin as a recall.
Where to check
- NHTSA recalls lookup
- NHTSA investigations and recalls
- NHTSA booklet on safety defects and recalls
- NHTSA publication on defects, recalls, and bulletins
- 49 CFR 573.13, reimbursement and warranty
- How to check an RV or tow-vehicle VIN for recalls
- Latest recalls
- Recall and issue alerts
- Who pays for an RV recall repair?
- Can I get reimbursed if I already paid for a repair that was later recalled?
- Do RV recalls expire?
- Does my Grand Design Reflection have a recall?
- Does my Ford F-250 crew cab have a recall?
- Browse RV and tow-vehicle brands
Questions people ask
- What is a safety recall?
- NHTSA says a recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle or equipment creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards (https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls). When the law requires a remedy, NHTSA's booklet says the manufacturer must provide it at no charge (https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2024-09/14218-MVSDefectsandRecalls_092524_v3-tag.pdf).
- How is a warranty different from a recall?
- A warranty is the manufacturer's promise to cover certain repairs for a time or mileage it sets. It is not a NHTSA safety recall. 49 CFR 573.13 treats warranty coverage as separate from the recall reimbursement plan (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-573/section-573.13). NHTSA's resources page says you can complain if a dealer says a recall repair is not covered by the warranty (https://www.nhtsa.gov/resources-investigations-recalls).
- What is a technical service bulletin?
- NHTSA says manufacturers submit bulletins and other communications, and you can look them up from a vehicle search on the recalls page (https://www.nhtsa.gov/resources-investigations-recalls). A bulletin is not a safety recall and does not by itself require a free remedy for every owner. Check the VIN at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls before you treat a bulletin as a recall.
- Do recalls expire?
- NHTSA's resources page says that once a vehicle has been recalled, that recall never expires (https://www.nhtsa.gov/resources-investigations-recalls). The free repair has a separate age limit. NHTSA's booklet says a free remedy is not required when the vehicle is more than 15 years old on the date the defect is determined, counted from the sale to the first purchaser.
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?
- 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?
- Can I buy or sell a used RV or truck with an open recall?
- 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?
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