Free VIN check: should you buy this car?
Found one on Marketplace or a dealer lot? Paste its VIN. You'll see the recalls on that model, what owners have reported to NHTSA, and how it did in federal crash tests, before you drive across town to look at it.
Where do I find the VIN?
- 1. Bottom of the windshield, driver's side. Read it from outside the car.
- 2. Driver door jamb, on the sticker with the tire pressures.
- Or skip the walk: most online listings print it, and it's on the title and the insurance card.
Example result
2022 Ford F-150 XLT
Caution
Record flags worth reviewing. Worth seeing in person, with a mechanic.
- Recall campaigns on this model
- 4
- Owner complaints filed with NHTSA30 mention a crash, fire or injury
- 287
- Federal crash rating, overall
- 5 out of 5 stars
Three questions the public record answers before you call the seller
Is the model under a safety recall?
Every recall campaign NHTSA lists for that year, make and model, and the part it covers. Then you know which repairs to ask the seller to prove were done.
What do owners say breaks?
Complaints drivers filed with NHTSA, grouped by part. If forty people wrote in about the same transmission, you'll see it.
How did it do in crash tests?
NHTSA's star ratings for frontal, side and rollover, where the model was tested. Not every model is.
Popular VIN checks
No VIN yet? Start with the model. Recalls, complaints and crash ratings by year.
How people use it
Free, for every car on the list
1. Screen it
Run the VIN of each car you're considering. Cross off the ones with a recall history or a pile of complaints you don't want to deal with.
$16.99, for the one you're serious about
2. Read it as a buyer
The Smart Buyer Report adds what this model tends to need at your mileage, what those repairs cost, and a checklist for the mechanic.
At the car
3. Verify and negotiate
Ask for the recall paperwork, have it inspected, and bring up the known problems when you talk price.
The report ends on a call you can act on
The free check gives you the record. The Smart Buyer Report reads it back to you as a buyer: what's strong about this model, what goes wrong with age, and what to look at before you hand over money.
$16.99 once, per vehicle. 90 days of access. 30-day money-back guarantee.
From the sample report, 2022 Ford F-150
“Strong model year overall. 4 recall campaigns to confirm were completed, and this generation is known for cam-phaser rattle past 90k. Get it on a lift before you commit.”
Check before you buy
- Dealer records for all 4 recall campaigns
- Underbody for road-salt corrosion
- Cold-start rattle from the engine (cam phasers)
What we check, and what we don't
We read federal safety and fuel-economy records. Accident, title and odometer history live in other databases, and we'd rather tell you that than pretend.
In every check
- Recall campaigns, from NHTSA
- Owner complaints by part, from NHTSA
- Crash-test star ratings, from NHTSA
- City and highway fuel economy, from the EPA
- The decoded VIN: year, engine, plant
Not in it
- Accidents and insurance claims
- Liens and branded titles
- Odometer readings and owners
- Theft records
For those, a title-history service or your state DMV is the right place to look.