Glossary
Safety Recall
A manufacturer or regulator order requiring affected vehicles to be returned to a dealer for free safety repair.
Definition
A safety recall is an order — issued either by the manufacturer voluntarily or by a regulator (NHTSA in the US, the European Commission's Safety Gate system in the EU, KBA in Germany) — requiring affected vehicles to be returned to an authorised dealer for free repair of a defined safety defect. Recalls are identified by VIN range and by specific build dates; a given VIN is either in scope or not in scope for each recall. Open recalls follow the vehicle through every ownership change until the repair is completed; in most EU states they do not expire. A used car with open recalls can usually still pass the local periodic inspection (MOT, HU, STK), but the open recall is a liability — and in some manufacturer warranties, an unaddressed recall voids related coverage.
Why it matters when buying a used car
Open recalls are free to fix at any authorised dealer. A used-car listing that has multiple open recalls reveals a previous owner who was either inattentive or unable to access dealer service — both of which correlate with deferred maintenance elsewhere.