How to Check a Used RV for Recalls Before You Buy

The short version

1. Look up what recalls are on file for the RV’s year, make and model.
2. Do the same for the chassis if it is a motorhome, and for the big appliances.
3. Give the VIN to the maker or a dealer and ask which recalls are still open.
4. Get the open ones fixed. Recall repairs are free, with one age limit.

The step people skip is the third, and the step people get wrong is assuming a clean result from NHTSA’s VIN search means anything for an RV. Both are covered below.

Why this is worth ten minutes

Recalled RVs often stay unrepaired. Among the 1,404 RV recalls old enough for their repair figures to have settled, the median share of RVs actually fixed is 67%, and 29% of those recalls never reached half. A used RV has had at least one owner who may never have received the letter, or ignored it. Of the 1,789 RV recalls on file, 615 name a fire risk.

Step 1: Look up the model and year

Use the RV recall lookup, or search by year, make and model at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Either one lists every recall campaign filed for that year, make and model, with the risk and the fix. Write down the campaign numbers. They look like 24V771000, and having them lets you ask a dealer about specific recalls instead of recalls in general.

Two cautions. NHTSA files some brands under more than one make name, so a search under one spelling can miss recalls filed under another; our lookup searches all of a brand’s make names for that reason. And a recall on file for the model does not mean this RV is included. Campaigns usually cover a range of build dates or RVs fitted with a particular part.

Step 2: Check what is filed under other companies

A motorhome’s engine, brakes, steering and frame belong to the chassis maker, and recalls on them are filed under that company and chassis model, not under the RV brand. Find the chassis make, model and year on the RV’s paperwork and look it up separately. Refrigerators, furnaces, water heaters, axles and tires are usually recalled by their own manufacturers as equipment. NHTSA’s search has separate Equipment and Tire tabs for those.

Step 3: Have the VIN checked by the maker or a dealer

This is the check that settles it. The maker’s records show which recalls apply to that exact RV and which have been completed. Call the maker’s customer service line or any of its dealers, give them the 17-character VIN, and ask for the open recalls. For a motorhome, ask the chassis maker’s dealer the same question about the chassis.

Do not rely on NHTSA’s VIN search for an RV. NHTSA’s own page says the search shows unrepaired recalls “from certain manufacturers” and will not show recalls from small vehicle manufacturers and specialty applications. The rule that requires manufacturers to offer VIN lookup, 49 CFR 573.15, applies to companies selling 25,000 or more light vehicles a year, or 5,000 motorcycles. Most RV builders are outside it. For an RV, “0 unrepaired recalls” may only mean the maker does not supply data to the tool.

If you are buying from a dealer, ask for the recall check in writing. If you are buying privately, make the call yourself before money changes hands. The seller may honestly not know.

Step 4: Get open recalls fixed, and know who pays

Federal law requires the manufacturer to remedy a safety defect without charge, by repair, replacement or refund (49 U.S.C. 30120). That applies to whoever owns the RV now, not only the first buyer. The one limit that matters for older RVs is in the same section: the free remedy does not apply if the RV was first sold more than 15 calendar years before the recall was issued. For tires the limit is 5 years.

Recall letters go by first class mail to the registered owner, within 60 days of the maker filing the recall (49 CFR 577.7). The letter goes to whoever is registered as the owner under state law, so after a sale it can easily go to the previous owner. Once you own the RV, contact the maker and register yourself as the owner so future letters reach you. NHTSA also suggests checking for recalls twice a year.

What this check cannot tell you

A clean recall record is not a clean RV. Recalls cover defects a manufacturer has reported, not everything that can be wrong with a particular unit, and they say nothing about water damage, maintenance or how it was stored. Owner complaints for the model, shown in the same lookup, are worth reading for problems that never became a recall. None of it replaces an inspection.

This guide is for informational purposes only. It is not legal, mechanical or purchasing advice, and it is not a safety rating of any RV or manufacturer. Recall and complaint counts are not adjusted for how many RVs a company builds, because no one publishes that figure. Confirm anything about a specific RV with its maker, a dealer or NHTSA before acting on it.

Last reviewed: September 2026 · Against NHTSA's recall search page, 49 CFR 573.15 and 577.7, 49 U.S.C. 30120, and the NHTSA recall snapshot this site is built on.