Look up each car's VIN on NHTSA's recall tool at least twice a year. Turo checks too, and an open recall blocks bookings until the free fix is done.
To check a Turo car for safety recalls, enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup shows any unrepaired safety recalls on that exact car, and the fix is free at a dealership. NHTSA suggests checking at least twice a year. On a rental, check more often than that, and every time you buy a car.
Turo cares because it checks your VINs too, and keeps checking for as long as a car is listed. If it finds an open recall, it blocks new bookings until the repair shows up as done. If you get a recall notice and keep renting the car, you risk losing your earnings plan protection on those trips. So the real question isn't whether you'll find out about a recall. It's whether you find out first and can plan the downtime.
How do you look up recalls by VIN?
The VIN is on the lower left of the windshield, and also on your registration card and often your insurance card. Type it into NHTSA's lookup and you get one of two answers: a list of open recalls, or "0 unrepaired recalls associated with this VIN."
A zero result has limits. Per NHTSA, the lookup does not show:
- Recalls that were already repaired
- Some very recent recalls, where the manufacturer hasn't matched all the VINs yet
- Recalls from small manufacturers, including some ultra-luxury and specialty brands
- Manufacturer customer-service and non-safety campaigns
- International vehicles
- Recalls more than 15 years old, unless the manufacturer covers more
That second point is why one check isn't enough. A car can come back clean today and show an open recall next month once the automaker adds its VIN. NHTSA says VINs are added all the time and to check regularly.
How do you get alerts instead of checking by hand?
NHTSA offers two free options:
- The SaferCar app (iOS and Android). Save your cars and it alerts you when a recall turns up for one of them.
- Email recall alerts, which you can sign up for on the same NHTSA page.
Either way, you'll hear about it sooner, and Turo's 72-hour clock (below) starts from when you're notified.
What does Turo do when it finds a recall?
Turo's help center describes three situations:
| When Turo finds the recall | What happens |
|---|---|
| While you're creating a listing | You're alerted and can't finish listing the car |
| On a live listing | You get an email and text, the recall is linked at the bottom of the car's settings page, and new bookings are blocked until it's fixed |
| After the fix | Turo watches NHTSA's database and lifts the block automatically once the repair shows as completed |
The block covers new bookings. Trips already on the calendar are a separate problem, covered next.
What do you have to do when you get a recall notice?
Turo's rules for US hosts:
- Remove the car from Turo as soon as possible, and no later than 72 hours after you're notified.
- Cancel upcoming trips until the recall is fixed. To cancel without a cancellation fee, use the Get help button, which opens Turo's AI assistant, and ask for an agent.
- Get the repair done at a dealership. It's free.
If you don't take the car off Turo in time, or keep trips running before the fix, Turo says your earnings plan may be voided on trips completed with the recalled car. That's the protection we covered in what happens when a guest damages your car. It's a bad trade for a few days of bookings.
Two state differences:
- California and Hawaii: Turo cancels upcoming trips for you with no penalty. Trips are canceled seven days before they start, or right away if a trip starts within seven days of the recall notice.
- Other states with car-sharing laws: If a recall notice arrives while a guest has the car, you have to tell both Turo and the guest as soon as possible, and you can't relist until the repair is done. Turo keeps the list of regulated states on its car-sharing regulations page.
How do you get the car back on Turo after the repair?
Book the recall work with a dealership for your car's brand. After the repair, the dealer reports it to the manufacturer and it shows up in NHTSA's data. How fast that happens depends on the dealer. Turo then lifts the restriction and puts the listing back the way it was.
If the car is still blocked after the work is done, contact Turo through Get help and ask for an agent. Have the dealer's paperwork ready with:
- Dealership name
- Service date
- The recall that was fixed
- VIN, make and model
Keep that paperwork with the car's other records. You'll want it if the restriction sticks, and a buyer will want to see it when you sell.
What does a recall cost a Turo host?
The repair is free. The cost is the days the car can't earn while you wait for a dealer slot or parts. Here's an example with made-up numbers, not averages: a car that rents for $60 a day on the 80% plan, normally booked 60% of days.
| Days off Turo | Lost earnings (days × 60% × $60 × 80%) |
|---|---|
| 3 | $86.40 |
| 14 | $403.20 |
| 45 | $1,296.00 |
The 45-day row is there in case parts are back-ordered. Ask the dealer when you book how long the wait is. If you're the one who found the recall, call the dealer that day. The earlier you're in line, the shorter the gap.
Compare that with the other path: keep renting, and if something goes wrong on one of those trips, the plan may not cover it. One uncovered claim can cost more than every row in that table.
To see what a few weeks of downtime does to a year's profit on your own car, put your numbers into the calculator:
Should you check for recalls before buying a Turo car?
Yes. Turo won't let you finish a listing with an open recall, so a car with one isn't ready to earn on day one. Ask the seller for the VIN, run it through NHTSA before you pay, and call a dealer to ask whether parts are available. If they aren't, count those weeks of no income in your math. We walked through that math in how to calculate ROI on a Turo car before you buy it.
A simple recall routine
- Before you buy: run the VIN through NHTSA.
- When you list: run it again. Turo will block the listing anyway if there's a recall.
- All the time: keep every car in the SaferCar app, or check each VIN at least monthly. NHTSA's twice-a-year suggestion is for personal cars.
- When a notice arrives: take the car off Turo within 72 hours, cancel booked trips through Get help, and book the dealer.
- After the fix: confirm the recall shows as repaired on NHTSA and keep the dealer paperwork.
If you have more than a couple of cars, checking VINs by hand is the step that gets skipped. FleetEarnings shows open NHTSA safety recalls for each car next to its maintenance history and reminders, so you can see a recall before a booking gets blocked. It's free for up to 2 cars at app.fleetearnings.com.
Sources: Turo help center pages on safety recalls for US hosts, resolving a safety recall and car-sharing regulations; NHTSA's recall lookup and alerts. Checked October 24, 2026. FleetEarnings is not affiliated with Turo, Inc.