# SaferCar — Vehicle Safety & Recall Info > Official automotive safety recall notifications and vehicle safety ratings. (iPhone/iPad app by NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/safercar/id1526869558 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION](https://appshunter.io/developer/593086233) - Category: Reference, Utilities - Price: Free - Rating: 2.90/5 from 114 App Store ratings · 71 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 13.0 · 71 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2020-08-28 - Data updated: 2026-08-30 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/safercar/id1526869558/reviews.md ## What is SaferCar? SaferCar is your connection to automotive safety recall information directly from the official source—the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Every year, NHTSA manages millions of recalls affecting vehicles, tires, car seats and related equipment. SaferCar will notify you about any safety recalls affecting your vehicle or equipment as long as you leave it running in the background. With the SaferCar app, you can: • Enter a vehicle identification number (VIN) for as many vehicles as you own. Your virtual garage will accept VINs for cars, trucks, vans, SUVs, motorcycles and more. • Enter any related automotive products you own that could be subject to safety recalls, like tires, car seats and trailers. • Opt-in to receive notifications on your mobile device for each of the vehicles and products you’ve entered. • Know you’ll be better informed should any recall impact your vehicle or related equipment. • Check out NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, and our online car seat tools that help you find the right seat, understand ease-of-use and check to make sure it’s installed correctly. • Know that NHTSA will never store or share your user data. To protect your privacy, NHTSA doesn’t store your device or VIN information on a server in order to send you a notification when a new recall is issued. This means SaferCar needs to run in the background so it can check for recall updates periodically from your device. If you force quit SaferCar, immediately reopen the app. From Apple: You should force an app to close only if it’s unresponsive. ## Key features - Vehicle recall notifications - VIN entry for multiple vehicles - Recall alerts for tires and car seats - NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings - Car seat installation tools - Background operation for alerts ## What do users think of SaferCar? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - ✅ App recognizes valid VINs - ✅ Recall information is useful - ✅ Barcode scanning works sometimes - ✅ App updates quickly - ✅ Good for tracking recalls **Cons** - ❌ VIN lookup errors - ❌ Vehicle selection limited - ❌ App crashes frequently - ❌ Requires app to be open - ❌ Poor user interface - ❌ Slow to respond - ❌ Privacy concerns - ❌ Limited vehicle models - ❌ Cannot add multiple vehicles - ❌ Recall details not accessible - ❌ VIN not recognized - ❌ App doesn't launch - ❌ Unreliable recall data - ❌ Cannot paste VIN - ❌ General information only **Commonly reported bugs** - VIN Lookup Error - App crashes on opening - App freezes after prompts - App won't open with iOS 14 - App flickers and disappears - Initial load stuck on 'what's new' pop-up - App crashes repeatedly - App won't launch - App instantly closes - VIN entry fail is persistent - Cannot scan VIN - Too many characters in VIN message - VIN already in use error - Recall details not accessible by tapping - App shows incorrect vehicle year - Search tool broken, fixed list only - Cannot add second car - VIN not recognized - Models not available - Cannot find VIN entry option - App doesn't work after iOS 14 update - App crashes when trying to launch - App stops working with iOS 14 - App crashes upon launch - Database not up to date - VIN not recognized for motorcycle - Cannot add vehicles or devices - Home icon doesn't direct to home page - App doesn't take VINs - VIN lookup fails every time - Backend problem prevents VIN submission - Cannot add older vehicles - VIN entry fails - App doesn't find truck - App can't find any vehicles from VIN search - App cannot find camper van VIN - App crashes on opening - App doesn't work - App crashes repeatedly - App won't open - App crashes when trying to launch - App crashes - App doesn't work after iOS 14 update - App crashes when trying to launch - App stops working with iOS 14 - App crashes upon launch - Database not up to date - VIN not recognized for motorcycle - Cannot add vehicles or devices - Home icon doesn't direct to home page - App doesn't take VINs - VIN lookup fails every time - Backend problem prevents VIN submission - Cannot add older vehicles - VIN entry fails - App doesn't find truck - App can't find any vehicles from VIN search - App cannot find camper van VIN **Most requested features** - Allow searching for any vehicle recalls, not just owned ones - Remove vehicle tracking limit - Allow users to write notes for vehicles - Adjust notification times - Improve VIN barcode auto-identification - Allow VIN identification from cropped photos - Improve contrast and placement of 'add vehicle' button - Add a 'My Garage' section that doesn't replace the home screen - Allow adding more than one vehicle - Enable VIN pasting - Server-side recall checking for privacy - Allow users to search for any vehicle recalls, not just owned ones ## Recent user reviews (10 of 71) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/safercar/id1526869558/reviews.md ### 3/5 — Previous “VIN Lookup Error” has been resolved *2026-01-22, version 1.3.1* An earlier version of this app gave a “VIN Lookup Error” for a valid VIN. The current version resolved the problem. ### 1/5 — VIN lookup *2025-12-21, version 1.3.1* Won’t find any of my vehicle VINs. Says I need to call customer service. If this is the main feature of the app and it doesn’t work, the app is not worth it ### 3/5 — Recall not listed *2025-12-19* I had to go on the main site on the internet to still see a recall I gave that doesn’t have a fix yet. **Developer response:** Please try again to add your VIN. A recent iOS update may have led to the error message you received, but we’ve now addressed that issue. If you need further assistance, email NHTSA.Communication@dot.gov. Thanks! ### 1/5 — VIN de loo *2025-12-18, version 1.3.1* Web site recognizes my VIN, app does not. Copy-paste from clipboard for both. Other apps have no issue with my VIN either, pasted. ### 1/5 — Got “VIN Lookup Error” then deleted app *2025-12-15, version 1.3.1* This rating falls under the “you had one job” category of failures. The app must relate a VIN to recalls for that VIN. If it can’t accept a valid VIN, it can’t do its job. So app deleted. ### 1/5 — Not useful in current state *2025-10-08* Why on earth do you have to pre-select the year and make/model of a car when you could simply provide the VIN number which alone is sufficient to identify the vehicle. This problem is made even worse by the fact that the supported list of vehicles doesn’t include many current popular vehicles. Immediate delete. **Developer response:** The first step to adding a vehicle is to search by year, make and model. SaferCar will then display the vehicle and ask you to add it to your virtual garage. You’ll be provided details, including overall recalls, for the model. Next, you will be able to enter or scan the vehicle identification number for information on your specific vehicle. If you can’t find your vehicle in our list, please email us at NHTSA.Communication@dot.gov and let us know the year, make and model of the vehicle you’re searching for and we’ll look into the issue. ### 1/5 — Can’t add cars anymore *2025-09-19, version 1.3.1* I bought two new cars and it won’t take the VINs. Says to call. Nope. Don’t have time. Delete. ### 1/5 — Good App But Not Showing My Vehicle *2025-09-04, version 1.3.1* I am using the app. When looking for my vehicle on list before adding it. Problem is it’s not even on the list of vehicles selection. App needs all current vehicles made. My vehicle is 2001 Ford Explorer Sport 4.0 SOHC V6 ### 3/5 — Can’t view recalls *2025-06-16* The app tells you if your vehicle has open recalls, but even through each recall has an arrow indicating you can tap for more details, tapping it does nothing. ### 4/5 — SaferCar Issue *2025-06-08* I don’t like that you have to keep the app open and running in the background. Fix that for 5 star rating. **Developer response:** The reason SaferCar operates this way is so that we can protect your privacy; your vehicle, VIN and equipment information is only stored on your device, not at NHTSA. ## Frequently asked questions about SaferCar ### What does the SaferCar app do? The SaferCar app provides official automotive safety recall information directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It allows you to enter your vehicle's VIN, as well as details for tires and car seats, to receive notifications about any safety recalls that may affect your owned equipment. ### How do I get recall notifications? To receive recall notifications, you need to enter the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for your cars, trucks, vans, SUVs, or motorcycles, and details for other automotive products like tires and car seats. The app needs to run in the background to periodically check for updates. You can opt-in to receive mobile notifications for each entered item. ### Is SaferCar free to use? Yes, the SaferCar app is completely free to use. It does not have any in-app purchases or advertisements, and it is provided by the NHTSA. ### What kind of vehicles and products can I track recalls for? You can enter VINs for a wide range of vehicles including cars, trucks, vans, SUVs, and motorcycles. Additionally, you can track recalls for related automotive products such as tires and car seats. The app's virtual garage can accommodate multiple entries for all your owned equipment. ### Does NHTSA store my data? No, NHTSA prioritizes user privacy and does not store your device or VIN information on a server. This means the app needs to run in the background on your device to check for recall updates. Your data is not shared or stored by NHTSA. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.3.1 — 2025-04-02 Bug patch fixes - Check for vins in background ### 1.3.0 — 2025-03-13 Bug fixes - Check for Updated Vehicle Image - Recent Searches, tap Clear - Dark mode adjustments - App scanning - Limit the number of products that can be added to 10 - Improve background refresh - Badge icon adjustments - Improvement to search screen Add - Privacy manifest ### 1.2 — 2021-04-29 Bug fixes ### 1.1.4 — 2020-11-03 Please open the app after updating to enable the changes. SaferCar has been updated to notify you when it can’t automatically check for recalls. This happens if you force quit the app, typically by swiping up to quit the app from the task switcher. From Apple: You should force an app to close only if it’s unresponsive. Bug fixes ### 1.1 — 2020-09-24 Fixed crash when opening the app on iOS 14 ## Apps similar to SaferCar | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [New Jersey Attorney](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/new-jersey-attorney/id853868760) | 4.5 (2) | Free | Reference | | [BukkeApp](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bukkeapp/id866950860) | — | Free | Reference | | [微拍堂Ai版-AI智能鉴宝识别专家](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ai-ai/id1490966440) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Reference | | [NRRS](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nrrs/id1490934580) | — | Free | Reference | | [Time calculator ( Converter )](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/time-calculator-converter/id919839640) | 4.0 (1) | Free | Reference | | [BMW Driver's Guide](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bmw-drivers-guide/id714042570) | 4.7 (16,999) | Free | Reference | ## Related topics [nhtsa safercar](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/nhtsa-safercar) · [nhtsa](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/nhtsa) · [safercar](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/safercar) · [car safety](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/car-safety) · [recall car](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/recall-car) · [vehicle safety](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/vehicle-safety) · [vehicles safety](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/vehicles-safety) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-30.*