# SaferCar — user reviews > 71 indexed App Store user reviews of SaferCar by NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, rated 2.90/5 from 114 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/safercar/id1526869558/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/safercar/id1526869558.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 33 · 4★ 17 · 3★ 11 · 2★ 7 · 1★ 46 ## 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 ## Newest reviews (17 of 71) ### 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. ### 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! ### 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. ### 2/5 — Nice when it works *2025-05-02* This app has so much potential, but as usual with any app for a government agency, they’ve completely fumbled any opportunity to make this work. I manage a fleet of almost 200 vehicles. About half of them are light duty vehicles. This app WAS very useful at keeping track of recalls for those vehicles when they came up. It would be very difficult otherwise to keep track of that otherwise. With recent updates, they have limited how many vehicles you can track to 10, so I can’t add any new vehicles. Please remove the limit like it was before. Also the app is very slow to respond when you’re trying to read details of an active recall. One more thing that’s annoying is that they require you leave the app open at all times so you can be notified of any new recalls. ### 1/5 — No VIN search *2024-05-30, version 1.2* Put year and model then a BUNCH of varies models show up and I have NO IDEA which so pick one and HOPE your right THEN it lets you put a VIN in ! Ridiculous ### 1/5 — Very limited car models *2024-04-23, version 1.2* I searched for 2016 Tesla model S, came up with only Modelx and one obscure mod s ### 2/5 — Needs Work *2024-04-19, version 1.2* I would really like to be able to search for any vehicles recalls. Not just for the ones I own. Maybe you can in the app, but I couldn’t find it. ### 3/5 — VIN not recognized *2024-04-01, version 1.2* Using this for my RV and major power train components and it works well. It will not accept my Royal Wnfield Himalayan motorcycle VIN number though. VIN is not recognized to add it. ME3FSM240NKxxxxxx ### 1/5 — Conclusion: Little Informational Value but HUGE Privacy and Security Risks *2024-03-07, version 1.2* Steer Clear, Big Brother will be watching you. It’s mostly a junk app that provides little real informational value or functionality (except to allow a government agency and its third-party developers to monitor you, as well as collect, disseminate to other U.S. government and other agencies, and likely ultimately sell data about you because it forces users to keep the app ALWAYS OPEN if users want recall notifications; which notifications about recalls is the only value proposition it offers but can be easily gotten elsewhere from a non of sources). The software developer has responded w/ boilerplate statements to numerous other user complaints about the privacy and security vulnerabilities of having to keep the Federal government’s NHTSA app always open+active but, it’s abundantly clear that the developer is being disingenuous and/or doesn’t know the difference between having the app persistently open+active and actually refreshing in the background without having to keep the app open+active all the time (as many/most other apps do already). Keeping the app always open are huge security and privacy red flags. 🚩 🚩 Other issues I found in just a few minutes of use: Users cannot track more than one vehicle or item simultaneously on the app — adding vehicles or devices doesn’t exist or is so well hidden that might as well not exist. The ’Home’ icon doesn’t direct users to the app’s home page; it only displays any open recalls on the vehicle/devices users ave input. Anyone having more than one vehicle or a vehicle and a car seat, for example, and wants to track and get notified of recalls are just out of luck. So, navigation and ease is garbage. The app is mostly repurposed “resources” i.e., general information from the NHTSA.gov website. In that case, there’s no need for an app; just go to the NHTSA website. This low value-added app (which almost certainly cost taxpayers tens of millions to develop, implement, and maintain) is just a bullet point on some bureaucrat’s and/or political appointee’s résumé so they can boast about their “accomplishment” and “contributions,” as well as how they directed the creation of an app and how ‘tech forward’ and savvy they are. ### 1/5 — Buggy *2024-01-04, version 1.2* It won’t accept the VIN of my second car. Says it’s “already in use”, yet, doesn’t show up on the home page. ### 1/5 — Adding an older vehicle nets a never vanishing red badge alert *2023-09-04* This app is only useful if you’ve got the money to buy recent vehicles. I own and drive a 30 year old station wagon because I refuse to participate in the churn and burn of over paying for a “depreciating asset” and then doing it all over again for the “pleasure” of always having a mortgage on a car that I’m forced to own by the fact that I was born in a stupid country that is pwned by the auto industry within it. ### 1/5 — Doesn’t accept VIN *2023-08-26, version 1.2* Would love to keep track of my 2023 and 2023 new cars but all k get gif each is an error message when trying to input VIN for each. ### 1/5 — Does not find my truck *2023-08-09, version 1.2* I have a 2016 Ford F150 Platinum and I have put my VIN in 4 times and it can’t find it. I called the number and nothing from no one. I took a chance because all the bad reviews were from 1 and 2 years ago so I hoped it was fixed but here it is 08/08/2023 and it still doesn’t work. So I deleted it ### 1/5 — Can’t find a single one of my vehicles *2023-07-05, version 1.2* Don’t know if they are experiencing issues or what but the app can’t find a single vehicle from the VIN search. Tried 5 different cars/vehicles ### 1/5 — can’t enter vin? *2023-02-25, version 1.2* I own a 2023 camper van and the app can not find my vin….. This is not a diy…. this is new from a dealership.. Not a helpful app. ### 3/5 — Open in background for notifications? *2022-12-20* What a joke. Makes me think they are collecting some other sort of data. Shouldn’t be that difficult to send a notification without the app needing to be running in background. Many other apps do it just fine. Edit: developer responded stating this was for security purposes, and thus I’ve bumped up my stats as I value security. This makes sense to me as all the personal information can be kept on the client-side (iPhone). It would be cool I think to have a server-side system that can check once a day for any users that subscribe to such system. For privacy considerations, I’m sure an randomly generated unique id for each app user and hashed values may offer some protection. **Developer response:** Keeping SaferCar open in the background of your device allows it to automatically check for recalls. This process happens about once a day and only takes seconds. 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. ### 4/5 — Adjust notification time *2022-07-06* Will likely rate higher if I can figure how to change the notification time. Currently it’s alerting me at 5:30am which isn’t a concern most days when I’m already working but that isn’t the case everyday. Otherwise I really like the ease of the app! **Developer response:** Thanks for downloading and using SaferCar. We’ll share your feedback with our developers. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 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 ### 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 ### 1/5 — Won’t accept my vehicle *2025-05-02, version 1.3.1* The app won’t accept my vehicle - a 2015 Ford F150 - one of the most common vehicles on the road. Unbelievable! ### 1/5 — Unreliable *2024-12-07* My car showed a recall on Kelly blue book when I was just looking up car possible value and entered vin although the recall was 2008 and my car is a 2007 it still came up stating I had a recall for the electrical system having to do with airbags issue so since the sensor has been blinking on dash for over 5yrs I am gonna call dealer to inquire if I in fact need to bring it in ### 1/5 — Not very useful. *2024-09-07, version 1.2* This app provides very general information. Not specific to vin or serial numbers of specific item. In my case vehicle. ### 1/5 — Can’t add vehicle *2024-07-14, version 1.2* I try to add my two vehicles and I get a message that vehicle can’t be found. Total waste of my time. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Great app, updates quickly. Have some requests. *2022-10-26* App is great and updates quick whenever there’s a recall. I’d love if I could write notes so I can keep track of my plate numbers and such without using another app. It gets confusing when I have multiple of the same vehicle. ### 5/5 — App crash fixed - Thank you!! *2021-05-05* Update 5/4/21: App updated to v1.2 and does not crash any longer. Re-added my vehicles and all looks good now. Love the app but version 1.1.4 keeps crashing. Deleted the app and reinstalled again, only to have the app freeze after going through the prompts. On iOS 14.5 now. **Developer response:** We’re sorry you experienced problems using SaferCar on your iOS device. We recently released an updated version of our app and it should have fixed any issues you experienced. Please make sure you’re now running version 1.2. If not, simply update SaferCar through the app store. ### 5/5 — Works very well *2020-09-22, version 1.0* Just got the app. Added both my cars. The bar code for first car scanned without a problem. The second cars first bar code didn’t work. Switched scan to a different vehicle VIN bar code and that worked. The bar code that could not be read was small and a little scratched up. ### 5/5 — Easy to Use, Accurate *2020-09-08, version 1.0* It took me all of 30 seconds to download, search and complete the form for one care. It found the one known recall open on the vehicle which I knew had been repaired, and it reported that accurately. All good here! I’ll go back and add accessories later. Recommended. ### 5/5 — GR8 plus notifies you if you want *2020-09-07, version 1.0* Primo app. Checks for recalls, and shows you no. of investigations that did not end up in a recall. You can opt-in to get notifications if you want. Start with selecting make, then model, and lastly it will ask for VIN digits. (Oddly, all models are identified as 2011 year. But app still ok.) I added our 2 cars in <1 min. No crashes in >3 mos. use. #RECOMMENDED iPhone 8 w/ iOS 13.6x ### 5/5 — Add VIN after you select your vehicle *2020-09-01, version 1.0* Works well others that say you cannot add your VIN but you have to select out of the list. ### 5/5 — worked well, found my vehicles and showed no recalls *2020-08-30, version 1.0* Thanks for creating the app. ### 5/5 — Works great *2020-08-30, version 1.0* Works as advertised. I didn't have any outstanding recalls yay but I'm looking forward to getting notifications this way - much better than relying on a letter in the mail. (And to the person who gave a poor rating because you said it didn't give you the option to put in a VIN - you search for make and model then you get to enter the VIN. I'm sure this is to make vin searching faster.) ### 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. ### 4/5 — Well it recognized *my* VIN... *2024-01-31* There seem to be an awful lot of complaints on here about the app not taking people's VINs, but it took the VIN for my (not extremely common) car just fine. I wonder if it would help others to do what I did, which was to pull the car up first by year, make and model and then put the VIN in the box that appears below the car for that purpose. Anyway, so far so good. And I don't think I'm terribly concerned about the app having to run in the background because anytime I go to quit all the apps on my phone I find I have about 50 of them running in the background already, some that I haven't used in a month or more, so adding one more to that list doesn't seem a big deal to me. **Developer response:** To add more than one vehicle or equipment, from the app home screen, tap the plus sign in the bottom right. Then tap the search bar that appears. You’ll be prompted to select the next product to add. Keeping SaferCar open in the background of your device allows it to automatically check for recalls. This process happens about once a day and only takes seconds. 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. --- *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.*