How to check if your tires have been recalled — the DOT code lookup, step by step

There are 1,167 tire-specific NHTSA recalls in our database, covering millions of units. If your tire is one of them, you can have it replaced free by the manufacturer. Here is how to read the DOT serial number and check it against the NHTSA recall database.

The recall safety net works only if owners know to use it. Our database tracks 1,167 NHTSA tire-specific recall campaigns spanning the past two decades, several of which are still actively replacing tires in 2026 — and most owners of affected tires have no idea their tires are on the list. The check takes five minutes and costs nothing.

What a tire recall actually covers

A tire recall is initiated either by the manufacturer (voluntary) or by NHTSA after a formal defect investigation. The recall is keyed to one or more DOT serial number ranges — meaning a specific span of production weeks at a specific plant. A typical recall affects tens of thousands to low millions of tires; the largest historical recalls (Firestone ATX/Wilderness in 2000, Cooper Tire Avenger 2003, Goodyear G159 commercial) affected over a million units each.

When a tire is recalled, the manufacturer is required to:

• Notify all known purchasers by mail (using registration records — which most consumers don't fill out, so this catches less than half of affected tires).
• Replace the tire at no cost — including mounting, balancing, and disposal of the recalled tire.
• Maintain the program for the recall lifetime (typically the life of the tire model).

The free replacement is real, but you have to ask for it. Manufacturers do not chase you down on the curb — the burden of checking your DOT code is on the owner.

Step 1 — Find the DOT code on every tire

The DOT serial number is molded into the sidewall of every US-market tire. It starts with the letters DOT and runs 10 to 13 characters. The string ends with the four-digit date code (the production week and year — see our DOT date code guide).

The full string typically appears only on one sidewall — the inboard side when the tire is mounted. You may need to:

• Turn the steering wheel to full lock to expose the inner sidewall of the front tires.
• Look from underneath or behind the wheel for the rear tires.
• Use a flashlight — the molded characters are the same color as the rest of the sidewall.

Record the full DOT string for each tire including the spare. Five tires, five DOT codes, on a piece of paper or in a photo. The spare counts because spare tires are often recalled even when the production-mate consumer tires are not.

Step 2 — Look up each DOT code at NHTSA

Go to nhtsa.gov/recalls. The site offers two relevant tools:

VIN lookup — best if you bought the vehicle new and the OEM tires are still installed. Enter the VIN and the system returns all open recalls for the vehicle, which includes tire recalls if the OEM-installed tires are affected. Quick and accurate.

Tire recall search — for any aftermarket tires (or used OEM tires where the original installation history is unclear). Search by brand name and model. The results list all recall campaigns affecting that model. For each campaign, NHTSA publishes:

• The affected DOT serial ranges (e.g., "DOT XXXX XXXX 2823 through 4123 produced at plant code XX").
• The defect description.
• The remedy (free replacement, typically).
• The manufacturer's contact information.

Match your tire's DOT code against the affected range. If it falls within, you have an open recall. If it doesn't, you're clear for that campaign. Repeat for all 5 tires.

Step 3 — Cross-check our recall database

Tirefolio's tire recall tracker ingests the NHTSA recall feed and presents it by brand and date. If you'd rather start from "what recalls exist for this brand" than VIN/model lookup, our index is faster. Recalls are updated daily.

For brands with active 2024–2025 recall activity, our 2024–2025 recall list is the current snapshot. For Cooper specifically (100 campaigns, the highest single-brand count in our database), the Cooper recall tracker breaks down the history by year.

Step 4 — Claim the remedy

If you have a hit, contact the manufacturer directly using the contact information in the NHTSA recall record. You'll need:

• The full DOT serial of the affected tire(s).
• Proof of vehicle ownership (registration or title).
• The location where the tires were purchased (if known).

The manufacturer will either ship replacement tires to a local installer of your choice (most common arrangement) or refund the cost of new replacements at an authorized dealer. The remedy is at no cost to you including labor, disposal, and balancing. There is no time limit on most tire recalls — you can claim five years after the campaign opened and you're still entitled to the remedy.

When recalls go unclaimed

NHTSA's own reporting suggests that less than 30% of affected consumers ever respond to tire recall notifications — meaning two out of three recalled tires stay on the road through their service life. This is the gap our database tries to close: every tire owner can spend five minutes checking their DOT codes, and the worst case is they confirm they're clear. The best case is a free replacement on tires that would otherwise have been a hidden failure risk.

Check at every tire rotation. Check when you buy used tires. Check when you buy a used car. The data is free, the lookup is free, and the remedy is free.

By Mark Bishop · Updated 2026-05-21.