If you’re unfamiliar with the term “recall” as it relates to your vehicle then you’re either fortunate or uninformed (or both). A recall means that the vehicle manufacturer recognizes there is a problem with one of its vehicles that could jeopardize your safety and must fix the problem at no cost to you. Although a manufacturer is required to notify you of any recalls, sometimes those notices don’t get to you. There’s a good chance you’ve been impacted by the massive recall of nearly 50 million Takata airbags; a recall that impacted vehicles made by 19 different automakers with the airbags installed in cars with model years 2002 through 2015.
How do you check to see if your vehicle has been recalled? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provides a website that allows you to search for recalls by entering your 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Just follow directions on NHTSA website to find the VIN for your car.
As an illustration, I used the NHTSA site to check if our 2007 Toyota 4Runner would be impacted by the Takata airbag recall, and to see if there are any recall notices posted. 
Thankfully, our vehicle is not affected by the airbag recall (exhibit 1), nor does it have any recalls (exhibit 2 below). Please note that it’s important to use VIN to check for recall and not search by “Vehicle” on NHTSA site since there may be active recalls on the year/make/model of your vehicle but it may not impact your specific vehicle (exhibit 3 below).
Roughly 25% of recalled vehicles on road today haven’t been fixed, so run your VIN and check it out. Otherwise, you’re putting yourself and others at risk. Also, hundreds of recalls are issued by manufacturers each year so check your VIN(s) annually.