1. Official source
RecallRoad uses the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation post-2010 flat recall file. The source includes campaign, make, model, model year, component, filing manufacturer, dates, campaign-wide potential units, defect, consequence, remedy, notes, and urgent advisory fields.
2. Publication floor
A model-year report is published only when the source contains at least three distinct NHTSA campaigns for that exact year, make, and model. This evidence floor limits one-line pages without implying that excluded vehicles have no recalls.
3. Distinct campaign counting
NHTSA may publish several rows for one campaign because a campaign covers multiple models or components. RecallRoad counts distinct campaign numbers within each model-year report and keeps component details attached to the campaign.
4. Campaign-wide quantities
The potential-units field belongs to the entire campaign. It is not the number of affected units for one model, trim, state, or year page. RecallRoad labels it campaign-wide everywhere it appears.
5. Urgent advisories
Do Not Drive and Park Outside indicators are reproduced from NHTSA's source fields. A flag on a model-level report still requires a VIN check before deciding that a particular vehicle is covered.
6. No safety or reliability score
Recall counts are not exposure-adjusted failure rates. They can reflect vehicle age, campaign scope, manufacturer reporting, and how NHTSA groups models. RecallRoad does not rank vehicle safety or predict future failures.
7. Snapshot and updates
This build uses the September 21, 2026 download, whose latest record-creation date is September 15, 2026. NHTSA updates the source daily; future builds replace the snapshot rather than mixing partial files.