Two kinds of notices can come at you about your car, but only one of them won’t cost you money.
If an automaker finds a defect that creates an unreasonable safety risk, it triggers a safety recall. Federal law requires the manufacturer to notify owners and to fix the issue at no charge. A technical service bulletin (TSB) is an internal memo to dealer technicians about a recurring problem on a model. These don’t necessarily come with a notification, a legal obligation, or a guaranteed free repair.
60-second version
One is free. One might not be.
Technical Service Bulletin
Repair advice for your dealer
A memo telling technicians how to fix a known, nonsafety problem.
- No letter — it goes to dealers, not you
- Optional; nothing happens if you skip it
- Saves diagnostic hours even when the repair isn’t covered
Safety Recall
A defect they must fix
A safety defect the automaker is required to repair, replace, or refund.
- Mailed notice to registered owners is required
- Mileage, warranty, and owner count don’t matter
- Free for 15 years from the first retail sale
The Recall Process
Recalls are issued when a vehicle or part has a safety defect or fails to meet a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. The automaker can initiate one, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) can force the issue after an investigation.
Three things then happen:
- You get notified. Registered owners must be notified by mail.
- You don’t pay. Repair, replacement, or refund are covered at no cost to the owner. Warranty status, mileage, and number of previous owners are all irrelevant.
- It’s made public. Recalls are searchable by vehicle identification number (VIN) in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database.
The one real catch: An automaker isn’t required to provide a free remedy if the recall was filed more than 15 years after the car’s first retail sale. That clock runs on the original sale date, not the model year. However, many automakers will go past 15 years despite this rule. For example, Takata airbag work has been done free on much older cars. But past that 15-year point, it’s good practice, but not law. Shorter windows apply to tires.
LEARN: Everything You Need to Know About Recalls
Not Every Recall is Equally Urgent
All recall resolutions are free. What changes is your timeline. A recall notice carries one of three urgency levels.
Not all recalls are equal
Three Levels of Urgency
Every recall is free to fix. What changes is how long you can wait — and whether you should be driving or parking the car at all.
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Most urgent
“Do Not Drive”
The most serious flag NHTSA uses, reserved for defects with an imminent risk of severe injury. Regulators recommend the car stay parked until it’s repaired.
Stop driving it. Ask the automaker about towing and a loaner — many provide both.
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Urgent
“Park Outside”
Used when a defect can start a fire with the engine off — usually always-on electronics. The danger is what’s around the car, not the driving.
Park away from your house, garage, carport, and other vehicles until it’s fixed.
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Standard
Schedule the repair
The large majority of recalls. A real safety defect, but not one that makes the car unsafe to park or drive in the meantime.
Book it at your convenience. Don’t file the letter and forget it.
A recall notice states its own urgency level; when in doubt, call the automaker’s recall hotline or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. If a part is back-ordered, ask what interim guidance applies while you wait.
Technical Service Bulletins
A TSB is a notification from the manufacturer that tells a technician: “We know this model does this, here’s the diagnosis, the part number, and the labor time.” It’s for real, repeatable, nonsafety items like a low-speed transmission shudder, a screen that reboots, a sunroof rattle, or a rough cold start.
- No notification. Bulletins go to the dealer network.
- Cost depends on the warranty. Covered if you’re still under the applicable factory warranty. Out of warranty, you pay — though automakers sometimes extend “goodwill” coverage on well-documented issues, so ask.
- Optional. Skip it, and nothing happens.
The angle most owners miss: A bulletin saves money even when the repair isn’t free. Walk in with the TSB number, and the tech isn’t billing you diagnostic hours to rediscover what the factory already wrote down. Independent shops can use them too. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has a searchable bulletin database — no dealer subscription required.
Know the difference
Technical Service Bulletin vs. Safety Recall
One is a free safety fix the automaker has to tell you about. The other is repair guidance for technicians that may cost you money.
| Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) | Safety Recall | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Repair instructions sent to dealer technicians | A required fix for a safety defect |
| What triggers it | A recurring, nonsafety complaint | Safety risk, or a missed federal safety standard |
| Do you get a letter? | No — dealers only | Yes — mailed notice is required |
| Is the fix free? | Only under warranty, or via goodwill coverage | Always — mileage and owner count don’t matter |
| Is it required? | No — no penalty for skipping it | The automaker must offer it. Take it. |
| Time limit | Your warranty period | 15 years from first retail sale (less for tires) |
| Where to look | NHTSA bulletin search, or a service advisor | VIN lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls |
There’s a third category
Automakers also run customer satisfaction campaigns, special service campaigns, and warranty extensions — voluntary free fixes for a known problem that never rises to a safety recall. They often aren’t announced, and they won’t show up in the federal recall database. Ask a dealer to check your VIN for open campaigns.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall and service bulletin programs. Free-remedy requirements vary by campaign; confirm with the manufacturer or an authorized dealer. Check your vehicle at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
There’s a Third Category: Campaigns
Automakers also run customer satisfaction campaigns, special service campaigns, and warranty extensions — voluntary free fixes for a known defect that never rise to the level of a recall. Some get announced. Many don’t, and none appear in the federal recall database. If a dealer says your repair is covered “under a campaign,” this is what they mean.
Check your own car in five minutes.
- Recalls: Enter your 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN) at nhtsa.gov/recalls. This will return open recalls for that exact vehicle. It will cover roughly the last 15 years, with a few days’ lag on brand-new campaigns.
- Bulletins: Search National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) by year, make, and model. Owner forums for your model are good at surfacing bulletin numbers, too.
- Campaigns: Call the service department with your vehicle identification number (VIN). They see every open recall and campaign within seconds — including those that never get publicized.
Quick check
Is It a Bulletin or a Recall?
What’s going on with your car?
Knowing these differences between recalls, TSBs, and campaigns can help you determine what action you need to take to keep your vehicle in tip-top shape.
To decode dashboard warning lights and drive with confidence, explore KBB's Car Safety Information Center.
