Cars imported from Japan to the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere were recalled in Japan, not in the country they live in now. Japan's transport ministry (MLIT) files those recalls by model code, not by VIN. Type the code from the car's papers or the start of its chassis number and see every Japanese recall that names it since 1993.
Examples:
8 Japanese notices name NHW20
Newest first. Open a notice for the full text, the date it was filed and how many vehicles it covers. A notice naming the code does not mean every car with that code is affected: MLIT notices are usually limited to a range of production dates, so a dealer of the make should confirm for your chassis number.
| Notified | Make and model | Matching codes | Part | Vehicles | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Nov 2022 | Toyota ウィッシュ、プリウス、ハリアー、クルーガーV、クラウン、ポルテ、ソアラ、SC430 | DAA-NHW20 | seat belt シートベルト | 21 | 1152290 |
| 2 Jul 2014 | Toyota カローラ アクシオ、プリウス、アリオン、CX-5、アクセラ、ティーダラティオ、リーフ、ラティオ、シビック ハイブリッド、インサイト、フィット シャトル、SX4 | DAA-NHW20 | その他(制御装置) | 466 | 1133790 |
| 14 Nov 2012 | Toyota プリウス、アルファードハイブリッド、エスティマハイブリッド、クラウンセダン、TOYOTA FCHV-adv | ZA-NHW20, DAA-NHW20 | cooling 冷却装置 | 175,176 | 1130552 |
| 14 Nov 2012 | Toyota プリウス、ウィッシュ、アイシス、カローラ、カローラランクス、アレックス | ZA-NHW20, DAA-NHW20 | steering その他(かじ取り) | 1,507,454 | 1130551 |
| 30 May 2006 | Toyota ウィッシュ、アイシス、プリウス、カローラ フィールダー、カローラランクス、アレックス、カローラスパシオ、ラクティス | ZA-NHW20, DAA-NHW20 | steering かじ取リンク機構 | 565,756 | 1116630 |
| 28 Mar 2006 | Toyota セルシオ、クラウン、クラウンマジェスタ、マークX、プリウス、ヴィッツ、GS430、GS350、IS250、IS350 | DAA-NHW20 | airbag エアバッグ | 81 | 1116420 |
| 18 Nov 2004 | Toyota ウィッシュ、シエンタ、プリウス、ヴィッツ、カローラフィールダー、ラウム、エスティマL | ZA-NHW20, DAA-NHW20 | brakes 主ブレーキ一般 | 544,172 | 1113041 |
| 22 Jul 2004 | Toyota プリウス | ZA-NHW20 | engine エンジン一般 | 5,432 | 1111690 |
Where to find the model code
- On the papers: the Japanese export certificate or deregistration certificate lists it as 型式 (katashiki), for example
DAA-ZVW30. The part before the hyphen is an emissions prefix; the part after it is the model code. - On the car: most Japanese-market cars have a chassis number instead of a 17-character VIN, such as
ZVW30-1234567. The letters and digits before the hyphen are the model code. You can paste the whole chassis number here. - From the importer: the auction sheet and the import paperwork usually show both.
What this can and cannot tell you
It shows every notice MLIT published that names the code, with the part at fault and the number of vehicles, and links to our English copy of each notice. It cannot say whether your own car was repaired before it left Japan, or whether its production date falls inside the notice's range: a franchised dealer of the make can check the chassis number.
For cars first sold in the US, Canada, the UK or the EU, use the recall check by VIN or by make and model. How each country handles recalls: check your car, country by country.
Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), recall notifications 1993 onwards, read and kept by CarsMultiverse, an independent record published by A.I.T. Multiverse Consulting Ltd, Nicosia, Cyprus. Not an authority. Data CC BY 4.0; JSON: /api/v1/japan?code=ZVW30.