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:
3 Japanese notices name URJ202
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Mar 2020 | Toyota ノア、ヴォクシー、エスクァイア、クラウン、アルファード、ヴェルファイア、FJクルーザー、ランドクルーザー、ランドクルーザープラド、LS460 | CBA-URJ202W | fuel system 燃料ポンプ | 112,934 | 1146830 |
| 31 Aug 2017 | Toyota ランドクルーザー、カローラ、LX570、トレジア | CBA-URJ202W | airbag エアバッグ | 11 | 1140970 |
| 30 Jun 2010 | Toyota ランドクルーザー、ブレイド | CBA-URJ202W | seat belt シートベルト | 101 | 1125690 |
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.