The canary watches. You get the email.
New recalls, opened investigations, and expiring warranty programs on the exact years you’re shopping or already own — flagged weeks before the owner letters go out, and only when it’s worth money.
Watching a year? We’ll watch it back.
No spam, no selling your address. A few emails a month, only when something changes or something’s worth reading.
What our reports have found
“Letters mail July 6. We’d have told you in May.”
Honda’s seat-sensor recall (26V-332) covers 2017–2022 CR-Vs. VINs were searchable five weeks before owner letters went out.
“Your free repair expired and nobody told you.”
Honda extended the 2017–18 CR-V engine warranty to 6 years for the oil-dilution defect. That coverage quietly lapsed in 2024 — owners who didn’t claim in time now face a repair that runs to $8,000.
“Recalled. Fixed. Re-recalled.”
Ford recalled the same F-150 lighting defect repeatedly because the fixes kept failing. If a recall shows “completed,” we check whether the fix itself was recalled.
How to use VinCanary
- 01
Researching? Read the free report for every year on your shortlist. Verdict first: Calm, Chirping, Squawking, or Fainted. Then the known issues, the real repair costs, and the 20-minute pre-purchase checklist.
- 02
Found a specific car? The VIN is on the listing. Paste it and we’ll tell you which of that year’s known problems apply to this exact build — engine, transmission, configuration — and whether its recall work was actually done. Free.
Check a VIN now
Paste the VIN from the listing. We’ll reply with what applies to that exact build. - 03
Bought it (or already own one)? Keep the alerts on. Add your year to the watchlist above and we’ll flag new recalls, investigations, and expiring coverage windows on the car you own — not just the ones you’re shopping.
The Canary Index.
We’re scoring every year of every model we cover: reliability, cost-per-mile of known failures, and best-bang-for-your-buck verdicts across generations. Browse the rankings → or join the watchlist above to get them first.
Same badge. Different car.
Model reputation is an average. You’re not buying the average — you’re buying a year.
Honda CR-V — four model years apart
Both “a used CR-V.” Only one is buyable.2018 Honda CR-V
Walk away — unless the engine work is already done and documented. The oil-dilution failure chain ends in an ~$8,000 engine job, and the warranty extension that covered it expired around 2024.
2,072
Federal complaints
~$8,000
Known failure, out of coverage
2022 Honda CR-V
The year to buy — the cleanest CR-V of this generation. Same body, same badge, none of the engine’s failure chain.
228
Federal complaints
9×
Fewer complaints than the 2018
Frequently asked questions
Are the reports really free?
Yes, all of them, no email wall. The VIN check is free too.
Is my VIN sensitive?
A VIN identifies a vehicle’s configuration, not you. We don’t ask for your name, address, or title info. Privacy policy
Are you affiliated with Ford/Honda/NHTSA?
No. We read public federal data and manufacturer publications so you don’t have to.
I already get recall letters.
Letters lag the data by weeks (sometimes months), don’t cover expiring goodwill programs or investigations, and never warn you about known failures that were never recalled.
Why trust this over a paid history report?
Different job. A history report tells you where one car has been. We tell you where every car like it is going — the failure patterns, costs, and windows that history reports don’t track.