Report a serious safety defect: privacy notice
Updated 23 June 2026
1. About this serviceÂ
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) provides the service to report a serious safety defect.  DVSA is an executive agency of the Department for Transport (DfT).Â
You can use this service to report a serious defect that affects the safety of your vehicle, one of its parts, or an accessory to DVSA. Â
The data controller for DVSA is DfT - a data controller determines the reasons and how personal data is processed. For more information, see the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) . DfT’s registration number is Z7122992.Â
2. What data we needÂ
The personal data we collect from you will include:Â
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your nameÂ
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your addressÂ
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your email addressÂ
2.1  Vehicle defect dataÂ
The data we collect from you about the defect will include:Â
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vehicle registration (number plates)Â
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vehicle’s identification number (VIN)Â
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where the vehicle is keptÂ
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any photos showing the defect (if you have them)Â
2.2 Lawful basisÂ
The lawful basis for processing this data is ‘’ under the:Â
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Regulation (EU) 2018/85Â
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The Road Vehicles (Approval) Regulations 2020Â
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Regulation (EU) 167/2013Â
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Regulation (EU) 168/2013Â
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The General Product Safety Regulations 2005Â
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Fraud Act 2006Â
3. Why we need itÂ
We need the personal data we collect from you to:Â
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investigate the safety defectÂ
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use as evidence in any case against the manufacturerÂ
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contact you for more information to help us investigate the defectÂ
4. What we do with itÂ
We collect, use and store the data you give us for the reasons set out in this policy.Â
We will review the information you’ve sent and decide what to do next. This may include:Â
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sharing the data with DVSA examiners and asking them to investigate the defectÂ
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sharing the data with the vehicle manufacturer so they can investigate the defect Â
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asking you for more information Â
We will share your data if required to do so by law - for example, by court order, or to prevent fraud or other crime.Â
We will not:Â
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sell or rent your data to third partiesÂ
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share your data with third parties for marketing purposesÂ
5. How long we keep your dataÂ
We’ll only keep your personal data for as long as it is needed for the reasons set out in this policy, or as long as it’s required by law.Â
We will hold your personal data for whichever of these is longest:Â
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no more than 20 years after the end of an investigationÂ
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20Â years after the end of any court sentence has expired following information you gave to usÂ
6. Where it might goÂ
All investigation data is held on DVSA servers based in the UK or hosted within cloud services based in the European Economic Area (EEA). They meet security safeguards equivalent to those required by data protection legislation.Â
7. Protecting your data and your rightsÂ
°Õ³ó±ðÌýDVSA personal information charter sets out what steps are taken to protect your data, and the rights you have over your data.Â
8. Automated decision making and profilingÂ
Your data is not subject to automated decision making or profiling as defined in data protection legislation.Â
9. Changes to this noticeÂ
We may change this privacy notice at our discretion at any time.Â
When we change this notice, the date on the page will be updated. Any changes to this privacy notice will be applied to you and your data as of the revision date.Â
We encourage you to periodically review this privacy notice to be informed about how your data is protected.Â
10. How to contact usÂ
If you have any questions about anything in this document or if you consider that your personal data has been misused or mishandled you can contact the DVSA data protection managerÂ
DVSA data protection manager
Data Protection Manager
DVSA
1 Unity Square
Nottingham
NG2 1AY
You may also , who is an independent regulator.