No, it is not recessive. Nail-patella syndrome is inherited in
an autosomal dominant manner. This means that possession of only
one copy of the defective gene is enough to cause disease. When a
parent has nail-patella syndrome each of their children has a 50%
chance to inherit the disease-causing mutation.
A new mutation causing nail-patella syndrome can also occur,
causing disease in a person with no family history. This is called
a sporadic occurrence and accounts for approximately 20% of cases
of nail-patella syndrome. The children of a person with sporadic
nail-patella syndrome are also at a 50% risk of developing signs of
the disorder.