# Vehicle Recall Monitor (`arched_friend/vehicle-recall-monitor`) Actor

Check any list of vehicles, by VIN or by year, make and model, against NHTSA safety recalls. Returns component, risk, remedy and do-not-drive warnings for every vehicle, and flags new recalls on each scheduled run. Built for fleets and dealers.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/arched\_friend/vehicle-recall-monitor.md
- **Developed by:** [Peach O](https://apify.com/arched_friend) (community)
- **Categories:** Business, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$2.00 / 1,000 vehicle checkeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Vehicle Recall Monitor: Check a Whole Fleet for Safety Recalls

Check any list of vehicles against US NHTSA safety recalls, by VIN or by year, make and model. For every recall you get the affected component, what can go wrong, the manufacturer's fix, and NHTSA's do-not-drive and park-outside warnings. Schedule it, and each run tells you only about recalls that have just been filed against your vehicles.

Built for fleet managers, used car dealers and rental companies who need to know about a recall before a customer or a driver finds out the hard way.

### How it works

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    A["VIN or<br/>2021 Ford F-150"] --> B{"VIN?"}
    B -->|yes| C["NHTSA VIN decoder"]
    B -->|no| D["Year, make, model"]
    C --> D
    D --> E["NHTSA recall search"]
    E -->|nothing under that name| F["Try NHTSA's other<br/>spellings of the model"]
    F --> E
    E --> G["One row per recall,<br/>do-not-drive first"]
    G --> H{"Since last run?"}
    H -->|new campaign| I["new-recall"]
```

It doesn't scrape and doesn't need an API key. It reads NHTSA's own public recall and VIN APIs.

**It doesn't give up on the first spelling.** NHTSA's recall search wants an exact model name. "F150" returns nothing while "F-150" returns 29 recalls, and many tools stop at the first empty answer and call the truck clean. This Actor tries NHTSA's other spellings of the model before concluding there are no recalls, and every row lists the model names it checked.

### Built for

- **Fleet managers** keeping vans and trucks safe and legal
- **Used car dealers** checking stock before it goes on the lot
- **Rental and car-sharing companies**, where a do-not-drive recall means pulling a car today
- **Insurers and leasing companies** tracking recall exposure across a book
- **Auto repair shops** telling customers about open recalls

### Input

```json
{
  "vehicles": [
    "2021 Ford F-150",
    "2020 Toyota RAV4",
    "2021, Land Rover, Defender",
    "1HGCV1F30LA000000"
  ],
  "onlyParkIt": false,
  "onlyChanged": true
}
```

| Setting | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| `vehicles` | One per line: a 17-character VIN, or year, make and model in any order |
| `reportedSince` | Only recalls NHTSA received on or after a date |
| `onlyParkIt` | Only do-not-drive and park-outside recalls |
| `componentContains` | Only recalls for, say, `AIR BAGS` or `BRAKES` |
| `onlyChanged` | Return only recalls that are new since the last run |

### Output

```json
{
  "vehicle": "2024 Kia Telluride",
  "status": "recall",
  "campaignNumber": "26V430000",
  "manufacturer": "Kia America, Inc.",
  "component": "SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST",
  "summary": "Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Telluride vehicles. The front power seat motor may overheat...",
  "consequence": "A fire increases the risk of injury.",
  "remedy": "Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete...",
  "reportDate": "2026-07-02",
  "parkIt": false,
  "parkOutside": true,
  "overTheAirUpdate": false,
  "modelsSearched": ["Telluride"],
  "url": "https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=26V430000",
  "changeType": "first-run",
  "checkedAt": "2026-09-23T20:22:40.850Z"
}
```

**Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls come first.** Every vehicle gets at least one row, so nothing silently drops off your list:

| `status` | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `recall` | One row per recall campaign |
| `no-recalls` | NHTSA has no recalls on file for it |
| `not-recognised` | The line couldn't be read, or NHTSA has no such model. `note` suggests close model names |
| `lookup-failed` | NHTSA didn't answer; try again later |

### Schedule it for your fleet

Save your fleet list, turn on `onlyChanged` and run it weekly. The first run records every existing recall. After that, you only get recalls filed since the last run, plus any vehicle that couldn't be checked.

### Run it as an API

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/arched_friend~vehicle-recall-monitor/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "vehicles": ["2022 Hyundai Tucson", "2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee"],
    "onlyParkIt": true
  }'
```

### Pricing

You pay $0.002 for each vehicle checked.

| Checking a 200 vehicle fleet monthly | Monthly cost |
| --- | --- |
| Typing each VIN into nhtsa.gov | several hours |
| Fleet recall services | often $1 or more per vehicle per month |
| This Actor | $0.40 |

### Common questions

**Does it tell me if my specific car has already been repaired?** No. NHTSA only shows per-VIN repair status on its own website, behind a captcha. This returns every recall issued for the vehicle's model and year. The manufacturer or a dealer can confirm whether a particular VIN was fixed.

**Why does a row say "enter the full model name"?** Some manufacturers file recalls under the trim (for example a Mercedes "GLE 350" rather than "GLE"), and NHTSA doesn't publish a list of those trims. When a short model name finds nothing, the Actor says so instead of calling the car clean. Use the full model name or the VIN.

**Is it US only?** Yes. It covers vehicles sold in the US and recalls filed with NHTSA.

**Do I need an API key?** No. NHTSA's APIs are public.

### Related products

- **FDA Recall Monitor** for food, drug and medical device recalls
- **Medical Device Clearance Tracker** for new FDA device clearances
- **Brand Mention Monitor** to catch press coverage when a recall breaks

# Actor input Schema

## `vehicles` (type: `array`):

One vehicle per line: a 17-character VIN, or a year, make and model such as 2020 Honda Civic or 2021, Land Rover, Defender.

## `reportedSince` (type: `string`):

Optional. Only recalls NHTSA received on or after this date, as YYYY-MM-DD.

## `onlyParkIt` (type: `boolean`):

Keep only recalls where NHTSA tells owners to stop driving or to park outside because of fire risk.

## `componentContains` (type: `array`):

Optional. Keep recalls whose component contains any of these, one per line, for example AIR BAGS or BRAKES.

## `onlyChanged` (type: `boolean`):

For a scheduled check: return only recalls that appeared since the last run, plus vehicles that could not be checked.

## `requestTimeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

How long to wait for one answer from NHTSA before giving up on it.

## `timeBudgetSecs` (type: `integer`):

How long the run may spend before it returns what it has.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "vehicles": [
    "2021 Ford F-150",
    "2020 Toyota RAV4"
  ],
  "onlyParkIt": false,
  "onlyChanged": false,
  "requestTimeoutSecs": 30,
  "timeBudgetSecs": 180
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `recalls` (type: `string`):

One row per vehicle and recall, do-not-drive recalls first, plus a row for every vehicle with no recalls or that could not be checked.

## `runSummary` (type: `string`):

Vehicles checked, vehicles with recalls, new and do-not-drive recalls.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "vehicles": [
        "2021 Ford F-150",
        "2020 Toyota RAV4"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("arched_friend/vehicle-recall-monitor").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "vehicles": [
        "2021 Ford F-150",
        "2020 Toyota RAV4",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("arched_friend/vehicle-recall-monitor").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "vehicles": [
    "2021 Ford F-150",
    "2020 Toyota RAV4"
  ]
}' |
apify call arched_friend/vehicle-recall-monitor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,arched_friend/vehicle-recall-monitor"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/OmQh1HoeMuxeE04Gv/builds/G8z8KUGxiVXRYGwL5/openapi.json