NHTSA Vehicle Recall Lookup — VIN Make Model Year

What does NHTSA Vehicle Recall Lookup do?

Look up NHTSA vehicle safety recalls by make, model, and year or by VIN (decoded via vPIC). Uses public api.nhtsa.gov endpoints — no API keys and no login. Each row includes campaign number, component, summary, consequence, remedy, and park-it flags. Export JSON or CSV via Apify API, schedule, or MCP.

Unofficial. This Actor is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It reads public NHTSA APIs only.

Dashboards: connect Power BI, Tableau, Looker Studio, or Qlik to the dataset API — see Export to Power BI, Tableau, Looker Studio & Qlik near the end. AI agents: paste this Actor's Store page URL into an Apify-capable agent (MCP / Claude / Cursor with Apify), create an Apify account and API token once, and the agent can run the Actor and wire up the output.

Why use this NHTSA recall lookup?

• 🚗 Recalls by make/model/year or VIN decode path
• 📋 Campaign number, component, summary, consequence, remedy
• 🅿️ parkIt flag for stop-drive campaigns
• 🛡️ Direct HTTP — lightweight, no browser

How to look up vehicle recalls

1. Open this Actor in Apify Console.
2. Click Start on the prefilled Honda Civic 2020 query (maxItems 5).
3. Or supply a vins array — each VIN is decoded via vPIC then recalls are fetched.
4. Export the dataset or pull via API.

{
  "make": "Honda",
  "model": "Civic",
  "modelYear": 2020,
  "maxItems": 5,
  "proxyType": "none"
}

How much does it cost?

Pay per event (PPE): Actor start + each recall result row. On Free, results are about $0.49 / 1,000; paid plans are lower (see the Pricing tab).

Input

Field	Description
make	Vehicle make (ignored when vins provided)
model	Vehicle model
modelYear	Four-digit model year
vins	Optional VIN list (vPIC decode → recall lookup)
maxItems	Cap on recall rows
proxyType	Optional proxy

Sample output

{
  "Manufacturer": "Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)",
  "NHTSACampaignNumber": "21V215000",
  "Component": "FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP",
  "Summary": "Honda is recalling certain 2019-2020 ... fuel pump may fail.",
  "Consequence": "Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving...",
  "Remedy": "Dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge.",
  "ReportReceivedDate": "25/03/2021",
  "parkIt": false,
  "ModelYear": "2020",
  "Make": "HONDA",
  "Model": "CIVIC",
  "vin": null,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-09-09T10:00:00+00:00",
  "sourceUrl": "https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle?..."
}

FAQ

Is this official NHTSA software?

No. It is unofficial and not affiliated with NHTSA.

Does VIN mode look up recalls by exact VIN?

The public recalls API is keyed by make/model/year. VIN mode decodes the VIN via vPIC, then queries recalls for the decoded vehicle — it does not filter to VIN-specific affected units.

Can AI agents call this?

Yes — Actor ID bakos_bence/nhtsa-vehicle-recalls via Apify API or MCP.

Something broke?

Open the Issues tab on this Actor's page.

Related Actors

Actor	Use together when…
HU Vehicle Auctions	You monitor used-vehicle listings alongside recall facts
JoAutok listings	You enrich HU used-car inventory with NHTSA recall facts

Profile: bakos_bence on Apify.

For AI agents & LLM apps

Paste this Actor's Apify Store URL into an agent that can use Apify (MCP, Claude, Cursor, etc.). With an Apify account and API token, the agent can set input, run the Actor, and fetch the dataset.

Export to Power BI, Tableau, Looker Studio & Qlik

1. Run the Actor (or open a finished run).
2. Open the Dataset → API / Export.
3. Copy the dataset items URL (JSON or CSV).
4. In your BI tool, add a web / API data source with that URL (and your Apify token as a header or query param if required).
5. Refresh on a schedule that matches your recall monitoring cadence.

Recall data is public NHTSA safety information — verify critical vehicle decisions with your dealer or NHTSA directly.