Bulk VIN Decoder + Recall Check (NHTSA)

Decode VINs in bulk with the official NHTSA vPIC database (the same data dealers, insurers and the US government use) and get, per VIN: make, model, model year, trim, series, body class, doors, drive type, engine (cylinders, liters, HP, model), fuel type, hybrid/EV electrification, battery kWh, transmission, GVWR class, assembly plant, seats, base price and safety equipment (ABS, ESC, automatic emergency braking, lane departure, blind-spot, backup camera, airbags). Optionally add open recall campaigns, owner complaint counts and NCAP 5-star crash ratings. Use it as a VIN decoder API, a VIN recall lookup, or a fleet / inventory vehicle data enrichment step.

All data comes from official NHTSA APIs (vPIC, Recalls, Complaints, NCAP Safety Ratings). U.S. Government data, no API key, no scraping of dealer or auction sites.

Why this one

• Fast bulk decoding: 50 VINs per request through vPIC's batch endpoint; thousands of VINs per minute.
• Invalid VINs are free. Rows that fail to decode are still saved with the NHTSA error text and a suggested VIN, but you are charged only for VINs that decode.
• Recalls in the same row, cached per make/model/year so big fleets stay fast.
• Check-digit validation (position 9) on every VIN, to catch typos and fake VINs.

Who uses it

Used-car dealers and marketplaces (listing specs), insurers and lenders (underwriting, fraud checks), fleet managers (recall exposure), auto-parts and service shops, auction and salvage buyers, data teams cleaning vehicle tables.

Input examples

Decode a list with recalls (default):

{"vins": ["1HGCM82633A004352", "5YJ3E1EA7KF317000"]}

Full enrichment (complaints + NCAP stars + every raw vPIC field):

{"vins": ["5YJ3E1EA7KF317000"], "includeComplaintsCount": true, "includeSafetyRatings": true, "includeAllFields": true}

Specs only (fastest):

{"vins": ["1FTFW1ET5DFC10312"], "includeRecalls": false}

Output fields

vin, decodedOk, errorCodes[], errorText, additionalErrorText, suggestedVin, checkDigitValid, make, model, modelYear, trim, series, manufacturer, vehicleType, bodyClass, doors, driveType, engineCylinders, displacementL, engineHP, engineModel, engineConfiguration, fuelTypePrimary, fuelTypeSecondary, electrificationLevel, batteryKWh, evDriveUnit, chargerLevel, chargerPowerKW, transmissionStyle, transmissionSpeeds, gvwr, plantCountry, plantState, plantCity, plantCompany, seats, seatRows, wheelBaseIn, basePriceUsd, abs, esc, tractionControl, adaptiveCruiseControl, forwardCollisionWarning, automaticEmergencyBraking, laneDepartureWarning, laneKeepAssist, blindSpotWarning, backupCamera, parkAssist, tpms, airBagsFront, airBagsSide, airBagsCurtain, airBagsKnee, busType, trailerType, motorcycleType, recallCount, recalls[] (campaignNumber, reportDate, component, summary, consequence, remedy, parkIt, parkOutside, overTheAirUpdate, url), complaintsCount, safetyRatings[], allDecodedFields{}, retrievedAt

Real samples are in samples/.

Important

• Recalls are matched by make, model and model year, not by the individual VIN. A campaign may cover only part of a model year. To confirm whether one specific vehicle still has an unrepaired recall, check the VIN on nhtsa.gov/recalls or with the manufacturer.
• Empty fields mean NHTSA has no data for that variable, not that the feature is missing.
• Decoding works for vehicles sold in the US market (roughly model year 1981 onward). Other markets may decode only partially.

Pricing

Pay per decoded VIN (vin-decoded event). Recalls, complaints and ratings are included at no extra cost. Undecodable VINs are free. Cap spend with Max VINs.

Notes

Not affiliated with NHTSA or the US DOT.