# VIN Decoder — Specs, Recalls, Complaints, Safety Ratings (`dalbian/vin-decoder-vehicle-data`) Actor

Decode any North-American VIN into full factory specifications, then attach the open safety recalls, the owner complaints filed with NHTSA and the official crash-test ratings for that vehicle. Free government data, no key, no scraping.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/dalbian/vin-decoder-vehicle-data.md
- **Developed by:** [Benjamin Jerez](https://apify.com/dalbian) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per event

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

## VIN Decoder — Specs, Recalls, Complaints and Crash-Test Ratings

Turn a **VIN** into everything the US government knows about that vehicle: full factory specifications, the safety features it left the plant with, every open recall campaign, the complaints owners filed, and its official crash-test ratings.

Four NHTSA sources in one run. No API key, no scraping, no per-lookup licence.

### What a decode returns

`5YJ3E1EA6PF384836`:

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| `make`, `model`, `modelYear` | TESLA · Model 3 · 2023 |
| `bodyClass`, `doors`, `seats` | Sedan/Saloon · 4 · 5 |
| `fuelTypePrimary`, `electrificationLevel` | Electric · BEV |
| `batteryType`, `evDriveUnit` | Lithium-Ion · Single Motor |
| `plantCity`, `plantCountry` | Fremont · United States |
| `curbWeightLb`, `grossVehicleWeightRating` | 4 048 · Class 1C |
| `openRecallCount`, `overallSafetyRating` | 12 · ★5 |

And a `safetyFeatures` object with roughly thirty entries — ABS, stability control, airbag locations by row, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane keeping, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise, backup camera, event data recorder.

A 2003 Honda Accord decodes just as completely: `engineModel` J30A4, V-6, 3.0 L, 240 hp, five-speed automatic, built in Marysville, Ohio.

### The three attachments

**Recalls** — every NHTSA campaign affecting the vehicle, with the defect, the consequence, the remedy, and two flags that matter operationally: `parkOutside` (fire risk, do not garage it) and `overTheAirUpdate` (fixed by software, no workshop visit).

**Complaints** — what owners actually reported, each with the component, the date, whether it involved a crash or fire, and the number of injuries or deaths. Popular models carry thousands, so this is off by default and capped.

**Crash-test ratings** — the NCAP five-star results: frontal by seating position, side barrier and side pole, rollover, plus the numeric rollover probability and the dynamic tip result.

### Without a VIN

You do not always have one. Put `honda/accord/2015` in the make/model/year field and the recalls, complaints and ratings come back the same way — which is what you want when you are enriching a listing rather than inspecting a car.

### Who uses this

Used-car marketplaces and classifieds enriching a listing from the VIN alone. Insurers and underwriters pricing on the safety-feature set rather than the trim name. Fleet and lease operators checking a batch of vehicles for open recalls. Dealer tools, inspection apps and vehicle-history products that need specifications without licensing a commercial catalogue per lookup.

### Scope and limits

**North American VINs.** vPIC decodes vehicles built for the US market. A European or Asian-market VIN will decode partially or not at all, and the Actor says which — `decodeClean` is false and `decodeNote` carries NHTSA's own explanation rather than a guess.

**Specifications are what the factory declared**, not what the car is today. A VIN cannot tell you about later modifications, mileage, accidents or title status.

**Recalls are by make, model and year**, which is how NHTSA publishes them. A campaign listed for a model year may not apply to your individual car if it was built outside the affected production window — the campaign text says so, and the manufacturer's own VIN-level check is the final word before work is authorised.

### Source and licence

**NHTSA** — the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — through `vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov` for decoding and `api.nhtsa.gov` for recalls, complaints and safety ratings. US federal government works, public domain. Queried live on every run.

### Frequently asked

**Why is a field missing?**
Because the manufacturer did not declare it for that model. vPIC returns 154 fields and most vehicles populate fewer than half; empty ones are dropped rather than returned as blanks.

**Is an invalid VIN charged?**
No. Billing is per vehicle returned. A VIN that fails the format check is reported with an explanation and costs nothing.

**How many VINs per run?**
As many as you like. They are decoded in batches of forty against the bulk endpoint, so a few thousand is one run.

**Does `overallSafetyRating` of "Not Rated" mean the car is unsafe?**
No — it means NHTSA never crash-tested that variant. Older and low-volume models are frequently untested.

# Actor input Schema

## `vins` (type: `array`):

Vehicle Identification Numbers to decode, one per line. 17 characters each. Decoding is free of charge in this Actor — you are billed per vehicle returned, not per attempt, so an invalid VIN costs nothing.

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

Look up recalls, complaints and ratings without a VIN, one vehicle per line in the form make/model/year — for example honda/accord/2015. Use this when you have a listing rather than a vehicle in front of you.

## `includeRecalls` (type: `boolean`):

Attach every NHTSA recall campaign affecting the vehicle, with the defect, the consequence and the remedy.

## `includeComplaints` (type: `boolean`):

Attach complaints owners filed with NHTSA. Popular models carry hundreds, so this is the setting that drives both run time and cost. Off by default.

## `includeSafetyRatings` (type: `boolean`):

Attach the NCAP five-star ratings: frontal, side, rollover, plus the rollover probability.

## `maxComplaintsPerVehicle` (type: `integer`):

Cap on complaints per vehicle, most recent first.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "vins": [
    "5YJ3E1EA6PF384836",
    "1HGCM82633A004352"
  ],
  "includeRecalls": true,
  "includeComplaints": false,
  "includeSafetyRatings": true,
  "maxComplaintsPerVehicle": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

# 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 = {
    "vins": [
        "5YJ3E1EA6PF384836",
        "1HGCM82633A004352"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("dalbian/vin-decoder-vehicle-data").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 = { "vins": [
        "5YJ3E1EA6PF384836",
        "1HGCM82633A004352",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("dalbian/vin-decoder-vehicle-data").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 '{
  "vins": [
    "5YJ3E1EA6PF384836",
    "1HGCM82633A004352"
  ]
}' |
apify call dalbian/vin-decoder-vehicle-data --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,dalbian/vin-decoder-vehicle-data"
        }
    }
}
```

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/GRaveFKIfnAefv9aZ/builds/vLN1OaSErhlw2E1pk/openapi.json