NHTSA Technical Service Bulletins (TSB) Search by Make, Model and Year

NHTSA Technical Service Bulletins Search looks up manufacturer communications and technical service bulletins (TSBs) from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by make, model, model year, component keyword, communication type and date. Each row is one bulletin: NHTSA ID, manufacturer bulletin number, dates, communication type, vehicle (make, model, year), NHTSA and manufacturer component categories and a text summary. Data is NHTSA's public manufacturer-communications file, with no login or API key. This is an independent tool and is not affiliated with NHTSA.

Input

All fields are optional; leave everything empty to get the newest bulletins. This example finds 2022 Ford transmission bulletins:

{
  "make": "FORD",
  "model": "",
  "modelYear": 2022,
  "keyword": "transmission",
  "communicationType": "Service Bulletin",
  "communicationDateFrom": "2025-01-01",
  "maxResults": 100
}

• make, model: case-insensitive substring match (for example FORD, F-150, CAMRY).
• modelYear: exact year, for example 2022; 0 means any year.
• keyword: searched in the summary, component and bulletin-number fields (for example transmission, battery).
• communicationType: substring filter such as Service Bulletin, Campaign, Warranty.
• communicationDateFrom: only communications on or after this date, YYYY-MM-DD.
• maxResults: newest first (default 100, maximum 50000).
• fileUrls: NHTSA zip files to read. The default is the current 2025-2026 received file; add other NHTSA file URLs to go further back.

Output

One row per bulletin, newest first. Real example row (summary shortened here):

{
  "nhtsaId": "11038166",
  "bulletinNumber": "SSM 55218",
  "communicationDate": "2026-10-06",
  "dateAddedToFile": "2026-10-06",
  "communicationType": "Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions",
  "campaignId": null,
  "make": "FORD",
  "model": "F-450 SD",
  "modelYear": "2022",
  "nhtsaComponents": "POWER TRAIN",
  "mfrComponentSystem": null,
  "mfrComponentSubsystem": null,
  "summary": "For 2020-2026 vehicles equipped with the 10R140 transmission, a new Transmission Clutch Circuit Leak Test has been introduced in the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS). ...",
  "url": "https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/ffdd/tsbs/TSBS_RECEIVED_2025-2026.zip"
}

Use cases

Search phrases this actor is built for:

• "NHTSA technical service bulletins by make and model": set make, model and modelYear before diagnosing a vehicle.
• "Find a TSB by year and component": set modelYear and a keyword such as transmission or battery.
• "Manufacturer communications service bulletin search": use communicationType and communicationDateFrom, and schedule a weekly run to export new bulletins to a spreadsheet.

Typical users are independent repair shops, used-car buyers and inspectors, fleet managers, insurers and warranty analysts. It also works as a tool for AI agents through the Apify MCP server.

Pricing

Pay per result: each bulletin row returned is one billable result, listed at $0.002 per row ($2 per 1,000), plus Apify platform usage. Set a maximum charge on the run for a hard ceiling.

Limits

• NHTSA's file does not hold every bulletin a manufacturer issues, and it does not include safety recalls.
• By default only the 2025-2026 received file is read; older bulletins need the matching NHTSA file URL in fileUrls.
• The summary is the manufacturer-reported text, not repair advice. Check with the manufacturer or a dealer before acting.
• The file is downloaded on every run, so large runs take a little longer.

FAQ

Does this include recalls? No. Safety recalls are a separate NHTSA dataset.

Why is a bulletin missing? NHTSA says its file does not contain every manufacturer bulletin.

How fresh is it? It reads NHTSA's file at run time, which NHTSA updates regularly.