# NHTSA Vehicle Recall Search (Official API) (`kdhan/nhtsa-vehicle-recall-search`) Actor

US vehicle safety recalls from the official NHTSA API: campaign number, affected component, the safety consequence and the remedy. Distinguishes 'no recalls found' from 'the query failed', which this API makes easy to confuse. No API key, public domain U.S. government data.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/kdhan/nhtsa-vehicle-recall-search.md
- **Developed by:** [Doohan Kim](https://apify.com/kdhan) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Business
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.20 / 1,000 result items

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## NHTSA Vehicle Recall Search (Official API)

US vehicle safety recalls straight from **NHTSA**, the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration. No scraping, no API key.

### The trap this Actor handles

NHTSA answers "this vehicle has no recalls" with **HTTP 400** and a body that says
`"Results returned successfully"`. A failed query looks almost identical.

Tools that treat 400 as an error will tell you the lookup broke when the honest answer is
"no recalls found". Tools that ignore the status will call a broken query "no recalls" —
which, for a safety check, is the dangerous direction.

This Actor separates the two and says which one happened in the run log.

### Output

One row per recall:

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `NHTSACampaignNumber` | NHTSA's recall campaign identifier |
| `Manufacturer` | Who issued the recall |
| `Make`, `Model`, `ModelYear` | The vehicle |
| `Component` | The part being recalled |
| `Summary` | What the defect is |
| `Consequence` | What can happen because of it |
| `Remedy` | What the manufacturer will do |
| `Notes` | Additional detail from NHTSA |
| `ReportReceivedDate` | When NHTSA received the report |

### Input

```json
{
  "make": "honda",
  "model": "accord",
  "modelYear": 2015
}
```

Make and model are matched as NHTSA stores them. All three fields are required.

### Use cases

- Checking a used vehicle before purchase
- Fleet safety compliance — running a list of vehicles on a schedule
- Dealership and service workflows
- Research on recall frequency by manufacturer or component

### Limits worth knowing

- NHTSA returns at most **100 recalls** per query.
- Coverage is US vehicles and US recall campaigns.
- A vehicle with no recalls is a normal, successful result — not an error.

### Running locally

```bash
pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m tests.test_nhtsa
```

### Attribution

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of
Transportation. This Actor is not affiliated with or endorsed by NHTSA. For safety
decisions, confirm against NHTSA directly at nhtsa.gov.

# Actor input Schema

## `make` (type: `string`):

Vehicle manufacturer, for example honda, ford, toyota.

## `model` (type: `string`):

Vehicle model, for example accord, f-150, camry.

## `modelYear` (type: `integer`):

Four-digit model year, for example 2015.

## `maxRecords` (type: `integer`):

You are charged per returned recall. NHTSA returns at most 100 per query.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "make": "honda",
  "model": "accord",
  "modelYear": 2015,
  "maxRecords": 100
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

Campaign number, manufacturer, affected component, the safety consequence, the remedy and the recall notes.

# 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 = {
    "make": "honda",
    "model": "accord"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("kdhan/nhtsa-vehicle-recall-search").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 = {
    "make": "honda",
    "model": "accord",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("kdhan/nhtsa-vehicle-recall-search").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 '{
  "make": "honda",
  "model": "accord"
}' |
apify call kdhan/nhtsa-vehicle-recall-search --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/IuskcuQAk19yPfWl1/builds/QnTuCyPW080xDbNTf/openapi.json