# Bulk VIN Decoder + Recalls (NHTSA official data) (`larkmoor/vin-decoder-recalls`) Actor

Decode thousands of VINs at once with NHTSA's official vPIC database: make, model, year, trim, body, doors, drive, engine (cylinders, liters, HP), fuel, electrification, transmission, GVWR, plant and manufacturer, plus every safety recall for that make/model/year (campaign, date, component, summary,

- **URL**: https://apify.com/larkmoor/vin-decoder-recalls.md
- **Developed by:** [Larkmoor Data](https://apify.com/larkmoor) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, E-commerce
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.85 / 1,000 vins

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

## Bulk VIN Decoder + Recalls (NHTSA official data)

Decode thousands of VINs at once with NHTSA's official vPIC database: make, model, year, trim, body, doors, drive, engine (cylinders, liters, HP), fuel, electrification, transmission, GVWR, plant and manufacturer, plus every safety recall for that make/model/year (campaign, date, component, summary, remedy, park-it flag) and optionally the owner-complaint count. For dealers, fleets, insurers, marketplaces and buyers. No API key.

### What you can use it for

- Dealers and auctions: decode an inventory list into make/model/trim/engine columns in one run
- Fleets and insurers: open recalls per vehicle, including park-it recalls
- Marketplaces and classifieds: validate VINs and auto-fill listings
- Buyers and researchers: recall and complaint history before a purchase

### Why this one

- NHTSA's official vPIC decoder (the same database manufacturers file into) and the official recalls and complaints APIs; no key, no third-party reseller
- Batch decoding 50 VINs per request, so 10,000 VINs take minutes
- Recalls are matched by make/model/year and cached, with campaign number, date, component, summary, consequence, remedy and park-it/park-outside flags
- Pay only for results: **$1.00 per 1,000 VINs decoded**. No subscription.

### Input

- **VINs** (`vins`): 17-character VINs, one per line (partial VINs with \* work for decoding, not for recalls).
- **Include recalls for the make/model/year** (`includeRecalls`) Default: `true`.
- **Include owner-complaint count** (`includeComplaintsCount`) Default: `false`.
- **Max VINs** (`maxResults`) Default: `50000`.

### Output

One row per vin decoded in the dataset (JSON, CSV, Excel, or through the API). Sample:

```json
[
 {
  "vin": "1HGCM82633A004352",
  "make": "HONDA",
  "model": "Accord",
  "year": "2003",
  "trim": "EX-V6",
  "series": null,
  "bodyClass": "Coupe",
  "vehicleType": "PASSENGER CAR",
  "doors": "2",
  "driveType": null,
  "engineCylinders": "6",
  "engineDisplacementL": "2.998832712",
  "engineHp": "240",
  "fuelType": "Gasoline",
  "fuelTypeSecondary": null,
  "electrification": null,
  "transmission": "Automatic",
  "transmissionSpeeds": "5",
  "gvwr": "Class 1C: 4,001 - 5,000 lb (1,814 - 2,268 kg)",
  "plantCity": "MARYSVILLE",
  "plantState": "OHIO",
  "plantCountry": "UNITED STATES (USA)",
  "manufacturer": "AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC.",
  "manufacturerId": "988",
  "abs": null,
  "esc": null,
  "airbagsFront": "1st Row (Driver and Passenger)",
  "errorCode": "0",
  "errorText": "0 - VIN decoded clean. Check Digit (9th position) is correct",
  "decoded": true,
  "recallCount": 24,
  "recalls": [
   {
    "campaign": "19V182000",
    "date": "06/03/2019",
    "component": "AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE",
    "summary": "Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 200…",
    "consequence": "An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occu…",
    "remedy": "Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge.  The recall began April 10, 2019.  …",
    "parkIt": false,
    "parkOutside": false
   },
   {
    "campaign": "19E068000",
    "date": "10/10/2019",
    "component": "VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL",
    "summary": "Dorman Products, Inc.  (Dorman) is recalling certain Accelerator Pedal Assemblies part numbers 699-114 and 825-5029-1, sold as replacement parts for 2003-2006 A…",
    "consequence": "If the accelerator pedal binds, the engine may not quickly return to idle after the pedal is no longer pressed, increasing the risk of a crash.",
    "remedy": "Dorman will notify owners, and qualified service facilities will replace the affected accelerator pedal assemblies, free of charge.  The recall began December 9…",
    "parkIt": null,
    "parkOutside": null
   },
   {
    "campaign": "19V499000",
    "date": "27/06/2019",
    "component": "AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE",
    "summary": "Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic…",
    "consequence": "An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.",
    "remedy": "Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge.  The recall began August 12, 2019.  Owners may contact H…",
    "parkIt": false,
    "parkOutside": false
   },
   {
    "campaign": "19V501000",
    "date": "27/06/2019",
    "component": "AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE",
    "summary": "Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2012 RL, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2…",
    "consequence": "An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.",
    "remedy": "Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge.  The recall began August 12, 2019.  Owners may contact…",
    "parkIt": false,
    "parkOutside": false
   },
   {
    "campaign": "18V268000",
    "date": "26/04/2018",
    "component": "AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE",
    "summary": "Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-…",
    "consequence": "An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.",
    "remedy": "Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge.  The recall began J…",
    "parkIt": false,
    "parkOutside": false
   },
   {
    "campaign": "17V220000",
    "date": "30/03/2017",
    "component": "AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE",
    "summary": "Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Honda Accord Coupe vehicles, equipped with a four-cylinder engine.  If the passenger frontal air bag …",
    "consequence": "An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.",
    "remedy": "Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle and replace any Takata inflator used in the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge.  Th…",
    "parkIt": false,
    "parkOutside": false
   },
   {
    "campaign": "15V320000",
    "date": "28/05/2015",
    "component": "AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE",
    "summary": "Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002…",
    "consequence": "In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other o…",
    "remedy": "Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge.  The recall began on July 1, 2015.  Owners may contact H…",
    "parkIt": false,
    "parkOutside": false
   },
   {
    "campaign": "14V700000",
    "date": "04/11/2014",
    "component": "AIR BAGS",
    "summary": "American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic, 2003-2004 Civic CNG and Element, 2002-2005 CR-V, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003…",
    "consequence": "In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger’s frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupa…",
    "remedy": "Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge.  The recall began January 26, 2015.  Owners may contact …",
    "parkIt": false,
    "parkOutside": false
   }
  ],
  "hasParkItRecall": null,
  "complaintCount": 2013
 }
]
```

### Tips

- decoded is true when the VIN resolved to a make and model; errorText explains partial or bad VINs (wrong check digit, unregistered manufacturer).
- Recalls are by make/model/year, which is how NHTSA publishes them; whether a specific VIN was already repaired is not public data.

### Integrations and API

Run it on a schedule, trigger it from the API or a webhook, and send results to Google Sheets, Zapier, Make, Slack, a database or your own code with the platform's standard integrations.

### Data and fair use

This tool reads only public sources (official APIs, public feeds or pages the publisher makes available to everyone) and respects robots.txt and rate limits. You are responsible for using the data in line with the source's terms and applicable law.

### How much it costs

You pay per result (pay-per-event), nothing per month and nothing when a run returns nothing. The price is **$1.00 per 1,000 VINs** on the Free plan, with automatic discounts on paid plans (Bronze −5%, Silver −10%, Gold −15%, Platinum −20%).

Worked examples:

- 100 VINs → **$0.10**
- 1,000 VINs → **$1.00**
- 10,000 VINs → **$10.00**
- Plus $0.001 per run start.

Platform usage (compute, storage) is included in the price: the actor runs at a small memory setting by default, so a typical run of 1,000 VINs finishes in well under a minute.

### FAQ

**Where does the data come from?**

NHTSA's official vPIC decoder and recalls APIs (US Department of Transportation). Free, public and allowed for automated use.

**Why are some fields empty?**

A field is `null` when the source does not publish it for that row. The output keeps every column so your spreadsheet or integration always sees the same shape.

**Can I run it on a schedule?**

Yes. Use Apify Schedules (daily, hourly, cron) and connect the run to Make, Zapier, n8n, Google Sheets, a webhook or the API. Each run writes a dataset you can download as JSON, CSV or Excel.

**Is there a free trial?**

The Apify Free plan includes $5 of monthly platform credit, enough to try this actor on a few hundred results at no cost. There is no subscription for the actor itself.

**Can an AI agent use this?**

Yes. The actor is available through Apify's MCP server and the API, so LLM agents (Claude, ChatGPT, LangChain, CrewAI) can call it as a tool with the same input.

**What happens if something fails?**

Runs log every skipped item with a reason. If the source is down, the actor stops cleanly and you are only charged for the results it returned.

### Changelog

- **2026-10-18** — Lower price with Bronze/Silver/Gold discounts; smaller default memory (cheaper runs); clean table view of results; FAQ and cost examples; first release; default limit 5,000.

### Support

Found a problem or need a field added? Open an issue on the Issues tab; it is read and answered.

# Actor input Schema

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

17-character VINs, one per line (partial VINs with \* work for decoding, not for recalls).

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

Include recalls for the make/model/year. Default: true.

## `includeComplaintsCount` (type: `boolean`):

Include owner-complaint count. Default: false.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Max VINs. Default: 50000. (min 1)

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "vins": [
    "1HGCM82633A004352",
    "5YJ3E1EA7KF317000",
    "WBA3A5C55CF256930"
  ],
  "includeRecalls": true,
  "includeComplaintsCount": false,
  "maxResults": 5000
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

All results as JSON items in the run's default dataset (also downloadable as CSV/Excel from the dataset).

# 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": [
        "1HGCM82633A004352",
        "5YJ3E1EA7KF317000",
        "WBA3A5C55CF256930"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("larkmoor/vin-decoder-recalls").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": [
        "1HGCM82633A004352",
        "5YJ3E1EA7KF317000",
        "WBA3A5C55CF256930",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("larkmoor/vin-decoder-recalls").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": [
    "1HGCM82633A004352",
    "5YJ3E1EA7KF317000",
    "WBA3A5C55CF256930"
  ]
}' |
apify call larkmoor/vin-decoder-recalls --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/BZ7DZ7eMQEfsKP6kn/builds/hLNSX1URTLWyUHoJR/openapi.json