# Vehicle Complaint Tracker — NHTSA Owner Complaints (`m_ctim/vehicle-complaint-tracker`) Actor

Search raw owner-submitted vehicle complaints filed with NHTSA by make, model, and model-year range — the early-warning signal that often precedes an official recall. Optionally filter to crash/fire/injury complaints only.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/m\_ctim/vehicle-complaint-tracker.md
- **Developed by:** [Timothy Kelvin](https://apify.com/m_ctim) (community)
- **Categories:** Travel
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per usage

This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-usage

## What's an Apify Actor?

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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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Vehicle Complaint Tracker — NHTSA Owner Complaints

Search raw owner-submitted vehicle complaints filed with NHTSA by make,
model, and model-year range. Complaints are the early-warning signal —
patterns show up here months or years before NHTSA opens an
investigation or a manufacturer issues an official recall.

Built for consumer advocates, class-action researchers, journalists, and
used-car buyers who want to know what owners are actually reporting,
not just what's already been officially recalled.

### Input

```json
{
  "make": "Honda",
  "model": "Accord",
  "yearFrom": 2018,
  "yearTo": 2022,
  "seriousOnly": false,
  "maxResults": 50
}
```

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `make` | string | Vehicle manufacturer, e.g. `"Honda"`, `"Ford"`, `"Toyota"`. |
| `model` | string | Vehicle model, e.g. `"Accord"`, `"Explorer"`, `"Camry"`. |
| `yearFrom` | number | Earliest model year to search (inclusive). Default `2018`. |
| `yearTo` | number | Latest model year to search (inclusive). Default `2026`. Range capped at 15 years. |
| `seriousOnly` | boolean | Only return complaints involving a crash, fire, injury, or death. Default `false`. |
| `maxResults` | number | Max complaints to return, most recently filed first. Default `50`, max `200`. |

### Output

One record per complaint:

```json
{
  "odiNumber": 11755895,
  "manufacturer": "Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)",
  "vehicle": { "make": "HONDA", "model": "ACCORD", "year": "2020" },
  "components": "POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM",
  "summary": "The car has a blown head gasket at 72k miles the odometer. This seems to be a major problem with 2018-2022 honda accords with the 1.5 turbo engine...",
  "crash": false,
  "fire": false,
  "numberOfInjuries": 0,
  "numberOfDeaths": 0,
  "dateOfIncident": "2026-04-02",
  "dateComplaintFiled": "2026-08-10",
  "vin": "1HGCV1F35LA"
}
```

`vin` is partial (the last 6-8 characters are redacted by NHTSA before
publication). A search with no matching complaints returns no items but
is still billed once for the search.

### How it works

Direct calls to the official [NHTSA Complaints
API](https://www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa-datasets-and-apis)
(`api.nhtsa.gov/complaints`), one request per model year in the
requested range, deduplicated by ODI complaint number. No proxy, no
key, no scraping — public-domain U.S. government data.

**Note:** these are unverified consumer-submitted reports, not
confirmed defects — NHTSA publishes them as filed. Treat volume and
pattern as a signal worth investigating, not proof of a defect.

### Pricing note

Billed per **search**, not per complaint returned — one charge whether
the search spans one model year or fifteen, and whether it returns 0
complaints or 200.

### Related products

- [Vehicle Recall Tracker](https://github.com/timmKal01/vehicle-recall-tracker) — official confirmed recalls from the same NHTSA data family, the "after" to this actor's "before"

# Actor input Schema

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

Vehicle manufacturer, e.g. "Honda", "Ford", "Toyota". Matches NHTSA's make spelling; not case-sensitive.

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

Vehicle model, e.g. "Accord", "Explorer", "Camry". Matches NHTSA's model spelling; not case-sensitive.

## `yearFrom` (type: `integer`):

Earliest model year to search (inclusive).

## `yearTo` (type: `integer`):

Latest model year to search (inclusive). Must be within 15 years of "Model year from" — NHTSA charges one API call per model year searched.

## `seriousOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Only return complaints involving a crash, fire, injury, or death.

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

Maximum number of complaints to return, most recently filed first.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "make": "Honda",
  "model": "Accord",
  "yearFrom": 2018,
  "yearTo": 2026,
  "seriousOnly": false,
  "maxResults": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

No description

# 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("m_ctim/vehicle-complaint-tracker").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("m_ctim/vehicle-complaint-tracker").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 m_ctim/vehicle-complaint-tracker --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,m_ctim/vehicle-complaint-tracker"
        }
    }
}

```

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/uBG1b1y11E9XLHngY/builds/A7TZ6BBVH6cb7J4RF/openapi.json