# US Vehicle Recalls & Complaints Scraper (NHTSA) (`maydit/us-vehicle-recalls-scraper`) Actor Get vehicle safety recalls and owner complaints from the official NHTSA API as clean, normalized records — by vehicle, whole make, or campaign number. - **URL**: https://apify.com/maydit/us-vehicle-recalls-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Brandt May](https://apify.com/maydit) (community) - **Categories:** News, Automation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $5.00 / 1,000 results 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/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. 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. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use 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 ## US Vehicle Recalls & Complaints Scraper (NHTSA) 🚗 Get **vehicle safety recalls and owner complaints** from the official **NHTSA API** as clean, normalized records. Query a specific vehicle, an **entire make** (the Actor auto-discovers every model), or a single recall campaign. No API key. Built for **dealerships, used-car marketplaces, fleet managers, lemon-law attorneys, insurers, extended-warranty providers, and automotive journalists**. ### ✅ What you get One normalized record per recall or complaint: | Field | Description | |---|---| | `type` | recall / complaint | | `id` | NHTSA campaign number or ODI complaint number | | `make` / `model` / `modelYear` | Vehicle | | `manufacturer` | Manufacturer full name | | `component` | Affected component(s) | | `summary` | Defect description or owner narrative | | `consequence` / `remedy` | Safety risk and fix (recalls) | | `reportDate` | Recall report date (ISO) | | `doNotDrive` / `parkOutside` | Critical safety flags (recalls) | | `overTheAirUpdate` | Fixable via OTA update (recalls) | | `crash` / `fire` | Incident flags (complaints) | | `injuries` / `deaths` | Casualty counts (complaints) | | `incidentDate` / `filedDate` | Complaint dates (ISO) | | `partialVin` | Anonymized 11-char VIN (complaints) | | `url` | Link to the NHTSA recall page | All dates are normalized to ISO `YYYY-MM-DD` (NHTSA mixes two different date formats across its endpoints — this Actor fixes that for you). ### 🔍 Three ways to query 1. **Specific vehicle** — make + model + year(s), e.g. Honda Civic 2022 2. **Whole make** — leave the model empty and the Actor enumerates every model NHTSA knows for that make and year (exact model names like `F-150 SUPER CREW` are resolved automatically — a common failure when calling the API by hand) 3. **Campaign number** — one recall campaign across every vehicle it covers, e.g. `23V769000` ### 💡 Example: every 2022 Tesla recall + complaint ```json { "dataType": "both", "make": "Tesla", "modelYears": ["2022"] } ```` Returns recalls and owner complaints for every 2022 Tesla model — with do-not-drive flags, crash/fire/injury counts, and full defect descriptions. ### 🔄 Recurring use Schedule the Actor weekly for the makes/models you deal in — inventory risk checks for dealers and marketplaces, or new-recall alerts for a fleet. ### ⚖️ Data source Official **NHTSA API** (api.nhtsa.gov) — public US government data. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. ### 💬 Support Found a bug or want VIN-decode enrichment? Open an issue on the Issues tab. # Actor input Schema ## `dataType` (type: `string`): Recalls = official safety recalls. Complaints = owner-submitted complaints (ODI), including crash/fire/injury flags. ## `make` (type: `string`): Vehicle make, e.g. 'Honda', 'Ford', 'Tesla'. Case-insensitive. ## `model` (type: `string`): Exact NHTSA model name, e.g. 'Civic', 'F-150 SUPER CREW'. LEAVE EMPTY to automatically cover ALL models of the make for each year — the Actor discovers the exact model names for you. ## `modelYears` (type: `array`): One or more 4-digit model years, e.g. 2022. Each year is fetched separately. ## `campaignNumber` (type: `string`): Look up one specific NHTSA recall campaign (e.g. '23V769000') across every vehicle it covers. When set, the other filters are ignored. ## `maxResults` (type: `integer`): Upper bound on records returned per run. ## Actor input object example ```json { "dataType": "recalls", "make": "Honda", "modelYears": [ "2022" ], "maxResults": 1000 } ``` # 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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "make": "Honda", "modelYears": [ "2022" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("maydit/us-vehicle-recalls-scraper").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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "make": "Honda", "modelYears": ["2022"], } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("maydit/us-vehicle-recalls-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).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", "modelYears": [ "2022" ] }' | apify call maydit/us-vehicle-recalls-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=maydit/us-vehicle-recalls-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "US Vehicle Recalls & Complaints Scraper (NHTSA)", "description": "Get vehicle safety recalls and owner complaints from the official NHTSA API as clean, normalized records — by vehicle, whole make, or campaign number.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "eyoj7keTw7cjvEeVG" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/maydit~us-vehicle-recalls-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-maydit-us-vehicle-recalls-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/maydit~us-vehicle-recalls-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-maydit-us-vehicle-recalls-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/maydit~us-vehicle-recalls-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-maydit-us-vehicle-recalls-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "dataType": { "title": "Data type", "enum": [ "recalls", "complaints", "both" ], "type": "string", "description": "Recalls = official safety recalls. Complaints = owner-submitted complaints (ODI), including crash/fire/injury flags.", "default": "recalls" }, "make": { "title": "Make", "type": "string", "description": "Vehicle make, e.g. 'Honda', 'Ford', 'Tesla'. Case-insensitive." }, "model": { "title": "Model (optional)", "type": "string", "description": "Exact NHTSA model name, e.g. 'Civic', 'F-150 SUPER CREW'. LEAVE EMPTY to automatically cover ALL models of the make for each year — the Actor discovers the exact model names for you." }, "modelYears": { "title": "Model years", "type": "array", "description": "One or more 4-digit model years, e.g. 2022. Each year is fetched separately.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "campaignNumber": { "title": "Recall campaign number (optional)", "type": "string", "description": "Look up one specific NHTSA recall campaign (e.g. '23V769000') across every vehicle it covers. When set, the other filters are ignored." }, "maxResults": { "title": "Max results", "minimum": 1, "type": "integer", "description": "Upper bound on records returned per run.", "default": 1000 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```