NHTSA Vehicle Complaints - Auto Safety Defect Reports

Search the NHTSA vehicle complaints database for consumer-filed safety defect reports. Filter by make, model, model year, and component. Returns crash and fire flags, injury counts, ODI complaint numbers, and full complaint narratives.

No API key required. Data comes directly from the NHTSA public API.

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What You Get

Each result is one consumer complaint filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Field	Type	Description
odiNumber	integer	NHTSA ODI complaint number (unique identifier)
manufacturer	string	Vehicle manufacturer
make	string	Vehicle make
model	string	Vehicle model
modelYear	integer	Model year
crashFlag	boolean	Whether a crash was involved
fireFlag	boolean	Whether a fire was involved
injuriesCount	integer	Number of injuries reported
deathsCount	integer	Number of deaths reported
dateOfIncident	string	Date the incident occurred
dateComplaintFiled	string	Date the complaint was filed with NHTSA
component	string	Vehicle component involved (e.g. AIR BAGS, BRAKES, ENGINE)
summary	string	Full complaint narrative from the consumer
vin	string	Vehicle identification number (partial)

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Sample Output

{
  "odiNumber": 11587432,
  "manufacturer": "Toyota Motor Corporation",
  "make": "TOYOTA",
  "model": "CAMRY",
  "modelYear": 2020,
  "crashFlag": false,
  "fireFlag": false,
  "injuriesCount": 0,
  "deathsCount": 0,
  "dateOfIncident": "2024-08-15",
  "dateComplaintFiled": "2024-09-03",
  "component": "POWER TRAIN",
  "summary": "WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.",
  "vin": "4T1B11HK5L*******"
}

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Who Uses This

Lemon law attorneys building cases by finding patterns of repeated defects for specific make/model/year combinations. Complaint volumes and crash flags strengthen warranty claims.

Auto journalists and researchers tracking safety trends, identifying emerging defect patterns, and comparing complaint rates across manufacturers.

Insurance actuaries analyzing complaint patterns by component and severity to inform underwriting models. Crash and injury data helps quantify risk.

Vehicle buyers researching known issues before purchasing a used car. Filter by make, model, and year to see what other owners have reported.

Recall researchers identifying potential defects before official recalls are issued. Spikes in complaints for a specific component often precede NHTSA investigations.

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How to Use

Search by make and model:

{
  "make": "Toyota",
  "model": "Camry",
  "maxResults": 50
}

Search by make, model, and year:

{
  "make": "Ford",
  "model": "F-150",
  "modelYear": 2021,
  "maxResults": 100
}

Filter by component:

{
  "make": "Honda",
  "component": "AIR BAGS",
  "maxResults": 100
}

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Cost Estimate

Pricing is $0.002 per result.

Run size	Estimated cost
10 results	~$0.02
100 results	~$0.20
500 results	~$1.00
1,000 results	~$2.00

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FAQ

Does this require an API key? No. The NHTSA complaints API is free and public. No registration or authentication needed.

How fresh is the data? The NHTSA database is updated as new complaints are processed, typically within a few weeks of filing. The actor queries the live API on each run.

What components can I filter by? Common components include AIR BAGS, BRAKES, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL SYSTEM, SUSPENSION, TIRES, and VISIBILITY. The filter does a case-insensitive partial match.

Can I get complaints for all makes at once? The make field is required. To compare across makes, run the actor multiple times with different make values.