# NHTSA Vehicle Complaint Monitor (`pink_comic/nhtsa-vehicle-complaints`) Actor

Monitor new NHTSA vehicle safety complaints daily. Schedule runs to track complaints by make, model, year, or component. For auto manufacturers, dealers, fleet managers, lemon law attorneys, and safety researchers. Pay per result.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/pink\_comic/nhtsa-vehicle-complaints.md
- **Developed by:** [Ava Torres](https://apify.com/pink_comic) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Business, AI
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 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

## 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.

---

### 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) |

---

### Sample Output

```json
{
  "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*******"
}
````

***

### 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.

***

### How to Use

**Search by make and model:**

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

**Search by make, model, and year:**

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

**Filter by component:**

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

***

### 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 |

***

### 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.

# Actor input Schema

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

Vehicle manufacturer name (e.g. "Toyota", "Ford", "Honda"). Required.

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

Vehicle model name (e.g. "Camry", "F-150", "Civic"). Leave blank to search all models for the given make.

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

4-digit model year (e.g. 2020). Leave blank to search all years.

## `component` (type: `string`):

Filter complaints by vehicle component keyword (e.g. "AIR BAGS", "BRAKES", "ENGINE", "POWER TRAIN"). Case-insensitive partial match.

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

Maximum number of complaints to return.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "make": "Toyota",
  "model": "Camry",
  "modelYear": 2020,
  "component": "",
  "maxResults": 100
}
```

# 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": "Toyota",
    "model": "Camry",
    "modelYear": 2020,
    "component": "",
    "maxResults": 100
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("pink_comic/nhtsa-vehicle-complaints").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": "Toyota",
    "model": "Camry",
    "modelYear": 2020,
    "component": "",
    "maxResults": 100,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("pink_comic/nhtsa-vehicle-complaints").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": "Toyota",
  "model": "Camry",
  "modelYear": 2020,
  "component": "",
  "maxResults": 100
}' |
apify call pink_comic/nhtsa-vehicle-complaints --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=pink_comic/nhtsa-vehicle-complaints",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "NHTSA Vehicle Complaint Monitor",
        "description": "Monitor new NHTSA vehicle safety complaints daily. Schedule runs to track complaints by make, model, year, or component. For auto manufacturers, dealers, fleet managers, lemon law attorneys, and safety researchers. Pay per result.",
        "version": "0.1",
        "x-build-id": "iGJl0HaH4XFEF1dke"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/pink_comic~nhtsa-vehicle-complaints/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-pink_comic-nhtsa-vehicle-complaints",
                "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": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/pink_comic~nhtsa-vehicle-complaints/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-pink_comic-nhtsa-vehicle-complaints",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$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": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/pink_comic~nhtsa-vehicle-complaints/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-pink_comic-nhtsa-vehicle-complaints",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$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": {
                    "make": {
                        "title": "Vehicle Make",
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Vehicle manufacturer name (e.g. \"Toyota\", \"Ford\", \"Honda\"). Required.",
                        "default": "Toyota"
                    },
                    "model": {
                        "title": "Vehicle Model",
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Vehicle model name (e.g. \"Camry\", \"F-150\", \"Civic\"). Leave blank to search all models for the given make.",
                        "default": ""
                    },
                    "modelYear": {
                        "title": "Model Year",
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "4-digit model year (e.g. 2020). Leave blank to search all years.",
                        "default": 0
                    },
                    "component": {
                        "title": "Component Filter",
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Filter complaints by vehicle component keyword (e.g. \"AIR BAGS\", \"BRAKES\", \"ENGINE\", \"POWER TRAIN\"). Case-insensitive partial match.",
                        "default": ""
                    },
                    "maxResults": {
                        "title": "Max Results",
                        "minimum": 1,
                        "maximum": 1000,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Maximum number of complaints to return.",
                        "default": 100
                    }
                }
            },
            "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
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```