NHTSA Vehicle Recall Search

Search the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) vehicle safety recall database by make, model, year, or campaign number. Returns structured recall records including affected components, safety consequences, and remedies. No API key required.

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Data Source

NHTSA Recalls API (api.nhtsa.gov). Official federal vehicle safety data covering all NHTSA recall campaigns from 1966 to present.

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Output Fields

Field	Type	Description
nhtsaCampaignNumber	string	Official NHTSA recall campaign number
manufacturer	string	Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
make	string	Vehicle make (e.g., Toyota, Ford)
model	string	Vehicle model (e.g., Camry, F-150)
modelYear	string	Affected model year(s)
component	string	Affected vehicle component or system
summary	string	Full text description of the defect
consequence	string	Potential safety consequence if unaddressed
remedy	string	Manufacturer-specified fix or remedy
reportReceivedDate	string	Date NHTSA received the recall report
parkIt	boolean	True if NHTSA advises not to drive the vehicle
parkOutSide	boolean	True if NHTSA advises parking outside due to fire risk

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Use Cases

• Used vehicle screening -- check any make/model/year for open recalls before purchasing or listing a vehicle.
• Fleet management -- programmatically monitor recall status across a fleet of vehicles.
• Automotive compliance -- track recall exposure for warranty, insurance, or dealer inventory purposes.
• Consumer safety applications -- surface recall warnings to end users by vehicle make and model.
• Research and journalism -- analyze recall frequency by manufacturer, component type, or date range.
• Lead generation -- identify vehicles with outstanding recalls for service outreach campaigns.

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How to Use

Set the input fields and run the actor. Results are pushed to the Apify dataset and can be exported as JSON, CSV, or Excel.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
searchType	string	vehicle	vehicle to search by make/model/year, campaignNumber for a direct campaign lookup
make	string		Vehicle manufacturer (e.g., Toyota, Ford, Tesla)
model	string		Vehicle model (e.g., Camry, F-150, Model 3)
modelYear	integer		Model year (e.g., 2024). Leave empty to return all years for the make/model
campaignNumber	string		NHTSA campaign number (e.g., 24V123). Used when searchType is campaignNumber
maxResults	integer	100	Maximum recall records to return (1-10000)

Example -- Search by Vehicle

{
  "searchType": "vehicle",
  "make": "Toyota",
  "model": "Camry",
  "modelYear": 2024,
  "maxResults": 100
}

Example -- All Recalls for a Make

{
  "searchType": "vehicle",
  "make": "Tesla",
  "maxResults": 500
}

Example -- Look Up a Specific Campaign

{
  "searchType": "campaignNumber",
  "campaignNumber": "24V123",
  "maxResults": 10
}

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Cost

• Actor start fee: ~$0.10 per run
• Compute: minimal -- typical runs complete in seconds
• Data cost: $0.005 per result

Most searches return results well under $0.20 total.

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Output Formats

Results are available in the Apify dataset viewer and can be exported as:

• JSON
• CSV
• Excel (XLSX)
• XML
• RSS

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FAQ

Do I need an NHTSA account or API key? No. The NHTSA Recalls API is fully public and requires no authentication.

How current is the recall data? The NHTSA API reflects the live federal database. New recalls are typically added within days of the official recall announcement.

Can I check all recalls for a make without specifying a model or year? Yes. Leave model and modelYear empty to retrieve all recalls for a given make.

What do the parkIt and parkOutSide flags mean? These are formal NHTSA safety advisories. parkIt means the vehicle should not be driven until repaired. parkOutSide means the vehicle should be parked away from structures due to fire risk -- typically associated with certain lithium-ion battery defects.

Does this cover non-vehicle recalls (tires, equipment)? The actor is designed for passenger vehicles. Equipment and tire recalls may appear depending on the make/model query but are not the primary focus.