NHTSA Vehicle Recall Search - 30,000+ Car Safety Recalls by Make, Model & Year

Search the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database for vehicle safety recalls. Look up any car, truck, motorcycle, or equipment by make, model, and year to find recall campaigns, affected components, safety consequences, and remedies.

No API key required. Data comes directly from the official NHTSA Recalls API.

Use cases

• Used car buyers -- check any vehicle for open recalls before purchasing
• Auto dealers -- verify recall status across inventory
• Fleet managers -- monitor recalls affecting fleet vehicles
• Insurance companies -- assess recall risk for underwriting
• Automotive journalists -- research recall trends by manufacturer
• Consumer apps -- integrate recall data into vehicle history reports
• Lemon law attorneys -- research recall history for legal cases
• Auto repair shops -- identify recall work available for customer vehicles

Features

• Search by vehicle make, model, and year
• Look up specific recall campaigns by NHTSA campaign number
• Full recall details: component, summary, consequence, remedy, notes
• Safety flags: Park It (do not drive), Park Outside (fire risk), OTA update available
• No API key required -- uses the free public NHTSA API
• Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or use via Apify API

Input parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
searchType	string	vehicle (default) or campaignNumber
make	string	Vehicle make (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 for all years.
campaignNumber	string	NHTSA campaign number (e.g. "24V123")
maxResults	integer	Maximum results (default: 100)

Search types

By Vehicle (default)

Search for all recalls affecting a specific vehicle. Provide make and optionally model and year. Returns all matching recall campaigns.

By Campaign Number

Look up a specific recall campaign by its NHTSA campaign number. Useful when you already know the recall ID.

Output fields

Field	Type	Description
nhtsaCampaignNumber	string	NHTSA recall campaign number (e.g. "24V123000")
nhtsaActionNumber	string	NHTSA action number (if applicable)
reportReceivedDate	string	Date NHTSA received the recall report
component	string	Affected vehicle component (e.g. "AIR BAGS", "FUEL SYSTEM")
summary	string	Detailed description of the defect or noncompliance
consequence	string	What could happen if the recall is not addressed
remedy	string	What the manufacturer will do to fix the issue
notes	string	Additional notes from NHTSA
manufacturer	string	Vehicle manufacturer name
make	string	Vehicle make
model	string	Vehicle model
modelYear	string	Model year
parkIt	boolean	Park It advisory -- do not drive until repaired
parkOutSide	boolean	Park Outside advisory -- fire risk, do not park in garage
overTheAirUpdate	boolean	Whether an over-the-air software update is available

Example output

{
  "nhtsaCampaignNumber": "24V123000",
  "manufacturer": "Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing",
  "make": "TOYOTA",
  "model": "CAMRY",
  "modelYear": "2024",
  "component": "AIR BAGS",
  "summary": "Toyota is recalling certain 2024 Camry vehicles...",
  "consequence": "An improperly deployed air bag may not adequately protect...",
  "remedy": "Dealers will inspect and replace the air bag module...",
  "reportReceivedDate": "01/15/2024",
  "parkIt": false,
  "parkOutSide": false,
  "overTheAirUpdate": false
}

Example searches

Search	Parameters
All Toyota Camry 2024 recalls	make: "Toyota", model: "Camry", modelYear: 2024
All Tesla Model 3 recalls (any year)	make: "Tesla", model: "Model 3"
All Ford F-150 recalls	make: "Ford", model: "F-150"
Specific campaign lookup	searchType: "campaignNumber", campaignNumber: "24V123"
All Honda recalls (any model)	make: "Honda", model: "Civic"

Data source

All data comes from the NHTSA Recalls API, the official U.S. government source for vehicle safety recalls. Data is updated in real-time as new recalls are issued.

Integrations

Connect NHTSA recall data to other tools:

• Google Sheets -- export recalls to spreadsheets for fleet tracking
• Slack/Email -- set up alerts when new recalls match your vehicles
• Zapier/Make -- automate recall monitoring workflows
• Your database -- import recall data via JSON or CSV export
• Vehicle history apps -- integrate recall checks into your product

FAQ

How current is the data? Data comes directly from NHTSA's live API. New recalls appear as soon as NHTSA publishes them.

Can I search by VIN? This actor searches by make/model/year. For VIN-specific lookups, check NHTSA's VIN decoder API.

Does this include all vehicle types? Yes -- cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, buses, trailers, and equipment.

What does "Park It" mean? NHTSA's "Park It" advisory means the vehicle should not be driven until the recall repair is completed due to serious safety risk.

What does "Park Outside" mean? NHTSA's "Park Outside" advisory means the vehicle poses a fire risk and should not be parked in a garage or near structures until the recall is completed.

How far back does the data go? The NHTSA database contains recalls dating back to 1966.

Is there a rate limit? The NHTSA API does not impose strict rate limits, but please use reasonable request volumes.

Pricing

Usage is billed per Apify platform compute unit. Typical searches cost fractions of a cent. See the Apify pricing page for current rates.

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