NHTSA VIN Decoder API - Bulk Vehicle Specs Lookup

Decode one VIN or a batch of up to 500 VINs through the official public NHTSA Vehicle Product Information Catalog (vPIC) API. Get normalized vehicle identity, body, engine, fuel, drivetrain, assembly-plant, dimension, restraint, and reported safety-technology fields without an external API key.

Why use this actor

• Official NHTSA vPIC source
• One VIN or up to 500 VINs per run
• Full and partial VIN support
• Optional model-year hint, recommended by NHTSA for partial and older VINs
• Total maxResults cap and duplicate removal
• Stable source-linked output even when fields are missing
• Bounded request, status, and response-read retries
• Explicit clean, warning, no-decode, and source-unavailable outcomes

Input

Field	Type	Default	Description
vin	string	1HGCM82633A004352	One 5-17 character full or partial VIN
vins	string[]	—	Up to 500 VINs; takes precedence over vin
modelYear	integer	—	Optional year hint applied to every input VIN
maxResults	integer	100	Total output cap after de-duplication

One VIN

{
  "vin": "1HGCM82633A004352",
  "modelYear": 2003,
  "maxResults": 1
}

Bulk VIN decode

{
  "vins": [
    "1HGCM82633A004352",
    "5YJSA1E26HF000337",
    "1FTFW1ET1EFA00001"
  ],
  "maxResults": 3
}

When vins is non-empty, it takes precedence over the single vin field. This prevents the default example VIN from appearing in buyer batch output. Leave modelYear empty for mixed-year batches.

Output

Every bounded VIN gets one stable record with:

• evidenceStatus: VIN_DECODED_CLEAN, VIN_DECODED_WITH_WARNINGS, or VIN_NOT_DECODED;
• normalized input VIN, NHTSA-returned VIN, error code, and official error text;
• make, model, model year, manufacturer, vehicle type, body class, series, and trim;
• engine model/manufacturer, cylinders, displacement, power, configuration, fuel, turbo, and electrification;
• transmission, speeds, drive type, axles, wheels, wheelbase, weights, bed, and cab;
• assembly plant company, city, state, and country;
• airbags, seat belts, ABS, ESC, traction control, TPMS, and available driver-assistance fields;
• bus, motorcycle, and trailer fields where relevant;
• official source endpoint, retrieval time, API message, and interpretation caveat.

Example excerpt:

{
  "evidenceStatus": "VIN_DECODED_CLEAN",
  "inputVin": "1HGCM82633A004352",
  "vin": "1HGCM82633A004352",
  "decodeSuccessful": true,
  "errorCode": "0",
  "make": "HONDA",
  "model": "Accord",
  "modelYear": 2003,
  "manufacturer": "AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC.",
  "vehicleType": "PASSENGER CAR",
  "bodyClass": "Coupe",
  "engineCylinders": 6,
  "displacementL": 2.998832712,
  "fuelTypePrimary": "Gasoline",
  "plantCountry": "UNITED STATES (USA)"
}

Important interpretation limits

vPIC decode output is manufacturer-data-based vehicle specification evidence. It is not:

• a vehicle-history or accident report;
• a title, registration, ownership, lien, theft, or odometer record;
• a recall lookup or proof that recall work was completed;
• an inspection, valuation, warranty, or insurance determination;
• proof of a vehicle's current physical equipment, modifications, configuration, or condition.

NHTSA's API states: missing decoded values mean NHTSA has no data for those variables. Missing values must not be interpreted as proof that a feature or technology is unavailable. VIN error codes can identify check-digit, length, character, or decode warnings while still returning useful attributes. Verify consequential decisions against the physical vehicle and the relevant authoritative records.

Source

• NHTSA vPIC API documentation
• Batch endpoint: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/DecodeVINValuesBatch/
• Official batch limit: 50 VINs per request; this actor safely chunks larger buyer lists

Pricing

• Actor start: $0.0001
• Dataset item: $0.002

A 500-VIN batch costs about $1.00 plus the negligible start event.