VIN Decoder & Vehicle Data — NHTSA vPIC + Recalls

Decode any VIN into make, model, year, engine, body, trim and fuel — batch up to 50 per call — plus browse the full vehicle catalog and pull recalls, complaints and NHTSA crash-test safety ratings, all in one actor. Two clean US-government APIs (vPIC + NHTSA safety), free and keyless.

Perfect for automotive apps, dealers, insurers, fleet tools, marketplaces and research.

Modes

• decode-vin — decode one or many VINs into flat vehicle fields. Batches 50 VINs per NHTSA call. Set includeRecalls to also attach recalls for each decoded vehicle.
• vehicle-catalog — with make + year, list all models; without them, list all makes.
• recalls — for a make/model/year, return recalls, complaints and crash-test safety ratings in one run.

What you get

• Decoded VIN — make, model, modelYear, manufacturer, vehicleType, bodyClass, trim, doors, driveType, engineCylinders, displacementL/displacementCC, engineHP, fuelTypePrimary/Secondary, transmissionStyle/Speeds, gvwr, plantCountry/plantCity, series, errorCode/errorText, plus a full raw object with all ~130 vPIC fields
• Catalog — makes (makeId, make) and models (makeId, make, modelId, model)
• Recalls — campaign number, component, summary, consequence, remedy, dates, park-it flags
• Complaints — ODI number, crash/fire flags, injuries/deaths, components, summary
• Safety ratings — NHTSA crash-test ratings (full raw NHTSA record)

Input

Field	Type	Default	Description
mode	enum	decode-vin	decode-vin, vehicle-catalog, recalls
vins	array	—	17-char VINs (decode-vin)
make	string	—	Vehicle make (catalog with year; recalls)
model	string	—	Vehicle model (recalls)
year	string	—	Model year (catalog with make; recalls)
includeRecalls	boolean	false	decode-vin: also attach recalls per decoded VIN

Example input

{"mode":"decode-vin","vins":["1HGCM82633A004352","5UXWX7C5*BA"]}

Models for a make + year:

{"mode":"vehicle-catalog","make":"honda","year":"2020"}

Recalls, complaints & safety ratings:

{"mode":"recalls","make":"honda","model":"accord","year":"2020"}

Output (one decoded VIN)

Fields below are the real normalizer output (raw truncated for brevity):

{
  "vin": "1HGCM82633A004352",
  "make": "HONDA",
  "model": "Accord",
  "modelYear": "2003",
  "manufacturer": "AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC.",
  "vehicleType": "PASSENGER CAR",
  "bodyClass": "Coupe",
  "trim": "EX",
  "doors": "2",
  "driveType": "FWD/Front-Wheel Drive",
  "engineCylinders": "6",
  "displacementL": "3.0",
  "displacementCC": "2998",
  "engineHP": null,
  "fuelTypePrimary": "Gasoline",
  "fuelTypeSecondary": null,
  "transmissionStyle": null,
  "gvwr": "Class 1: 6,000 lb or less",
  "plantCountry": "UNITED STATES (USA)",
  "plantCity": "MARYSVILLE",
  "series": "EX",
  "errorCode": "0",
  "errorText": "0 - VIN decoded clean. Check Digit (9th position) is correct",
  "raw": { "VIN": "1HGCM82633A004352", "Make": "HONDA", "…": "…" }
}

Missing values mean NHTSA has no data for that variable, not that a feature is absent.

Why this actor

• Decode + safety in one — VIN decode, catalog, recalls, complaints and ratings without juggling APIs.
• Batch decode — 50 VINs per call keeps it fast and cheap at scale.
• Nothing lost — every decoded VIN keeps the full raw vPIC object.

Pricing

Pay per result — $2.00 per 1,000 results (one result = one decoded VIN / catalog row / recall / complaint / rating). No subscription or platform fees.

Related actors

• FDA Recalls Scraper — food/drug/device recalls from openFDA.
• SEC EDGAR Scraper — US public-company filings.

Notes & limits

• Decoding reflects what NHTSA has on file (US-market vehicles); coverage of non-US models varies.
• Public official data (NHTSA vPIC + safety APIs); independent tool, not affiliated with NHTSA. You are responsible for compliant use of the output.