# Car Info & Safety Check: VIN Decoder & Recalls (`scrapemint/car-safety-check`) Actor Check any car for known safety problems and get its full details: make, model, year, engine, gearbox, where it was built. Paste one car ID number (VIN) or thousands at once, or just enter make, model and year. Official US government data. No API key needed. - **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapemint/car-safety-check.md - **Developed by:** [Ken M](https://apify.com/scrapemint) (community) - **Categories:** Business, E-commerce - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per usage This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-usage ## 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/docs.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.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/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 ## Car Info & Safety Check: VIN Decoder & Recalls Check any car for known safety problems and get its full details in seconds. Paste one car ID number (VIN) or thousands at once. No VIN? Just enter the make, model and year. Built for **used car buyers, car dealers, fleet owners, marketplaces and insurers**. All data comes from official US government sources (NHTSA), so there is nothing to sign up for and no API key to manage. ### What you get for each car - **Full details decoded from the VIN**: make, model, year, trim, body style, engine size and cylinders, fuel type, gearbox, drive type, doors, where it was built, and the manufacturer. - **Known safety problems**: every open safety recall for that make, model and year, with the problem, the risk, the fix, and warnings like "do not drive" or "park outside". - **Owner complaint count**: how many official complaints other owners filed about the same car. ### Two ways to use it **1. By car ID number (VIN).** The 17 character number on the corner of the windshield or the driver door frame. Paste as many as you want, they are checked in bulk (thousands per run). **2. By make, model and year.** No VIN needed. Get one row per safety problem, e.g. every recall on a 2020 Honda Civic. ### Example output (VIN mode) ```json { "vin": "1FTFW1ET5EKE57182", "decoded": true, "make": "FORD", "model": "F-150", "modelYear": 2014, "bodyStyle": "Pickup", "driveType": "4WD/4-Wheel Drive/4x4", "engineCylinders": "6", "engineSizeL": "3.5", "fuelType": "Gasoline", "plantCountry": "UNITED STATES (USA)", "manufacturer": "FORD MOTOR COMPANY", "safetyProblemCount": 8, "safetyProblems": [ { "campaignNumber": "16V643000", "component": "SERVICE BRAKES", "problem": "Brake fluid may leak from the brake master cylinder...", "risk": "A brake fluid leak can reduce braking performance...", "fix": "Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder, free of charge.", "reportedDate": "06/09/2016", "doNotDrive": false, "parkOutside": false } ], "complaintCount": 1450 } ```` ### Pricing You pay per car checked: **$0.005 per row**. The **first 2 rows of every run are free**, so you can test before you spend anything. Car ID numbers that cannot be decoded are always free. | What you need | Typical alternative | This actor | | --- | --- | --- | | Decode 1,000 VINs | $10 to $50 at commercial VIN APIs, plus signup and key management | **$5, no signup** | | Recall check per car | Manual lookups on the NHTSA site, one by one | Included in the same row | | Complaint counts | Separate manual search | Included in the same row | Note: this is spec and safety data, not an accident or title history report. ### How to run it via API ```bash curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrapemint~car-safety-check/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"vins": ["1HGCM82633A004352", "1FTFW1ET5EKE57182"]}' ``` Or by make, model and year: ```bash curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrapemint~car-safety-check/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"make": "Honda", "model": "Civic", "year": 2020}' ``` ### How it works ```mermaid flowchart LR A[Your VINs or make model year] --> B[Bulk VIN decode, 50 per call] B --> C[Safety recall lookup per make model year] C --> D[Owner complaint counts] D --> E[One clean row per car] ``` Safety lookups are cached within the run, so checking a fleet of 1,000 similar cars stays fast and cheap. ### Frequently asked questions **Where is the data from?** The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): the vPIC vehicle database, the recall database and the complaint database. It covers cars sold in the US market. **Does it work for motorcycles, trucks and buses?** Yes, anything with a VIN in the NHTSA database. **Is this a vehicle history report?** No. It does not show accidents, previous owners or title status. It shows what the car is and which official safety problems apply to it. ### More tools from Scrapemint - [Website Contact Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapemint/website-contact-scraper): emails, phones and social profiles from any website. - [Domain WHOIS & Age Checker](https://apify.com/scrapemint/domain-whois-checker): age, registrar and owner info for any domain. - [Government Tender Finder](https://apify.com/scrapemint/government-tender-finder): open government tenders from the EU, UK and World Bank. # Actor input Schema ## `vins` (type: `array`): The 17 character car ID number, printed on the windshield corner or driver door frame. One per line. You can paste thousands, they are checked in bulk. Leave empty to search by make, model and year below instead. ## `make` (type: `string`): Car brand, e.g. Toyota, Ford, Honda. Use together with Model and Year when you have no VIN. Ignored when VINs are given. ## `model` (type: `string`): Car model, e.g. Corolla, F-150, Civic. Use together with Make and Year. ## `year` (type: `integer`): Model year, e.g. 2018. Use together with Make and Model. ## `includeComplaints` (type: `boolean`): Also count official complaints other owners filed about the same make, model and year. ## `maxRows` (type: `integer`): Cap on rows returned. Controls total cost. First 2 rows per run are free. ## Actor input object example ```json { "vins": [ "1HGCM82633A004352", "1FTFW1ET5EKE57182", "5YJ3E1EA7HF000337", "WBA3A5C51CF256987", "2T1BURHE0FC240962" ], "includeComplaints": true, "maxRows": 200 } ``` # 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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "vins": [ "1HGCM82633A004352", "1FTFW1ET5EKE57182", "5YJ3E1EA7HF000337", "WBA3A5C51CF256987", "2T1BURHE0FC240962" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("scrapemint/car-safety-check").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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "vins": [ "1HGCM82633A004352", "1FTFW1ET5EKE57182", "5YJ3E1EA7HF000337", "WBA3A5C51CF256987", "2T1BURHE0FC240962", ] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("scrapemint/car-safety-check").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 '{ "vins": [ "1HGCM82633A004352", "1FTFW1ET5EKE57182", "5YJ3E1EA7HF000337", "WBA3A5C51CF256987", "2T1BURHE0FC240962" ] }' | apify call scrapemint/car-safety-check --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=scrapemint/car-safety-check", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Car Info & Safety Check: VIN Decoder & Recalls", "description": "Check any car for known safety problems and get its full details: make, model, year, engine, gearbox, where it was built. Paste one car ID number (VIN) or thousands at once, or just enter make, model and year. Official US government data. No API key needed.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "il9Pg8SGXCcY2Pk07" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/scrapemint~car-safety-check/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-scrapemint-car-safety-check", "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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/scrapemint~car-safety-check/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-scrapemint-car-safety-check", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/scrapemint~car-safety-check/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-scrapemint-car-safety-check", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "vins": { "title": "Car ID numbers (VINs)", "type": "array", "description": "The 17 character car ID number, printed on the windshield corner or driver door frame. One per line. You can paste thousands, they are checked in bulk. Leave empty to search by make, model and year below instead.", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "make": { "title": "Make (no VIN needed)", "type": "string", "description": "Car brand, e.g. Toyota, Ford, Honda. Use together with Model and Year when you have no VIN. Ignored when VINs are given." }, "model": { "title": "Model (no VIN needed)", "type": "string", "description": "Car model, e.g. Corolla, F-150, Civic. Use together with Make and Year." }, "year": { "title": "Year (no VIN needed)", "minimum": 1949, "maximum": 2035, "type": "integer", "description": "Model year, e.g. 2018. Use together with Make and Model." }, "includeComplaints": { "title": "Include owner complaint counts", "type": "boolean", "description": "Also count official complaints other owners filed about the same make, model and year.", "default": true }, "maxRows": { "title": "Max rows per run", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 5000, "type": "integer", "description": "Cap on rows returned. Controls total cost. First 2 rows per run are free.", "default": 200 } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```