NHTSA Vehicle Recalls & Complaints Scraper

Here is one real result, with every field the actor returns for a recall:

{
  "dataset": "recalls",
  "campaignNumber": "20V771000",
  "make": "HONDA",
  "model": "ACCORD",
  "modelYear": "2020",
  "component": "ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE",
  "summary": "Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, and 2019-2020 Insight vehicles. A software error may cause intermittent or continuous disruptions in communication between the Body Control Module (BCM) and other components. This may result in malfunctions of various systems such as the windshield wipers and defroster, rearview camera, exterior lights, audible warning of a stopped vehicle, and power window operation.",
  "consequence": "Various system malfunctions such as inoperative windshield wipers, defroster, rearview camera, or exterior lighting can increase the risk of a crash.",
  "remedy": "Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the BCM software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 22, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is X95.",
  "notes": "Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.",
  "manufacturer": "Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)",
  "reportReceivedDate": "2020-10-12",
  "potentialUnitsAffected": 737233,
  "parkIt": false,
  "parkOutSide": false,
  "overTheAirUpdate": false,
  "observedAt": "2026-08-10T14:17:18.215Z",
  "error": null
}

The most complete NHTSA vehicle scraper available. It returns every field the NHTSA safety recall campaign record exposes (campaign number, component, summary, consequence, remedy, units affected and park-it warnings) and, in complaints mode, every field of a consumer complaint (crash, fire, injuries, deaths, incident dates and VIN), across any combination of make, model and model year you provide.

📥 Input · 📤 Output · 💰 Pricing · ▶️ Examples

Table of contents

• What it does
• Quickstart
• Input reference
• Output reference
• Example output record
• Run via API and CLI
• Fetch results
• Billing and limits
• FAQ and troubleshooting

What it does

The actor queries the NHTSA vehicle safety dataset for every combination of make, model and model year you provide, and writes one normalized record per result to the run's dataset. In recalls mode it returns official manufacturer safety recall campaigns; in complaints mode it returns consumer complaints filed with NHTSA.

The NHTSA API returns records per exact make, model and model year, so all three lists are required. For example, 2 makes, 1 model and 2 years runs 4 queries. Dates are normalized to YYYY-MM-DD, and missing source values are returned as null, never invented.

Quickstart

Open the actor, paste this into the input, and press Run. It returns up to 10 safety recall campaigns for the 2020 Honda Accord.

{
  "dataset": "recalls",
  "makes": ["Honda"],
  "models": ["Accord"],
  "modelYears": ["2020"],
  "maxRecalls": 10
}

Switch dataset to complaints to pull consumer complaints for the same vehicles instead.

Input reference

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
dataset	enum	no	recalls	What to collect: recalls (official manufacturer safety recall campaigns) or complaints (consumer complaints filed with NHTSA).
makes	string[]	yes	["Honda"]	Vehicle makes to query, for example Honda, Toyota, Ford. One per line. Case-insensitive.
models	string[]	yes	["Accord"]	Vehicle models to query, for example Accord, Camry, F-150. One per line.
modelYears	string[]	yes	["2020"]	Model years to query, for example 2020, 2021. One four-digit year per line.
maxRecalls	integer	no	10	Maximum records to collect across all queries.

The actor queries every combination of make x model x model year. All three lists are required.

Output reference

One dataset item per result. Fields depend on dataset. Types: string, integer, boolean, object[], or null when the source value is absent.

Common fields (both datasets):

Field	Type	Description
dataset	string	recalls or complaints, matching the mode that produced the record.
make	string	Vehicle make.
model	string	Vehicle model.
modelYear	string	Model year.
component	string	Affected component or system.
summary	string	Narrative summary of the recall or complaint.
manufacturer	string	Manufacturer name.
observedAt	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of when the record was collected.
error	string	null on success. On a failed run, a single item with a populated error field is written instead.

Recalls mode (dataset: "recalls"):

Field	Type	Description
campaignNumber	string	NHTSA recall campaign number (unique per campaign), for example 20V771000.
consequence	string	Description of the safety consequence of the defect.
remedy	string	The manufacturer's remedy and owner contact information.
notes	string	Additional NHTSA notes.
reportReceivedDate	string	Date NHTSA received the recall report (YYYY-MM-DD).
potentialUnitsAffected	integer	Estimated number of vehicles affected.
parkIt	boolean	true when NHTSA advises not to drive the vehicle until repaired.
parkOutSide	boolean	true when NHTSA advises parking outside due to fire risk.
overTheAirUpdate	boolean	true when the remedy is delivered as an over-the-air update.

Complaints mode (dataset: "complaints"):

Field	Type	Description
odiNumber	string	NHTSA ODI complaint number (unique per complaint).
products	object[]	Vehicles named in the complaint, each with type, make, model, modelYear, manufacturer.
crash	boolean	Whether a crash was reported, or null.
fire	boolean	Whether a fire was reported, or null.
numberOfInjuries	integer	Number of injuries reported, or null.
numberOfDeaths	integer	Number of deaths reported, or null.
dateOfIncident	string	Date of the incident (YYYY-MM-DD).
dateComplaintFiled	string	Date the complaint was filed (YYYY-MM-DD).
vin	string	Vehicle VIN when the complainant provided one, else null.

Example output record

The hero record at the top of this page is a real record from a live run (input {"dataset":"recalls","makes":["Honda"],"models":["Accord"],"modelYears":["2020"],"maxRecalls":10}).

Run via API and CLI

Start a run and wait for it to finish, then read the dataset. Replace <TOKEN> with your Apify API token.

Run synchronously and get dataset items in one call:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrapers_lat~nhtsa-recalls-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"dataset":"recalls","makes":["Toyota"],"models":["Camry"],"modelYears":["2021","2022"],"maxRecalls":25}'

Start a run asynchronously:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrapers_lat~nhtsa-recalls-scraper/runs?token=<TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"dataset":"complaints","makes":["Ford"],"models":["F-150"],"modelYears":["2020"],"maxRecalls":100}'

Apify CLI:

apify call scrapers_lat/nhtsa-recalls-scraper \
  --input '{"dataset":"recalls","makes":["Honda"],"models":["Accord"],"modelYears":["2020"]}'

Fetch results

Every run writes to a dataset. Fetch items as JSON, CSV, or Excel by changing format:

# JSON
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<DATASET_ID>/items?token=<TOKEN>&clean=true&format=json"

# CSV
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<DATASET_ID>/items?token=<TOKEN>&clean=true&format=csv"

# Paginate large datasets
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<DATASET_ID>/items?token=<TOKEN>&offset=1000&limit=1000"

<DATASET_ID> is returned as defaultDatasetId in the run object. Use offset and limit to page through large result sets. clean=true drops empty and internal fields.

Billing and limits

• Pay per result. You are charged per record returned (result event). See the pricing tab for the current per-result price.
• No charge on failure. If a run errors, the actor writes a single item with a populated error field and does not charge for it. Empty runs cost nothing.
• Spend cap respected. Set maxTotalChargeUsd on the run; once reached, the actor stops emitting and charging further billable results.
• Free Apify plans are capped at 10 records per run. Upgrade for higher maxRecalls.

FAQ and troubleshooting

A run returned 0 records. Why? NHTSA has no recalls or complaints for that exact make, model and year combination, or the make/model spelling did not match. Confirm the vehicle exists in NHTSA's data and check spelling. Zero-result runs are not charged.

Why are make, model and year all required? The NHTSA vehicle API returns records only for an exact make, model and model year. The actor runs one query per combination of the three lists you provide.

What is the difference between recalls and complaints? recalls returns official manufacturer safety recall campaigns (campaign number, remedy, units affected). complaints returns consumer complaints (crash, fire, injuries, deaths, incident date, VIN). Set dataset accordingly.

What do parkIt and parkOutSide mean? parkIt true means NHTSA advises not to drive the vehicle until it is repaired. parkOutSide true means the vehicle should be parked away from structures due to fire risk. Both come straight from NHTSA.

Why is vin null on a complaint? The complainant did not provide a VIN. Missing values are returned as null, never invented.

Is this an official NHTSA tool? No. This actor is independent and has no affiliation with NHTSA. It reads only data that is publicly available through the NHTSA API. Use it in accordance with NHTSA's terms.

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Independent tool, not affiliated with NHTSA. Accesses only publicly available NHTSA data. Use in accordance with NHTSA's terms of service.