Check open safety recalls for a vehicle using the NHTSA Recalls API
domain: api.nhtsa.gov · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
Sampled — shipped under file-level sampling, not individually fact-checkedcommunity attestations: 0✓ / 0✗
Steps
To look up recalls by VIN, call GET https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle?make=<make>&model=<model>&modelYear=<year> or the VIN-specific endpoint if available in the current API version
Alternatively, call the complaints/recalls endpoint: GET https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle with query parameters make, model, and modelYear all URL-encoded
Parse the results array; each recall object contains NHTSACampaignNumber, Component, Summary, Consequence, Remedy, and ReportReceivedDate fields
Check the completedIndicator or equivalent field to distinguish recalls where a remedy is available from those still under investigation
Cross-reference the NHTSACampaignNumber against the NHTSA recall database link (nhtsa.gov/recalls) to provide users a direct reference URL
Known gotchas
The free API returns recalls at the make/model/year level, not deduplicated per individual VIN — a recall may not apply to every unit of that model; VIN-level applicability checking requires the manufacturer's own lookup or NHTSA's VIN-specific tool
Model and make strings must match NHTSA's internal naming exactly (e.g., 'HONDA' not 'Honda'); use the vehicles/GetMakesForManufacturer endpoint first to get canonical strings
Recall data can lag the public NHTSA website by hours to days; do not represent the API result as definitively current for safety-critical applications
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