domain: api.nhtsa.gov · 6 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
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Steps
To look up recalls by VIN, send GET https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicleId?vin={VIN}; the response returns all open and completed recall campaigns associated with that specific vehicle.
To search recalls by make, model, and year, send GET https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle?make={make}&model={model}&modelYear={year}.
Parse each recall record in the results array; key fields include NHTSACampaignNumber, Component, Summary (hazard description), Consequence, Remedy, and ReportReceivedDate.
To retrieve consumer complaints, send GET https://api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/complaintsByVehicle?make={make}&model={model}&modelYear={year}.
For safety ratings, send GET https://api.nhtsa.gov/SafetyRatings/modelyear/{year}/make/{make}/model/{model} to get overall and component ratings on a 1-5 star scale.
All endpoints are unauthenticated, return JSON, and are free to use; paginate with the offset and count parameters when result sets may be large.
Known gotchas
The recalls-by-VIN endpoint checks the specific vehicle against the NHTSA recall database but recall completion status for a specific VIN is not always updated in real time; a recall may show as open even if the specific vehicle was already remedied at a dealer.
Make and model strings must match NHTSA's internal naming exactly; use the vPIC API to decode the VIN and extract the canonical make and model strings before constructing recall queries.
NHTSA datasets and APIs are provided as-is for informational purposes; do not use them as the sole basis for safety-critical decisions without also consulting the manufacturer's recall notification system.
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