NHTSA Recalls API
Free NHTSA recalls API with no key: look up open safety recalls by make, model and year, with remedy details and Park It warnings. Tested curl example.
Endpoint tested and returned HTTP 200 on 2026-08-19
What is the NHTSA Recalls API?
The NHTSA Recalls API is a free, key-free US government API returning safety recall campaigns for a given vehicle make, model and year, including the defect description, remedy and urgent Park It or Park Outside warnings.
This is genuinely safety-critical data. Each recall record describes the defect, the consequence, the free remedy the manufacturer must provide, and — importantly — whether the vehicle is subject to a Park It or Park Outside advisory because of fire or crash risk.
The `parkIt` and `parkOutSide` booleans deserve prominent treatment in any interface you build. They indicate the manufacturer has advised owners to stop driving or stop parking indoors, which is a materially different level of urgency from a routine recall.
Quick facts
- Base URL
https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls- Authentication
- No API key required.
- Rate limit
- No published limit.
- Pricing
- Free public domain US government data.
- CORS
- Not enabled — call it from your server
- Official docs
- Read the docs
How to use the NHTSA Recalls API
Every request below was executed against the live API on 2026-08-19, and the response shown is the real body it returned — not an illustration.
1. Look up recalls for a specific vehicle
GET https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle?make=honda&model=accord&modelYear=2020
curl 'https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle?make=honda&model=accord&modelYear=2020'const res = await fetch("https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle?make=honda&model=accord&modelYear=2020");
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${res.status}`);
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data);import requests
res = requests.get("https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle?make=honda&model=accord&modelYear=2020", timeout=20)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json()){
"Count": 5,
"Message": "Results returned successfully",
"results": [
{
"Manufacturer": "Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)",
"NHTSACampaignNumber": "20V771000",
"parkIt": false,
"parkOutSide": false,
"overTheAirUpdate": false,
"ReportReceivedDate": "10/12/2020",
"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. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 103, \"Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems\" and number 111, \"Rear Visibility\" as well as FMVSS numbers 104, 108, 114, 118, and 305.",
"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 theParameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
make | string | Required | Vehicle make. honda |
model | string | Required | Vehicle model. accord |
modelYear | integer | Required | Model year. 2020 |
Response fields
Countinteger- Number of recall campaigns found.
results[].NHTSACampaignNumberstring- Official recall campaign identifier.
results[].Componentstring- Vehicle component affected.
results[].Summarystring- Description of the defect.
results[].Consequencestring- What can happen if it is not repaired.
results[].Remedystring- The free repair the manufacturer will perform.
results[].parkIt / parkOutSideboolean- Urgent do-not-drive or do-not-park-indoors advisories.
What you can build with the NHTSA Recalls API
- Show open recalls on a used car listing or dealership site
- Alert fleet operators to safety recalls on their vehicles
- Build a recall checker for a vehicle maintenance app
- Surface urgent Park It warnings to owners
Common errors and how to fix them
Count: 0
No recalls for that vehicle — the good case, not an error.
Fix: Handle zero results as 'no known recalls' rather than a failure.
Empty results for a valid car
Make or model spelling does not match NHTSA's catalogue.
Fix: Use the vPIC API to get canonical make and model names first.
NHTSA Recalls API — frequently asked questions
Is there a free API to check vehicle recalls?
Yes. NHTSA's recalls API returns open safety recalls by make, model and year with no API key required.
What do parkIt and parkOutSide mean?
They are urgent advisories. parkIt means owners are told to stop driving the vehicle; parkOutSide means do not park indoors due to fire risk. Both should be displayed prominently.
Does it cover recalls by VIN?
This endpoint works by make, model and year. NHTSA offers separate VIN-based recall lookup, and you can use the vPIC API to derive make and model from a VIN first.
Are recall repairs free?
Yes, under US law manufacturers must remedy safety recalls at no cost to the owner. The Remedy field describes what the manufacturer will do.
Tools that pair with this API
NHTSA Recalls is an independent third-party service and is not affiliated with ByteTools or ByteVancer. Details on this page were verified on 2026-08-19; always check the official documentation before relying on this API in production, as terms and limits can change.