# NHTSA Vehicle Catalog Scraper (VPIC) (`crawlerbros/autotrader-us-vehicle-catalog`) Actor

Scrape US vehicle data from the NHTSA VPIC and Product Information Catalog - search makes, models, recalls, safety ratings, and complaints for all vehicle years. Free public API, no proxy, no auth required.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlerbros/autotrader-us-vehicle-catalog.md
- **Developed by:** [Crawler Bros](https://apify.com/crawlerbros) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Developer tools, Integrations
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — 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

## AutoTrader US — NHTSA Vehicle Catalog Scraper

Scrape US vehicle data from the **NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)** free public APIs. Get vehicle makes, models, safety recalls, NCAP crash test ratings, and full VIN decodes for any US-market vehicle. No authentication, no proxy, no API key required.

> **Data source:** [NHTSA VPIC API](https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/) + [NHTSA Safety API](https://api.nhtsa.gov/) — the official US federal vehicle database, updated continuously.

### What this actor does

- **Search vehicles by make and year** — list all model variants for a given manufacturer and model year, filtered by vehicle type (car, truck, motorcycle, etc.)
- **Get all models for a make** — full historical catalog of every model ever produced by a manufacturer
- **Get safety recalls** — official NHTSA recall campaigns with component details, risk descriptions, and remedies
- **Get NCAP safety ratings** — government crash test star ratings (overall, front crash, side crash, rollover)
- **Decode a VIN** — extract full vehicle specs from a 17-character VIN (make, model, year, engine, trim, plant, etc.)

### Input fields

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `mode` | Select | `searchByMakeYear` (default), `getModels`, `getRecalls`, `getSafetyRatings`, `decodeVin` |
| `make` | String | Vehicle manufacturer (e.g. `Toyota`, `Ford`, `Honda`) |
| `model` | String | Vehicle model (e.g. `Camry`, `F-150`) — required for recall and rating modes |
| `modelYear` | Integer | 4-digit model year (default: 2020) |
| `vehicleType` | Select | `car`, `truck`, `motorcycle`, `bus`, `trailer`, `mpv` |
| `vin` | String | 17-character VIN for `decodeVin` mode |
| `maxItems` | Integer | Maximum records to return (1–1000, default: 50) |

### Output fields

Each record includes `sourceUrl`, `scrapedAt`, and `recordType`. Additional fields by mode:

**Vehicle model records:**

- `make`, `makeId`, `model`, `modelId`, `modelYear`, `vehicleType`, `vehicleTypeId`

**Recall records:**

- `campaignNumber`, `manufacturer`, `make`, `model`, `modelYear`, `subject`, `component`, `consequence`, `remedy`, `reportReceivedDate`, `parkIt`, `parkOutside`, `overTheAirUpdate`

**Safety rating records:**

- `vehicleId`, `vehicleDescription`, `overallRating`, `overallFrontCrashRating`, `frontCrashDriversideRating`, `frontCrashPassengersideRating`, `overallSideCrashRating`, `sideCrashDriversideRating`, `rolloverRating`, `rolloverPossibility`

**VIN decode records:**

- `vin`, `make`, `model`, `modelYear`, `bodyClass`, `cylinders`, `engineDisplacementL`, `fuelTypePrimary`, `driveType`, `transmissionStyle`, `vehicleType`, `trim`, `series`, `doors`, `plantCountry`, `manufacturer`

### Example use cases

- **Automotive research** — get all vehicle models from a specific brand for a model year
- **Safety compliance** — pull all active recalls for a fleet of vehicles by make/model/year
- **Pre-purchase checks** — decode a VIN to verify vehicle specs before buying
- **Data enrichment** — add crash test ratings to vehicle listings

### FAQs

**Is this free to use?**
Yes. The NHTSA APIs are free public federal government APIs with no rate limits or authentication required.

**How fresh is the data?**
NHTSA updates recall and safety data continuously. Vehicle catalog data reflects the VPIC database, updated regularly.

**What makes are available?**
All vehicles sold in the US market — Toyota, Ford, Honda, Chevrolet, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, and thousands more including commercial vehicles, motorcycles, and trailers.

**Can I get recalls for all makes at once?**
Use `mode=getRecalls` with a specific make/model/year. For bulk recall data across many models, run multiple searches.

**What VIN formats are supported?**
Standard 17-character North American VINs. Pre-1981 vehicles (shorter VINs) may return partial data.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

What to fetch.

## `make` (type: `string`):

Vehicle manufacturer (e.g. Toyota, Ford, Honda). Required for most modes.

## `model` (type: `string`):

Vehicle model name (e.g. Camry, F-150). Required for recall/rating modes.

## `modelYear` (type: `integer`):

Vehicle model year (e.g. 2020). Required for most modes.

## `vehicleType` (type: `string`):

Filter results by vehicle body type.

## `vin` (type: `string`):

17-character Vehicle Identification Number to decode.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Hard cap on emitted records.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "searchByMakeYear",
  "make": "Toyota",
  "model": "Camry",
  "modelYear": 2020,
  "vehicleType": "car",
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `vehicles` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing all scraped vehicle records.

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "mode": "searchByMakeYear",
    "make": "Toyota",
    "model": "Camry",
    "modelYear": 2020,
    "vehicleType": "car",
    "maxItems": 50
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("crawlerbros/autotrader-us-vehicle-catalog").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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "mode": "searchByMakeYear",
    "make": "Toyota",
    "model": "Camry",
    "modelYear": 2020,
    "vehicleType": "car",
    "maxItems": 50,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("crawlerbros/autotrader-us-vehicle-catalog").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 '{
  "mode": "searchByMakeYear",
  "make": "Toyota",
  "model": "Camry",
  "modelYear": 2020,
  "vehicleType": "car",
  "maxItems": 50
}' |
apify call crawlerbros/autotrader-us-vehicle-catalog --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=crawlerbros/autotrader-us-vehicle-catalog",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/v9WfzsP6FNmty9JYh/builds/wETWElRBsMn6vGr7W/openapi.json