# NHTSA Vehicle Safety Recalls Scraper (`martc03/nhtsa-recalls`) Actor

Extracts vehicle safety recall data from NHTSA. Search by make, model year, and component. All manufacturer recalls with Park It and remedy details.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/martc03/nhtsa-recalls.md
- **Developed by:** [CoDee](https://apify.com/martc03) (community)
- **Categories:** Other, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 1 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.01 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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

## :red\_car: NHTSA Vehicle Safety Recalls

Search the **NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) vehicle safety recall database** — covering all manufacturers, makes, models, and model years. Access recall details including defect summaries, consequences, remedies, and the number of affected vehicles.

### What data does it extract?

For each recall, the Actor extracts:

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| **Campaign Number** | NHTSA campaign identifier |
| **Manufacturer** | Vehicle manufacturer |
| **Make / Model** | Vehicle make and model |
| **Model Year** | Affected model year |
| **Component** | Defective component (e.g., Air Bags, Steering, Fuel System) |
| **Summary** | Description of the defect |
| **Consequence** | What can happen if the defect is not fixed |
| **Remedy** | How the manufacturer will fix the defect |
| **Park It** | Whether NHTSA advises not driving the vehicle |
| **Units Affected** | Potential number of vehicles affected |

### Output example

```json
{
  "nhtsaCampaignNumber": "26V-042",
  "manufacturer": "Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing",
  "make": "TOYOTA",
  "model": "CAMRY",
  "modelYear": 2025,
  "component": "AIR BAGS",
  "summary": "The passenger frontal air bag may not deploy as intended...",
  "consequence": "An air bag that does not deploy increases the risk of injury...",
  "remedy": "Dealers will replace the passenger air bag module free of charge.",
  "reportReceivedDate": "01/15/2026",
  "parkIt": false,
  "parkOutside": false,
  "overTheAirUpdate": false,
  "potentialUnitsAffected": 45000,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-02-25T12:00:00.000Z",
  "sourceUrl": "https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle"
}
```

### Input options

| Parameter | Type | Description |
|-----------|------|-------------|
| `makes` | string\[] | Filter by vehicle make (e.g., `["Toyota", "Ford", "Tesla"]`). Leave empty for all makes with recalls. |
| `modelYears` | number\[] | Model years to search. Default: current year and previous year. |
| `components` | string\[] | Filter by component (e.g., `["AIR BAGS", "STEERING"]`). Leave empty for all. |
| `maxRecords` | integer | Maximum records to fetch. Default: 1,000. |

### Use cases

- **Car dealerships** — Monitor recalls affecting inventory and customer vehicles
- **Fleet managers** — Track safety recalls across your vehicle fleet for compliance
- **Auto insurance companies** — Assess vehicle risk profiles based on recall history
- **Used car buyers** — Check recall status before purchasing a pre-owned vehicle
- **Auto parts companies** — Identify demand for replacement parts from active recalls
- **Automotive journalists** — Report on recall trends, safety defects, and manufacturer patterns
- **Law firms** — Research vehicle defect histories for product liability cases

### Data freshness

NHTSA publishes new recalls as they are issued. Schedule this Actor to run weekly to stay current on new vehicle safety recalls.

### Cost

This Actor uses the NHTSA public API. Typical cost: **less than $0.01 per run** for up to 1,000 records.

# Actor input Schema

## `makes` (type: `array`):

Filter by vehicle make (e.g., \["Honda", "Toyota", "Ford"]). Leave empty for top makes (Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevrolet, BMW).

## `models` (type: `array`):

Filter by vehicle model (e.g., \["Civic", "Camry", "F-150"]). Leave empty for all models.

## `modelYears` (type: `array`):

Filter by model year (e.g., \[2024, 2025]). Leave empty for current year only.

## `components` (type: `array`):

Filter by component (e.g., \["ELECTRICAL", "BRAKES", "AIR BAGS", "STEERING", "ENGINE", "FUEL SYSTEM"]). Case-insensitive partial match. Leave empty for all components.

## `maxRecords` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of records to return. Default: 100.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "makes": [
    "Toyota",
    "Honda",
    "Ford"
  ],
  "modelYears": [
    2025
  ],
  "maxRecords": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

No description

# 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 = {
    "makes": [
        "Toyota",
        "Honda",
        "Ford"
    ],
    "modelYears": [
        2025
    ],
    "maxRecords": 50
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("martc03/nhtsa-recalls").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 = {
    "makes": [
        "Toyota",
        "Honda",
        "Ford",
    ],
    "modelYears": [2025],
    "maxRecords": 50,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("martc03/nhtsa-recalls").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 '{
  "makes": [
    "Toyota",
    "Honda",
    "Ford"
  ],
  "modelYears": [
    2025
  ],
  "maxRecords": 50
}' |
apify call martc03/nhtsa-recalls --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=martc03/nhtsa-recalls",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/kC1Rvca8eUFjbOeth/builds/enRG1qbjuhhq5NVCv/openapi.json