United States — Vehicle Safety Recalls

The United States Vehicle Safety Recalls API queries official federal vehicle safety records to retrieve active safety campaigns, uncompleted defect remedies, and manufacturer recalls affecting motor vehicles operating on American roads.

Whether checking an individual car by its unique 17-character Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or screening an entire commercial fleet by manufacturer Make, Model, and Model Year, this endpoint provides defect summaries, risk consequences, remedy actions, and campaign identification numbers directly from the official vehicle safety authority.

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API Reference

Endpoint

GET https://api.verifik.co/v2/usa/vehicle/recalls

Lookup open automotive safety recalls and defect campaigns by VIN or vehicle make/model/year combination.

Headers

Name	Value	Description
Content-Type	application/json	Request payload format
Accept	application/json	Response format
Authorization	Bearer <token>	Client JWT authentication token

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
vin	string	Conditional	17-character standardized Vehicle Identification Number (e.g., 5YJSA1E26MF123456). Required if make, model, and modelYear are not provided.
make	string	Conditional	Vehicle manufacturer make (e.g., TESLA, FORD, TOYOTA). Required if vin is not provided.
model	string	Conditional	Vehicle model name (e.g., MODEL S, F-150, CAMRY). Required if vin is not provided.
modelYear	string	Conditional	4-digit manufacturing model year (e.g., 2021). Required if vin is not provided.

---

Request

Node.js / JavaScript

import axios from "axios";

const options = {
  method: "GET",
  url: "https://api.verifik.co/v2/usa/vehicle/recalls",
  params: {
    vin: "5YJSA1E26MF123456",
  },
  headers: {
    Accept: "application/json",
    Authorization: "Bearer <your_token>",
  },
};

try {
  const { data } = await axios.request(options);
  console.log(data);
} catch (error) {
  console.error(error.response ? error.response.data : error.message);
}

Python

import requests

url = "https://api.verifik.co/v2/usa/vehicle/recalls"
headers = {
    "Accept": "application/json",
    "Authorization": "Bearer <your_token>"
}
params = {
    "vin": "5YJSA1E26MF123456"
}

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers, params=params)
print(response.json())

cURL

curl -X GET "https://api.verifik.co/v2/usa/vehicle/recalls?vin=5YJSA1E26MF123456" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <your_token>"

---

Response

200 (Active Recalls Found)

{
  "data": {
    "vin": "5YJSA1E26MF123456",
    "make": "TESLA",
    "model": "MODEL S",
    "modelYear": "2021",
    "recallsCount": 2,
    "hasRecalls": true,
    "recalls": [
      {
        "campaignNumber": "21V001000",
        "component": "FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE",
        "summary": "The forward-facing cameras may experience intermittent communication loss.",
        "consequence": "Intermittent camera communication may disable safety assist features, increasing crash risk.",
        "remedy": "The manufacturer will inspect and deploy an over-the-air firmware update free of charge.",
        "reportReceivedDate": "2021-01-15"
      },
      {
        "campaignNumber": "21V002000",
        "component": "SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR",
        "summary": "Front row seat belt shoulder anchors may not have been secured properly during assembly.",
        "consequence": "An unanchored seat belt may not adequately restrain an occupant in a collision.",
        "remedy": "Dealers will inspect and tighten the anchor fasteners to proper torque specification.",
        "reportReceivedDate": "2021-06-20"
      }
    ]
  },
  "signature": {
    "dateTime": "October 31, 2026 12:00 AM",
    "message": "Certified by Verifik.co"
  }
}

200 (No Open Recalls)

{
  "data": {
    "vin": "1HGCR2F83HA000000",
    "make": "HONDA",
    "model": "ACCORD",
    "modelYear": "2017",
    "recallsCount": 0,
    "hasRecalls": false,
    "recalls": []
  },
  "signature": {
    "dateTime": "October 31, 2026 12:00 AM",
    "message": "Certified by Verifik.co"
  }
}

400 (Bad Request)

{
  "code": "MissingParameter",
  "message": "Either vin or the combination of (make, model, modelYear) must be provided."
}

500 (Internal Server Error)

{
  "code": "InternalServerError",
  "message": "The official vehicle safety authority service is temporarily unavailable. Please retry shortly."
}

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Notes

• Federal Safety Standards: Recall campaigns reflect official defect determinations and safety notifications coordinated by the official vehicle safety authority in accordance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
• Fleet Management & Underwriting: Insurance carriers, auto lenders, and fleet managers leverage this endpoint to identify vehicles requiring urgent repairs before approving leases or issuing commercial policies.
• Remedy Cost Exemption: Under US federal law, safety recall repairs are executed free of charge by franchised brand dealerships regardless of vehicle ownership history or warranty status.

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Sandbox Probes

Use the following test parameters in Sandbox mode to simulate each response scenario without consuming production credits:

Scenario	Parameters to Pass	Expected HTTP Status & Result
Vehicle with Recalls (by 17-char VIN)	vin: "5YJSA1E26MF123456"	200 OK — make: "TESLA", model: "MODEL S", modelYear: "2021", recallsCount: 2, hasRecalls: true
Vehicle with Recalls (by Make/Model/Year)	make: "TESLA", model: "MODEL S", modelYear: "2021"	200 OK — recallsCount: 2, hasRecalls: true, full recall campaign details
VIN Not Found	vin: "00000000000000000"	404 Not Found — code: "NotFound"
Missing Parameters	Omit vin and make/model/modelYear	409 Conflict — code: "MissingParameter"