CarsXE

Look up all open vehicle safety recalls for a vehicle by VIN. The response tells you how many recalls exist, whether a remedy is available, and the full detail of each campaign — component, risk, and fix instructions.

Parameters

ParameterRequiredDescription
vinYesThe 17-character vehicle identification number
keyYesYour CarsXE API key

Example

Check for recalls

Code
curl -G https://api.carsxe.com/v1/recalls \
  -d key=YOUR_API_KEY \
  -d vin=1C4JJXR64PW696340

Response

Top-level shape

{
"success": true,// always true on 200
"timestamp": "2026-06-19T00:00:00.000Z",// ISO 8601 response time
}

Click data or recalls to expand them and see sample values. For the full interactive reference, try it live in the API Reference.

data

All vehicle-level fields and the recall list are nested under data.

Vehicle identity — make, model, year decoded from the VIN
  • Name
    uuid
    Type
    string
    Description

    Unique identifier for this recall report record. Example: "d1269d6b-54a2-4bf3-8119-1c8fdb4f0563".

  • Name
    vin
    Type
    string
    Description

    The VIN used to look up this record. Example: "1C4JJXR64PW696340".

  • Name
    manufacturer
    Type
    string
    Description

    The legal manufacturer name as registered for recall reporting. May differ from the brand name consumers know. Example: "FCA US LLC", "TOYOTA MOTOR MFG DE BAJA CALIFORNIA S DE RL DE CV".

  • Name
    make
    Type
    string
    Description

    The vehicle brand. Example: "JEEP", "TOYOTA", "FORD".

  • Name
    model
    Type
    string
    Description

    The model name. Example: "Wrangler", "Tacoma", "F-150".

  • Name
    model_year
    Type
    string
    Description

    The 4-digit model year. Example: "2023".

  • Name
    vehicle_type
    Type
    string
    Description

    Vehicle category when returned by the data source. Example: "PASSENGER CAR", "TRUCK".

Recall summary — whether recalls exist and how many
  • Name
    report_date
    Type
    string
    Description

    ISO 8601 date when this recall report was generated. Example: "2024-09-27".

  • Name
    has_recalls
    Type
    boolean
    Description

    true if at least one open recall was found for the VIN, false otherwise. Check this field before iterating recalls.

  • Name
    recall_count
    Type
    number
    Description

    Total number of recalls in the recalls array. Example: 1, 3.

recalls[]

Each item in the recalls array represents one open recall campaign. All fields are optional — a null value means the data source did not provide that information for this campaign.

Identification — campaign ID, campaign type, and dates
  • Name
    nhtsa_id
    Type
    string
    Description

    The campaign identifier. Example: "24V720". May be empty for voluntary service campaigns not filed as official safety campaigns.

  • Name
    manufacturer_id
    Type
    string
    Description

    The manufacturer's internal recall campaign number. Example: "95B", "25TC07-28342".

  • Name
    recall_campaign_type
    Type
    string
    Description

    The type of recall campaign. Example: "NHTSA" for federally mandated campaigns, "VOLUNTARY/SERVICE" for manufacturer-initiated campaigns.

  • Name
    recall_name
    Type
    string
    Description

    A short descriptive name for the recall campaign as filed. Example: "2020-2024 JL & 2022-2024 WL PHEV High Voltage Battery".

  • Name
    recall_date
    Type
    string
    Description

    ISO 8601 date the recall was issued. Example: "2024-09-27".

  • Name
    expiration_date
    Type
    string | null
    Description

    ISO 8601 date the recall expires, if applicable. null if the recall has no set expiration.

Description — what component is affected and what the risk is
  • Name
    component
    Type
    string
    Description

    The vehicle component or system covered by the recall. Example: "FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE", "AIR BAGS". May be empty for some voluntary campaigns.

  • Name
    recall_description
    Type
    string
    Description

    Full description of the defect or condition being recalled. This is the official text from the recall filing.

  • Name
    risk_description
    Type
    string
    Description

    Description of the safety risk posed by the defect — what could go wrong and what the consequences are. May be empty for non-safety campaigns.

Remedy — fix availability, parts, labor, and urgency flags
  • Name
    remedy_available
    Type
    boolean | null
    Description

    true if a fix is currently available at dealerships. null means the data source has not confirmed remedy availability.

  • Name
    recall_remedy
    Type
    string | null
    Description

    Description of the repair or corrective action. Example: "FCA US will conduct a voluntary safety recall. Remedy is a software flash followed by a HV battery replacement if needed.".

  • Name
    parts_available
    Type
    boolean | null
    Description

    true if repair parts are in stock at dealerships. null if unknown.

  • Name
    labor_hours_min
    Type
    number | null
    Description

    Minimum estimated labor hours for the repair. null if not provided.

  • Name
    labor_hours_max
    Type
    number | null
    Description

    Maximum estimated labor hours for the repair. null if not provided.

  • Name
    stop_sale
    Type
    boolean | null
    Description

    true if dealers are prohibited from selling affected vehicles until the recall is remedied. null if the data source did not specify.

  • Name
    dont_drive
    Type
    boolean | null
    Description

    true if owners are advised not to drive the vehicle until repaired. null if the data source did not specify.

  • Name
    recall_status
    Type
    string
    Description

    Current status of the recall campaign. Example: "Incomplete" (remedy not yet performed), "INCOMPLETE", "Complete".

Errors

StatusWhen it happens
400Missing VIN, or VIN is not exactly 17 characters
401Missing or invalid API key
404No recall data found for this VIN
429Usage limit exceeded
500Internal server error

See the Errors guide for general error handling guidance.