Retrieve open safety recalls for any vehicle by year, make, and model. No VIN required — ideal for checking an entire model line, powering fleet dashboards, or enriching vehicle listings when individual VINs aren't available.

Who uses this API

OEM portals, fleet platforms, and listing sites call this endpoint when they need recall coverage for a model line and do not have (or do not need) a VIN.

Use cases

B2B

Fleet dashboards — model-line alerts: Show open campaigns for a year/make/model when VINs are not yet assigned or captured.
Listings — catalog enrichment: Attach known recalls to a YMM listing before a specific VIN is entered.
OEM and service portals: Power a model-level recall lookup for technicians and support teams.

B2C

Shop-by-model recall pages: Let a shopper check recalls for a year, make, and model before they have a VIN.
Research tools: Show campaign summaries on a consumer comparison or buying-guide page.
Vehicle buying research: Let someone considering a used or new vehicle check known model-level recalls before deciding which vehicle to buy or whether to request a VIN-specific check.

Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
`year`	Yes	The 4-digit model year (e.g. `2019`)
`make`	Yes	The vehicle manufacturer name (e.g. `Toyota`). Case-insensitive.
`model`	Yes	The vehicle model name (e.g. `Camry`). Case-insensitive.
`key`	Yes	Your CarsXE API key

Example

Check recalls by YMM

Code

curl -G https://api.carsxe.com/v1/recalls-ymm \
  -d key=YOUR_API_KEY \
  -d year=2026 \
  -d make=toyota \
  -d model=corolla

Response

Top-level shape

{

"success": true,// always true on 200

"timestamp": "2026-06-29T12:00:45.786Z",// 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 YMM-level fields and the recall list are nested under data.

Vehicle identity — year, make, and model from the request

Name
make
Type
string
Description
The vehicle manufacturer name, normalised to uppercase. Example: "TOYOTA", "FORD".
Name
model
Type
string
Description
The vehicle model name, normalised to uppercase. Example: "COROLLA", "F-150".
Name
model_year
Type
string
Description
The 4-digit model year. Example: "2026".

Recall summary — whether recalls exist and how many

Name
has_recalls
Type
boolean
Description
true if at least one recall was found for this year, make, and model, 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 recall campaign. All fields are optional — a null value means the data source did not provide that information for this campaign.

Identification — campaign ID, manufacturer, and report date

Name
nhtsa_campaign_number
Type
string
Description
The NHTSA campaign number uniquely identifying this recall. Example: "26V110000", "19V312000".
Name
manufacturer
Type
string
Description
The full legal name of the manufacturer issuing the recall. Example: "Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing".
Name
report_received_date
Type
string
Description
The date NHTSA received the recall report, in MM/DD/YYYY format. Example: "25/02/2026".

Description — what component is affected and what the risk is

Name
component
Type
string
Description
The vehicle component or system affected by the recall. Example: "EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS", "ELECTRICAL SYSTEM".
Name
summary
Type
string
Description
A detailed description of the defect or non-compliance that prompted the recall.
Name
consequence
Type
string
Description
The safety risk to vehicle occupants or others if the defect is not corrected.
Name
notes
Type
string | null
Description
Additional notes from the manufacturer or NHTSA, such as owner notification timelines. null if none.

Remedy — fix details and urgency flags

Name
remedy
Type
string
Description
The corrective action the manufacturer will take, including whether it is free of charge.
Name
park_it
Type
boolean
Description
true if NHTSA advises parking the vehicle until the remedy is completed.
Name
park_outside
Type
boolean
Description
true if NHTSA advises parking the vehicle outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed.
Name
over_the_air_update
Type
boolean
Description
true if the remedy can be delivered via an over-the-air software update.

Errors

Status	When it happens
`400`	Missing or invalid `year`, `make`, or `model`
`401`	Missing or invalid API key
`404`	Feature not enabled on your plan
`429`	Usage limit exceeded
`500`	Internal server error

See the Errors guide for general error handling guidance.

Use cases

Fleet dashboards — model-line alerts: Show open campaigns for a year/make/model when VINs are not yet assigned or captured.

Listings — catalog enrichment: Attach known recalls to a YMM listing before a specific VIN is entered.

OEM and service portals: Power a model-level recall lookup for technicians and support teams.

Shop-by-model recall pages: Let a shopper check recalls for a year, make, and model before they have a VIN.

Research tools: Show campaign summaries on a consumer comparison or buying-guide page.

Vehicle buying research: Let someone considering a used or new vehicle check known model-level recalls before deciding which vehicle to buy or whether to request a VIN-specific check.

Parameter

Required

Description

year

Yes

The 4-digit model year (e.g. 2019)

make

Yes

The vehicle manufacturer name (e.g. Toyota). Case-insensitive.

model

Yes

The vehicle model name (e.g. Camry). Case-insensitive.

key

Yes

Your CarsXE API key

Response

{

"success": true,// always true on 200

"timestamp": "2026-06-29T12:00:45.786Z",// 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.

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

Vehicle identity — year, make, and model from the request

Name
make
Type
string
Description
The vehicle manufacturer name, normalised to uppercase. Example: "TOYOTA", "FORD".
Name
model
Type
string
Description
The vehicle model name, normalised to uppercase. Example: "COROLLA", "F-150".
Name
model_year
Type
string
Description
The 4-digit model year. Example: "2026".

Recall summary — whether recalls exist and how many

Name
has_recalls
Type
boolean
Description
true if at least one recall was found for this year, make, and model, 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.

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

Identification — campaign ID, manufacturer, and report date

Name
nhtsa_campaign_number
Type
string
Description
The NHTSA campaign number uniquely identifying this recall. Example: "26V110000", "19V312000".
Name
manufacturer
Type
string
Description
The full legal name of the manufacturer issuing the recall. Example: "Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing".
Name
report_received_date
Type
string
Description
The date NHTSA received the recall report, in MM/DD/YYYY format. Example: "25/02/2026".

Description — what component is affected and what the risk is

Name
component
Type
string
Description
The vehicle component or system affected by the recall. Example: "EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS", "ELECTRICAL SYSTEM".
Name
summary
Type
string
Description
A detailed description of the defect or non-compliance that prompted the recall.
Name
consequence
Type
string
Description
The safety risk to vehicle occupants or others if the defect is not corrected.
Name
notes
Type
string | null
Description
Additional notes from the manufacturer or NHTSA, such as owner notification timelines. null if none.

Remedy — fix details and urgency flags

Name
remedy
Type
string
Description
The corrective action the manufacturer will take, including whether it is free of charge.
Name
park_it
Type
boolean
Description
true if NHTSA advises parking the vehicle until the remedy is completed.
Name
park_outside
Type
boolean
Description
true if NHTSA advises parking the vehicle outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed.
Name
over_the_air_update
Type
boolean
Description
true if the remedy can be delivered via an over-the-air software update.

Status

When it happens

400

Missing or invalid year, make, or model

401

Missing or invalid API key

404

Feature not enabled on your plan

429

Usage limit exceeded

500

Internal server error