UK Data: US vehicle safety (NHTSA)

Read one NHTSA owner safety complaint by its ODI number: vehicle, components, crash, fire, injuries and deaths reported, incident and filing dates, partial VIN and the owner's own description. For lawyers, investigators, journalists and owners following up a complaint found with vehicle_complaints. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaints. The account is the owner's own and is not verified by NHTSA. (cost: 1 credit)

Look up one recall by its NHTSA campaign number (for example 20V314000, as printed on a US recall letter) and get the defect, risk, remedy, the number of vehicles potentially affected and every make, model and year it covers. For owners, journalists, lawyers and fleet managers. Source: NHTSA Recalls API. It does not say whether a specific vehicle has been repaired. (cost: 1 credit)

What goes wrong with this car? Summarises owner-filed safety complaints to NHTSA for a make, model and model year: total complaints, crashes, fires, injuries and deaths reported, the most-complained-about components, and the latest complaints with their text. For used-car buyers, owners and researchers. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaints. Complaints are unverified owner reports, not proven defects, and counts partly reflect how many cars were sold. (cost: 1 credit)

How safe is this car in a crash? Returns the US NCAP 5-Star Safety Ratings for a make, model and model year, one entry per body style or drivetrain: overall, frontal (driver and passenger), side barrier and side pole, and rollover stars with the rollover risk percentage. For family car buyers comparing models. Source: NHTSA NCAP. These are US tests; Euro NCAP scores for UK-market cars are separate and not comparable star for star. (cost: 1 credit)

Does this car have lane departure warning or forward collision warning as standard? Returns whether electronic stability control, forward collision warning and lane departure warning are standard, optional or not available, per body style, for a make, model and model year. For buyers comparing trims and insurers. Source: NHTSA NCAP records. It covers only these three technologies and only cars in the NCAP programme; it does not cover automatic emergency braking or other features. (cost: 1 credit)

Who is this vehicle manufacturer and where are they registered? Returns NHTSA registration details for manufacturers matching a name or manufacturer ID: legal and common name, trading names, address and country, manufacturer type (for example completed vehicle manufacturer, vehicle alterer, importer), vehicle types and weight classes, named principal and last update. For supplier research, KYB and procurement checks. Source: NHTSA vPIC. Name matching is partial, so expect related firms such as dealers; personal contact emails are left out. (cost: 1 credit)

Which models did this make produce in a given model year? Lists the model names NHTSA holds for a make and year, A to Z, so an agent can check the exact model name before a recall, complaint or crash-rating lookup. For dealers, form-filling and data cleaning. Source: NHTSA vPIC. It includes every vehicle type the make registered (cars, motorcycles, trucks) with US model names, and does not give trims or specifications. (cost: 1 credit)

How many complaints, recalls and federal defect investigations does this model have? Returns the three counts NHTSA links to a make, model and model year, as a quick screen when comparing cars. Source: NHTSA NCAP records. Counts are not adjusted for sales volume, so a popular model will show more; only models in the NCAP programme are covered. Use vehicle_recalls and vehicle_complaints for the detail. (cost: 1 credit)

Are there recalls on this car? Lists every US safety recall NHTSA holds for a make, model and model year, newest first, with the faulty component, the risk, the remedy and do-not-drive or park-outside warnings. For owners, used-car buyers and fleet managers. Source: NHTSA Recalls API. It lists recalls for the model, not whether a particular car has been repaired (check that by VIN with the maker or at nhtsa.gov), and it does not cover UK (DVSA) recalls. (cost: 1 credit)

Who made the vehicle with this VIN prefix? Decodes a World Manufacturer Identifier (the first 3 characters of a VIN, or 6 for small makers whose third character is 9) to the manufacturer, make, vehicle type and broad region, and accepts a full 17-character VIN to read its prefix. For fleet, import, parts and used-car checks. Source: NHTSA vPIC. It identifies the maker only, not the specific vehicle; use a full VIN decoder for model and specification. (cost: 1 credit)