Stop-sale and do-not-drive flags

Vehicle Recalls API

Open safety recalls for any VIN, with the fix.

  • Campaign ID, component and risk description
  • Remedy text, parts availability, labor hours
  • Stop-sale and do-not-drive advisories
  • By VIN, or by year, make and model
Vehicle Recalls API

Our benefits

What the service bay needs before the car arrives.

Past the campaign number

Each recall carries the component, the defect, the safety risk, the remedy text, parts availability and a labor-hour range.

Integrate in minutes

One VIN, one GET. Copy the request from the panel below, add your key, and the first recall check runs in minutes.

People who know the feeds

A free sandbox, a documented response, and support that can tell you how a campaign reaches us before you build an alert on it.

One VIN, a line, or a fleet

The same key checks a single VIN, a whole model line without one, or a batch of up to 10,000 VINs submitted as JSON or CSV.

For developers

One VIN, every open campaign.

The panel on the right is a real VIN lookup and the response it returns. Scroll it to see what one campaign carries beyond its ID, then copy the request into your terminal. The same key also takes a year, make and model.

Branch before you iterate
has_recalls and recall_count sit beside the array, so you can decide without walking it.
Flags, not prose
stop_sale and dont_drive are booleans. You do not have to parse them out of a description.
Null is not false
remedy_available and parts_available return null when the source has not confirmed either way.
Request
curl -G https://api.carsxe.com/v1/recalls \
  -d key=YOUR_API_KEY \
  -d vin=1C4JJXR64PW696340
Response
{
  "data": {
    "vin": "1C4JJXR64PW696340",
    "make": "JEEP",
    "model": "Wrangler",
    "model_year": "2023",
    "manufacturer": "FCA US LLC",
    "report_date": "2024-09-27",
    "has_recalls": true,
    "recall_count": 1,
    "recalls": [
      {
        "nhtsa_id": "24V720",
        "manufacturer_id": "95B",
        "recall_campaign_type": "NHTSA",
        "recall_name": "2020-2024 JL & 2022-2024 WL PHEV High Voltage Battery",
        "recall_date": "2024-09-27",
        "component": "ELECTRICAL SYSTEM",
        "remedy_available": true,
        "parts_available": true,
        "labor_hours_min": 1.2,
        "labor_hours_max": 2.5,
        "stop_sale": true,
        "dont_drive": false,
        "recall_status": "Incomplete"
      }
    ]
  }
}

For AI agents

Built into the AI tools you already use

Point your coding agent at the CarsXE MCP server and it can call the API on its own, no client library, no glue code. The same tools are available to chat agents over plain HTTP.

  • Claude Code
  • Cursor
  • GitHub Copilot
  • Grok Bot
  • Codex
  • Gemini
  • Hermes Agent
  • OpenClaw
  • opencode
  • & more
Explore integrations

One command. Register the CarsXE MCP server with your editor.

Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http carsxe https://mcp.carsxe.com/mcp \
  --header "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"
View the docs

Then just ask. The agent picks the right CarsXE tool and returns structured vehicle data.

Prompt
Check VIN 1C4JJXR64PW696340 for open recalls

Agent onboarding. Are you an AI agent? Fetch this skill to get an API key and start pulling vehicle data.

SKILL.md
curl -s https://carsxe.com/agent-onboarding/SKILL.md
View the skill

US safety campaigns

Robust international support

Campaigns come from US safety reporting, so this endpoint covers vehicles sold in the United States.

United States

US

Batch Recall Check

Check thousands of vehicles at once

Need to check recalls for an entire fleet or dealership inventory? The Batch Recall API lets you submit up to 10,000 VINs in a single request and get comprehensive recall data for every vehicle.

  • Submit up to 10,000 VINs per batch
  • Asynchronous processing with status polling or webhook notifications
  • Upload VINs via JSON array, inline CSV, or a link to a CSV file
  • Download results as JSON or CSV
  • Cached results for faster repeat lookups
  • Per-VIN billing with included quotas on paid plans

Recall Campaign API

Have a campaign code but no VIN?

Send a make and the manufacturer's code from a repair order, owner letter or condition report, such as Volkswagen 37M2, and get back the recall campaign, remedy and affected models. Billed as a Vehicle Recalls call, and a code that is not found costs nothing.

Customer stories

Companies love building with CarsXE

How teams build on CarsXE vehicle data.

“

CarsXE offers MotorTango's customers accurate and reliable vehicle data across many makes and models. Their VIN decoder and specs API are second to none.

Andy Liakos

CTO, MotorTango

“

The API is super easy to work with...it's a damn good API. And trust me, I deal with a lot of third parties and you're the creme de la creme. It's great. Documentation is sound, the result sets are sound. I have nothing to say but, man, it's too easy to work with.

Alan Deitch

Senior Engineering Leader, SpotHero

“

When a customer calls a dealership, we know they have an open recall instantly. That changes what the call is worth. Our agents book the recall alongside whatever the customer originally called about, and the dealer captures service work that used to walk out the door unnoticed. CarsXE's recall data is what makes that possible on every call, at every rooftop we run.

Samee Khan

Founder & CEO, PAM

“

With their VIN decoder and images, we can accurately document what's needed to perform repairs and ADAS calibrations, and we do it much more efficiently — saving dozens of minutes on every single repair. The result is consistent, reliable service at scale for all of our customers, backed by data we trust. CarsXE has become a critical part of our workflow and our ability to grow.

Philip Brossy

Founder & CEO, ADAS Safe

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our customer support team.

For a VIN: a has_recalls flag, a recall count, and each open campaign with its ID, component, defect description, safety risk, remedy text, parts availability, labor-hour range and status.

Get started

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Vehicle Recalls API