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		NHTSA Datasets and APIs
																													Ratings
																													Recalls
																													Investigations
																													Complaints
																													Manufacturer Communications
																													Car Seat Inspection Locator
		NHTSA Datasets and APIs
				Ratings
																													Recalls
																													Investigations
																													Complaints
																													Manufacturer Communications
																													Car Seat Inspection Locator


		Ratings
  
       
    
  NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program rates vehicles to determine crashworthiness and rollover safety. The safety ratings are gathered during controlled crash and rollover tests conducted at NHTSA research facilities. Vehicles with a rating of five stars indicate the highest safety rating, whereas a one star indicates the lowest rating. NCAP provides consumers with important information in making a new car purchase, and for comparable vehicle models, it provides a direct comparison of the crashworthiness of vehicles. Information from this program also exists on the required labels on each new vehicle for sale.
        Metadata
              Dataset Summary
Agency: **Department of Transportation**
Sub-Agency/Organization: **National Highway Traffic Safety Administration**
Category: 23, **Transportation**
Date Released: **January 5, 2010**
Time Period: **1990 to present**
Frequency: **Annual**
Dataset Information
Data.gov Data Category Type: **Raw data**
Specialized Data Category Designation: **Research**
Keywords: **New, Car, Assessment, Program, NCAP, Five, 5, Star, Safety, Rating, Ratings**
Unique ID: 5
Dataset Coverage
Unit of Analysis: **Vehicles**
Granularity: N/A
Geographic Coverage: N/A
Dataset Quality
Data Quality Certification: No
Privacy and Confidentiality: No
Applicable Information Quality Guideline Designation: **National Highway Traffic Safety Administration**
                      
            API
              Approach A. Get by Model Year, Make, Model
**Step 1: Get available vehicle variants for a selected Model Year, Make and Model**
Make the request to get the crash tested vehicle variants for the Model Year, Make and Model combination.
/SafetyRatings/modelyear/2013/make/Acura/model/rdxResponse Fields: Response is a list of vehicle variants for Model Year, Make and Model with their VehicleId and description of the variant.
Working Sample: JSON
**Step 2: Get the Safety Ratings for the selected variant**
Now that you have the VehicleId of the precise model that you to look up, go ahead and make the request to get the Safety Ratings for the required vehicle variant by passing in the VehicleId.
/SafetyRatings/VehicleId/7520Response Fields: Response is a list of Safety Ratings for the given vehicle variant.
Working Sample: JSON
Approach B. Get by Model Year, Make, Model
**Step 1: Get all Model Years**
Request a list of available Model Years for a given product type (Vehicle).
/SafetyRatingsResponse Fields: Response is a list of available Model Years in the repository. Use a Model Year from this list to use in the next step.
Working Sample: JSON
**Step 2: Get all Makes for the Model Year**
Request a list of vehicle Makers by providing a specific vehicle ModelYear.
/SafetyRatings/modelyear/2013Response Fields: Response is a list of vehicle Makers for that Model Year. Use the Model Year and a Maker from this list to use in the next step.
Working Sample: JSON
**Step 3: Get all Model for the Make and Model Year**
Request a list of vehicle Models by providing the vehicle Model Year and Maker.
/SafetyRatings/modelyear/2013/make/AcuraResponse Fields:  Response is a list of Safety Ratings for the given Model Year, Maker and Model
Working Sample: JSON
**Step 4: Get available vehicle variants for a selected Model Year, Make and Model**
Make the request to get the crash tested vehicle variants for the Model Year, Maker and Model combination.
/SafetyRatings/modelyear/2013/make/Acura/model/rdxResponse Fields: Response is a list of vehicle variants for Model Year, Maker and Model with their VehicleId and description of the variant.
Working Sample: JSON
**Step 5: Get the Safety Ratings for the selected variant**
Now that you have the VehicleId of the precise model that you to look up, go ahead and make the request to get the Safety Ratings for the required vehicle variant by passing in the VehicleId.
/SafetyRatings/VehicleId/7520Response Fields: Response is a list of Safety Ratings for the given vehicle variant.
Working Sample: JSON
Notes
Color codes to understand each part of the request URL:
Red: Method Name
Green: Applicable parametersRequest parameters and method names are case sensitive


  
 
        Recalls
  
       
    
  Manufacturers who determine that a product or piece of original equipment either has a safety defect, or is not in compliance with federal safety standards, are required to notify NHTSA within five business days. NHTSA requires that manufacturers file a defect and noncompliance report as well as quarterly recall status reports, in compliance with Federal Regulation 49 (the National Traffic and Motor Safety Act) Part 573, which identifies the requirements for safety recalls. NHTSA stores this information and the data can be used to search for recall information related to specific NHTSA campaigns and product types.
        Metadata
              Dataset Summary
Agency: **Department of Transportation**
Sub-Agency/Organization: **National Highway Traffic Safety Administration**
Category: 23, **Transportation**
Date Released: **December 16, 2002**
Time Period: **1949 to present**
Frequency: **Daily**
Dataset Information
Data.gov Data Category Type: **Raw data**
Specialized Data Category Designation: **Research**
Keywords: **Phone, Paper, Email**
Unique ID: **83**
Contributing Agency Information
Citation: N/A
Agency Program Page: https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls
Agency Data Series Page: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/ffdd/rcl/FLAT_RCL.zip
Dataset Coverage
Unit of Analysis: **Vehicles, Tires, Child Safety Seats, Equipment**
Granularity: **United States**
Geographic Coverage: N/A
Data Description
Collection Mode: N/A
Data Collection Instrument: N/A
Data Dictionary/Variable List: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/ffdd/rcl/RCL.txt
Dataset Quality
Data Quality Certification: **Yes**
Privacy and Confidentiality: **Yes**
Applicable Information Quality Guideline Designation: **National Highway Traffic Safety Administration**
Additional Dataset Documentation
Technical Documentation: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/ffdd/rcl/Import_Instructions_Recalls.pdf
Additional Metadata: N/A
                      
            API
              Approach A: Get by Model Year, Make, Model
Make the request to get the recalls for the required combination of Model Year, Make and Model.
Syntax: api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle?make={MAKE}&model={MODEL}&modelYear={MODEL_YR}
Example:https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle?make=acura&model=rdx&modelYear=2012Response Fields: Response is a list of recalls for the given Model Year, Make and Model.
Working Sample: JSON


Approach B: Get by Model Year, Make, Model
**Step 1: Get all Model Years**
Request a list of available Model Years for a given product type (Vehicle).
Syntax: api.nhtsa.gov/products/vehicle/modelYears?issueType=r
Example: https://api.nhtsa.gov/products/vehicle/modelYears?issueType=rWorking Sample: JSON

**Step 2: Get all Makes for the Model Year**
Request a list of vehicle Makes by providing a specific vehicle Model Year.
Syntax: api.nhtsa.gov/products/vehicles/makes?modelYear={year}&issueType=r
Example: https://api.nhtsa.gov/products/vehicle/makes?modelYear=2021&issueType=rResponse Fields: Response is a list of vehicle Makes for that Model Year. Use the Model Year and a Make from this list to use in the next step.
Working Sample: JSON

**Step 3: Get all Model for the Make and Model Year**
Request a list of vehicle Models by providing the vehicle Model Year and Make.
Syntax: api.nhtsa.gov/products/vehicle/models?modelYear={year}&make={make}&issueType=r
Example: https://api.nhtsa.gov/products/vehicle/models?modelYear=2010&make=acura&issueType=rWorking Sample: JSON

**Step 4 : Get all Recalls for the selected Model Year, Make, Model**
Now that you have all three key pieces of information (Model Year, Make, Model), go ahead and make the request to get the recalls for the required combination.
Syntax: api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle?make={MAKE}&model={MODEL}&modelYear={MODEL_YR}
Example: https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle?make=acura&model=rdx&modelYear=2012Response Fields: Response is a list of recalls for the given Model Year, Make and Model.
Working Sample: JSON


Approach C. Get by NHTSA Campaign Number
**Get all recalls as part of a NHTSA recall campaign number**
Request a list of recalls by providing the NHTSA recall campaign number
Syntax: api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/campaignNumber?campaignNumber ={campaignNumber}
Example: https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/campaignNumber?campaignNumber=12V176000Response Fields: Response is a list of recalls for the specified NHTSA recall campaign number.
Working Sample: JSON
Notes
Color codes to understand each part of the request URL:
Red: Method Name
Green: Applicable parametersRequest parameters and method names are case sensitive
                      
            Data Dashboard
              View recalls by manufacturer interactive dashboard.
                      
            Download Data
              Select the .zip file for the desired database to download and extract the data. See the corresponding.txt file for a description of the file layout. All times shown are Eastern Time (ET).


                                                            
  
  Path
                  Size
                  UpdatedFLAT_RCL.zip
                      13 MB
                      04/18/2024 05:10:39 AM ETFLAT_RCL_Annual_Rpts.zip
                      32 KB
                      04/18/2024 05:10:40 AM ETFLAT_RCL_Qtrly_Rpts.zip
                      982 KB
                      04/18/2024 05:10:40 AM ETImport_Instructions_Recalls.pdf
                      1006 KB
                      10/27/2023 11:02:49 AM ETRCL.txt
                      3 KB
                      02/28/2022 08:52:27 AM ETRCL_Annual_Rpts.txt
                      2 KB
                      11/15/2023 06:02:43 AM ETRCL_Qtrly_Rpts.txt
                      1 KB
                      02/28/2022 08:52:27 AM ETRecall_Communications.pdf
                      364 MB
                      03/27/2024 05:07:29 AM ET

                                          You can also search recalls by date of when a recall was published, and filter by product type, on NHTSA.gov.


  
 
        Investigations
  
       
    
  After a preliminary review of consumer complaints and other information related to alleged defects, NHTSA obtains information from the manufacturer(including data on complaints, crashes, injuries, warranty claims, modifications, and part sales) and determines whether further analysis is warranted.  If warranted, the investigator will conduct a more detailed and complete analysis of the character and scope of the alleged defect.
        Download Data
              Select the .zip file for the desired database to download and extract the data. See the corresponding.txt file for a description of the file layout. All times shown are Eastern Time (ET).


                                                            
  
  Path
                  Size
                  UpdatedFLAT_INV.zip
                      4 MB
                      04/18/2024 05:19:20 AM ETINV.txt
                      2 KB
                      04/18/2024 05:19:20 AM ET

                                          Monthly Reports


		
		 
  You can search investigations by the date of when a defect investigation was opened or closed on NHTSA.gov.


  
 
        Complaints
  
       
    
  Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists. Complaint information is also analyzed to monitor existing recalls for proper scope and adequacy.
        Metadata
              Dataset Summary
Agency: **Department of Transportation**
Sub-Agency/Organization: **National Highway Traffic Safety Administration**
Category: 23, **Transportation**
Date Released: **December 16, 2002**
Time Period: **1949 to present**
Frequency: **Daily**
Dataset Information
Data.gov Data Category Type: **Raw data**
Specialized Data Category Designation: **Enforcement**
Keywords: **Phone, Paper, Email**
Unique ID: **81**
Contributing Agency Information
Citation: N/A
Agency Program Page: https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem
Agency Data Series Page: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/ffdd/cmpl/FLAT_CMPL.zip
Dataset Coverage
Unit of Analysis: **Vehicles, Tires, Child Safety Seats, Equipment**
Granularity: **United States**
Geographic Coverage: N/A
Data Description
Collection Mode: **Web, Phone**
Data Collection Instrument: N/A
Data Dictionary/Variable List: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/ffdd/cmpl/CMPL.txt
Dataset Quality
Data Quality Certification: **Yes**
Privacy and Confidentiality: **Yes**
Applicable Information Quality Guideline Designation: **National Highway Traffic Safety Administration**
Additional Dataset Documentation
Technical Documentation: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/ffdd/cmpl/Import_Instructions_Excel_All.pdf
Additional Metadata: N/A
                      
            API
              Approach A: Get by Model Year, Make, Model
Make the request to get the complaints for the required combination of Model Year, Make and Model.
Syntax: api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/complaintsByVehicle?make={MAKE}&model={MODEL}&modelYear={MODEL_YR}
Example: https://api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/complaintsByVehicle?make=acura&model=rdx&modelYear=2012Response Fields: Response is a list of complaints for the given Model Year, Make and Model
Working Sample: JSON


Approach B: Get by Model Year, Make, Model
**Step 1: Get all Model Years**
Request a list of available Model Years for a given product type (Vehicle).
Syntax: api.nhtsa.gov/products/vehicle/modelYears?issueType=c
Example: https://api.nhtsa.gov/products/vehicle/modelYears?issueType=cResponse Fields: Response is a list of available Model Years in the repository. Use a Model Year from this list to use in the next step.
Working Sample: JSON

**Step 2: Get all Makes for the Model Year**
Request a list of vehicle Makes by providing a specific vehicle Model Year.
Syntax: api.nhtsa.gov/products/vehicle/makes?modelYear={year}&issueType=c
Example: https://api.nhtsa.gov/products/vehicle/makes?modelYear=2021&issueType=cResponse Fields: Response is a list of vehicle Makes for that Model Year. Use the Model Year and a Make from this list to use in the next step.
Working Sample: JSON

**Step 3: Get all Models for the Make and Model Year**
Request a list of vehicle Models by providing the vehicle Model Year and Make.
Syntax: api.nhtsa.gov/products/vehicle/models?modelYear={year}&make={make}&issueType=c
Example: https://api.nhtsa.gov/products/vehicle/models?modelYear=2010&make=acura&issueType=cWorking Sample: JSON

**Step 4: Get all complaints for the selected Model Year, Make, Model**
Now that you have all three key pieces of information (Model Year, Make, Model), make the request to get the complaints for the required combination.
Syntax: api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/complaintsByVehicle?make={MAKE}&model={MODEL}&modelYear={MODEL_YR}
Example: https://api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/complaintsByVehicle?make=acura&model=rdx&modelYear=2012Response Fields: Response is a list of complaints for the given Model Year, Make and Model
Working Sample: JSON


Approach C: Get by ODI Number
Request a list of complaints by providing ODI number.
Syntax: api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/odinumber?odinumber={odinumber}
Example: https://api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/odinumber?odinumber=11184030Response Fields: Response is a list of complaints for the specified ODI number.
Working Sample: JSON
Notes
Color codes to understand each part of the request URL:
Red: Method Name
Green: Applicable parametersRequest parameters and method names are case sensitive
                      
            Download Data
              .


                                                            Single file of all Complaints

                                          
  
  Path
                  Size
                  UpdatedFLAT_CMPL.zip
                      307 MB
                      04/18/2024 06:32:59 AM ETImport_Instructions_Excel_All.pdf
                      672 KB
                      02/28/2022 08:52:26 AM ET

                                          Five-year sets based on Received Date

                                          
  
  Path
                  Size
                  UpdatedCOMPLAINTS_RECEIVED_2020-2024.zip
                      61 MB
                      04/18/2024 05:40:35 AM ETCOMPLAINTS_RECEIVED_2015-2019.zip
                      78 MB
                      04/10/2024 05:41:08 AM ETCOMPLAINTS_RECEIVED_2010-2014.zip
                      69 MB
                      04/10/2024 05:36:51 AM ETCOMPLAINTS_RECEIVED_2005-2009.zip
                      44 MB
                      04/18/2024 05:29:58 AM ETCOMPLAINTS_RECEIVED_2000-2004.zip
                      40 MB
                      04/18/2024 05:27:55 AM ETCOMPLAINTS_RECEIVED_1995-1999.zip
                      14 MB
                      03/30/2024 05:39:51 AM ETImport_Instructions_Excel_5-year.pdf
                      604 KB
                      02/28/2022 08:52:25 AM ETImport_Instructions_Access.pdf
                      973 KB
                      02/28/2022 08:52:25 AM ETCMPL.txt
                      9 KB
                      04/20/2022 12:37:13 PM ET


  
 
        Manufacturer Communications
  
       
    
  **Starting around May 3, 2024, NHTSA will launch a series of enhancements that include changes to the Manufacturer Communications download files. These enhancements include:**
The flat file in the “FLAT_TSBS.zip” will be updated to have additional fields. All fields are described in the metadata file. The metadata file maintains a log of all changes as well as a description of each field. Going forward, the existing metadata file will be renamed from “TSBS.txt” to “MfrComms.txt”. In addition to new fields, existing fields have been renamed for better readability in the metadata file. You can preview the new metadata file.
For simpler processing by public users, the “Manufacturer_Communications.pdf” will no longer be updated with new communications. Instead, the same content will be generated in multiple CSV files, each CSV file representing communications received in a block of consecutive years.All manufacturers of motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment, including low volume and child restraints, must submit to NHTSA copies of their manufacturer communications sent to dealers, distributors, owners, purchasers, lessors, or lessees regarding any defect, failure or malfunction beyond normal deterioration in use, failure of performance, flaw or other unintended deviation from design specifications whether it is safety-related or not.
        Download Data
              Select the .zip file for the desired database to download and extract the data. See the corresponding.txt file for a description of the file layout. All times shown are Eastern Time (ET).


                                                            
  
  Path
                  Size
                  UpdatedFLAT_TSBS.zip
                      41 MB
                      04/18/2024 05:10:55 AM ETManufacturer_Communications.pdf
                      614 MB
                      03/27/2024 05:07:55 AM ETTSBS.txt
                      1 KB
                      02/28/2022 08:52:28 AM ET


  
 
        Car Seat Inspection Locator
  
       
    
  Car crashes are a leading cause of death and injuries for children. Data show a high number of child car seats are not installed properly. Car seat inspection stations make it easier for parents and caregivers to check to see if their car seat is installed correctly. NHTSA provides information to help people locate a car seat inspection station. Information for each station is reported to NHTSA and we attempt to validate the station locations using a commercial geographic database so this data will, in most cases, be able to be used for driving directions.
        Metadata
              Dataset Summary
Agency: **Department of Transportation**
Sub-Agency/Organization: **National Highway Traffic Safety Administration**
Category: 23, **Transportation**
Date Released: November 5, 2021
Time Period: Current
Frequency: **Annual**
Dataset Information
Data.gov Data Category Type: **Raw data**
Specialized Data Category Designation: **Research**
Keywords: **Child Seat, Safety, Inspection, Stations, Station**
Unique ID: 80
Contributing Agency Information
Agency program page: www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#installation-help-inspection
Dataset Coverage
Unit of Analysis: N/A
Granularity: Nationwide, including Territories
Geographic Coverage: Zip, State, Geo Coordinates
Dataset Quality
Data Quality Certification: No
Privacy and Confidentiality: No
Applicable Information Quality Guideline Designation: **National Highway Traffic Safety Administration**
                      
            API
              Approach A. Get by Zip Code
Make the request with a zip code to get the list of CSSIStations at the specific zip code only (nearby zip codes are not included).
/CSSIStation/zip/63640Response Fields: Response is a list of CSSIStations for a given zip code.
Working Sample: JSON
Approach B. Get by State
Make the request with the state abbreviation to get the list of CSSIStations in that state only.
/api/CSSIStation/state/NVResponse Fields: Response is a list of CSSIStations in a given state.
Working Sample: JSON
Approach C. Get by Geo location
Make the request with an interested latitude and longitude location along with the miles nearby to look out for CSSIStations.
/CSSIStation?lat=30.1783&long=-96.3911&miles=50Response Fields: Response is a list of CSSIStations nearby the interested geographical location spotted by its latitude and longitude.
Working Sample: JSON
Filters. Optional Filters
**Filter 1: Filter by Spanish speaking Stations**
Make the request with a zip code/state/geographical location to get the list of CSSIStations filtered by spanish speaking (attach string - /lang/spanish) and stations participating in CPSWeek event (attach string - /cpsweek). Below filters in the request string are optional, either one/none OR both can be sent in.
/CSSIStation/zip/67951/lang/spanishResponse Fields: Response is a list of CSSIStations for a given zip code applying the respective filter.
Working Sample: JSON
**Filter 2: Filter by Stations participating in CPSWeek**
Make the request with a zip code/state/geographical location to get the list of CSSIStations filtered by stations participating in CPSWeek event (attach string - /cpsweek). Below filters in the request string are optional, either one/none OR both can be sent in.
/CSSIStation/zip/37066/cpsweekResponse Fields: Response is a list of CSSIStations for a given zip code applying the respective filter.
Working Sample: JSON
Notes
Color codes to understand each part of the request URL:
Red: Method Name
Green: Applicable parameters
Orange: Extended parametersRequest parameters and method names are case sensitive
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