National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provides APIs for vehicle safety information including vehicle recall data and the Product Information Catalog Vehicle Listing (vPIC) for decoding Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) and accessing vehicle specifications submitted by manufacturers.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration publishes 6 API contracts indexed on the APIs.io network, including Equipment API, Makes and Models API, Manufacturers API, and 3 more. Tagged areas include Federal Government, Safety, Transportation, and Vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration catalog on APIs.io includes 1 Spectral governance ruleset.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s developer surface includes developer portal and 7 more developer resources.

🌐 Visit website 📡 Profile data on GitHub

21.9/100 emerging ▬ flat Agent 18/100 agent aware Full breakdown ↓
scored 2026-11-06 · rubric v0.27.0 · Show this score on your site →

AccessFreemium

1 published contract

Federal Government Safety Transportation Vehicles

Kin Score

Kin Score How this is scored →
scored 2026-11-06 · rubric v0.27.0

Composite quality — 21.9/100 · emerging

Contract Quality 7.5 / 19

Developer Ergonomics 2.9 / 15

Access Clarity 1.2 / 15

Operational Transparency 0.8 / 10

Contract Governance 1.2 / 9

Discoverability 4.3 / 8

Regulatory Posture 0.9 / 15

Create-or-Update Ergonomics 0.0 / 10

Agent readiness — 18/100 · agent aware

Machine-Readable Contract 18 / 18

Agentic Access Contract 10 / 10

Documented Reversibility 0 / 6

MCP Server 0 / 12

Machine-Readable Auth 0 / 10

Idempotency 0 / 9

Stable Error Semantics 0 / 8

Request/Response Examples 7 / 7

Rate-Limit Signaling 7 / 7

Typed Event Surface 0 / 6

Agent Skills 0 / 5

Well-Known Catalog 0 / 4

Consent & Bot Identity 0 / 3

A2A Agent Card 0 / 8

Dry-Run / Simulate Mode 0 / 4

Delegated User Identity 0 / 6

Protected Resource Metadata 0 / 5

Registration Without a Human 0 / 6

Agentic Commerce Well-Known Document 0 / 5

Pagination 5 / 5

Distinct Operations 0 / 3

MCP Tool Quality 6 / 6

Regulatory Posture applies to this provider. Its tags matched the Government & Public Sector regime, so Regulatory Posture carries 15 points of the composite. If this regime is wrong for your business, say so on your provider repo — the applicability map is public and we will correct it.

Create-or-Update Ergonomics applies to this provider. This API accepts writes, so it carries 10 points of the composite. It is scored from the published contracts themselves: whether a caller can create-or-update in one call, whether the write accepts a key the caller already holds, and whether the response says which branch ran. Without that, every write needs a search-and-branch in front of it, and the first time that check is skipped a duplicate record is created. Scored against the observed mean rather than raw — a provider at the catalog average is unchanged by this facet, not penalised by it.

The six quality facets above are damped to 75 points between them, because the conditional facet above carries the other 25. That is why each facet's contribution is shown against a damped maximum: raising a quality facet moves the composite by 75% of its nominal weight, not 100%. The full arithmetic is at apis.io/rating/.

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Agent readiness — checks not met, largest first (exact, from this profile):

MCP Server +12 pts — deployment.mode + probe verdict on the mcp/ manifest, not the pointer; an unprobed slug falls back to authorship
Machine-Readable Auth +10 pts — a served openid-configuration/oauth-authorization-server carrying `issuer` (served), else the securitySchemes class in the provider OpenAPIs — bound (mutualTLS, DPoP, Signature) > negotiable (oauth2 authorizationCode/clientCredentials, openIdConnect) > bearer (http bearer, apiKey)
Idempotency +9 pts — OpenAPI mutating operations declare an idempotency key — a header, a request-body property, or a named de-duplication token whose own description says so (verified); else common[].type matches /idempoten/i (documented)
Stable Error Semantics +8 pts — OpenAPI $refs a shared error schema across 4xx/5xx responses (verified), else common[].type includes ErrorCatalog / ErrorCodes / DeclineCodes
A2A Agent Card +8 pts — a2a/-a2a.yml manifest, graded on conformance.grade against A2A 1.0.0
Registration Without a Human +6 pts — a `registration_endpoint` in the served RFC 8414 / OIDC discovery document

10 more unmet checks in the Agent Readiness table above.

Kin Score — facets with the most composite points still available (weight × headroom):

Access Clarity scores 7.9 — up to +18.4 composite points
Developer Ergonomics scores 19.0 — up to +16.2 composite points
Contract Quality scores 39.9 — up to +15.0 composite points

Each check links to what satisfies it. Publish the artifact, or tell us where it already lives, and the score moves on the next scoring run.

Improve this rating by publishing the missing artifacts — every area above can be raised, and the full rubric is at apis.io/rating/. Every facet and dimension name above is a link: it opens that measurement's own page — what it means, the exact checks that feed it, how the whole catalog distributes on it, and the providers at the top of it. This rating is computed from the provider profile at artifacts.apis.io/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration/apis.yml: open an issue on github.com/api-evangelist/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration to ask a question or point us at an artifact you publish. Submit an artifact on GitHub — free → Manage your own listing — the Influence plan, $499/mo →

Markets this provider is in provisional

The Kin Score Market layer reads a provider inside its market: its position, and how deep its integrations go. Depth is only comparable within a position. Provisional and unweighted: not part of the Kin Score or agent readiness.

Market	Position	Depth	Registered MCP server	Declares compatibility
US Federal API Programs (api.data.gov, Login.gov, GSA MAS, FedRAMP)	undeclared	-	-	-

Registered MCP server and declares compatibility are report only — not weighted. Undeclared means we found nothing we can read, so there is no number: we never infer integrations.

Standards implemented 1

Standards this provider implements or carries. De facto ones are profiled and measured by the API Commons; formal ones come from the standards directory and are linked by the provider's own tags. The evidence column says how each claim was established — not that it was made.

OpenAPI

measured — observed by APIs.io (published)

APIs 6

Individual APIs this provider publishes, each with its own machine-readable definition.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Equipment API

Equipment, parts, and Canadian vehicle specifications

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Makes and Models API

Endpoints for vehicle make and model information

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Manufacturers API

Endpoints for manufacturer and World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) data

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Reference API

Reference variables and value lists

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Types API

Endpoints related to vehicle types

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration VIN Decoding API

Endpoints for decoding Vehicle Identification Numbers

Open Collections 7

Open, tool-agnostic API collections (OpenAPI-derived and Bruno).

NHTSA vPIC Vehicle Equipment API

OPEN COLLECTION

NHTSA vPIC Vehicle Equipment Makes and Models API

OPEN COLLECTION

NHTSA vPIC Vehicle Equipment Manufacturers API

OPEN COLLECTION

NHTSA vPIC Vehicle Equipment Reference API

OPEN COLLECTION

NHTSA vPIC Vehicle Equipment Vehicle Types API

OPEN COLLECTION

NHTSA vPIC Vehicle Equipment VIN Decoding API

OPEN COLLECTION

NHTSA vPIC Vehicle API

OPEN COLLECTION

Scroll for all 7

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration API pricing

Not yet checked against National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's own pricing page. Compiled by API Evangelist on 2026-05-04; confirm before you rely on a figure. A free plan or tier is listed.

Plan	Price
Free freemium	Free
Professional paid	Free
Enterprise enterprise	—

Plan details, limits and sources →

Rate limits

Free Tier Default: 10 requests per minute
Free Tier Monthly Quota: 1000 requests per month
Professional Tier Default: 100 requests per minute

Compiled by API Evangelist, not yet checked against National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's documentation. All 5 limits →

Pricing Plans 1

Published pricing tiers and plan structures.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Plans Pricing

3 plans

PLANS

Rate Limits 1

Documented rate limits and quota policies.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Rate Limits

5 limits

RATE LIMITS

Service Levels 1

Uptime the provider promises or reports, as SLA4OAI. Read from its own pages; APIs.io runs no monitors.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

SLA

FinOps 1

Cost, billing, and metering signals for API financial operations.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Finops

FINOPS

Spectral Rules 1

Spectral governance rulesets for linting and validating these APIs.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration API Rules

48 rules · 43 errors 4 warnings 1 info

SPECTRAL

Security Posture 1

Authentication, domain security, vulnerability disclosure, and trust-center signals.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Domain Security

TLSv1.3 · HSTS · DNSSEC · DMARC

SECURITY

Agentic Access 1

Recommended x-agentic-access execution contracts for AI agents.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Agentic Access

24 operations · 1 acting

AGENTIC

Resources

Get Started 1

Portal, sign-up, and the first successful call

Portal

Portal

Agent Surfaces 1

MCP servers, agent skills, and machine-readable catalogs

AgenticAccess

AgenticAccess

Access & Security 1

Authentication, authorization, and security posture

DomainSecurity

DomainSecurity

Operate 1

Status, limits, changes, and where to get help

RateLimits

RateLimits

Commercial 2

Pricing, plans, and the legal terms of use

Plans

Plans

FinOps

FinOps

Company 2

The organization behind the API

LinkedIn

Website

Website

Source (apis.yml)

aid: national-highway-traffic-safety-administration
name: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
description: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provides APIs for vehicle safety information including
  vehicle recall data and the Product Information Catalog Vehicle Listing (vPIC) for decoding Vehicle Identification Numbers
  (VINs) and accessing vehicle specifications submitted by manufacturers.
type: Index
deliveryModel:
  model: unknown
  open_source: false
  commercial: false
  callable_host: true
  label: Delivery model not determined — needs a product licence on record
  confidence: low
  source:
  - openapi
  generated: '2026-08-28'
  method: derived
accessModel:
  pricing: freemium
  onboarding: unknown
  trial: false
  try_now: false
  public: false
  label: Freemium
  confidence: low
  source:
  - plans
  - security
  generated: '2026-11-06'
  method: derived
image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/icons/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration.png
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
created: '2024-03-30'
modified: '2026-05-19'
specificationVersion: '0.23'
tags:
- Federal Government
- Safety
- Transportation
- Vehicles
tags_raw:
- Federal Government
- Safety
- Transportation
- Vehicles
- Federal-Government
apis:
- aid: national-highway-traffic-safety-administration:national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-equipment-api
  name: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Equipment API
  description: Equipment, parts, and Canadian vehicle specifications
  humanURL: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/
  baseURL: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles
  tags:
  - Equipment
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-equipment-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/
- aid: national-highway-traffic-safety-administration:national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-makes-and-models-api
  name: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Makes and Models API
  description: Endpoints for vehicle make and model information
  humanURL: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/
  baseURL: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles
  tags:
  - Makes and Models
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-makes-and-models-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/
- aid: national-highway-traffic-safety-administration:national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-manufacturers-api
  name: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Manufacturers API
  description: Endpoints for manufacturer and World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) data
  humanURL: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/
  baseURL: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles
  tags:
  - Manufacturer
  tags_raw:
  - Manufacturers
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-manufacturers-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/
- aid: national-highway-traffic-safety-administration:national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-reference-api
  name: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Reference API
  description: Reference variables and value lists
  humanURL: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/
  baseURL: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles
  tags:
  - Reference
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-reference-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/
- aid: national-highway-traffic-safety-administration:national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-vehicle-types-api
  name: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Types API
  description: Endpoints related to vehicle types
  humanURL: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/
  baseURL: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles
  tags:
  - Vehicle Types
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-vehicle-types-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/
- aid: national-highway-traffic-safety-administration:national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-vin-decoding-api
  name: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration VIN Decoding API
  description: Endpoints for decoding Vehicle Identification Numbers
  humanURL: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/
  baseURL: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles
  tags:
  - VIN Decoding
  properties:
  - type: OpenAPI
    url: openapi/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-vin-decoding-api-openapi.yml
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/
common:
- type: Plans
  url: plans/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-plans-pricing.yml
- type: RateLimits
  url: rate-limits/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-rate-limits.yml
- type: FinOps
  url: finops/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-finops.yml
- type: AgenticAccess
  url: agentic-access/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-agentic-access.yml
- type: DomainSecurity
  url: security/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-domain-security.yml
- type: LinkedIn
  url: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration-nhtsa
- type: Website
  url: https://www.nhtsa.gov/
- type: Portal
  url: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration API — frequently asked questions

Does National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have an API?

Yes. APIs.io lists 6 APIs from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, including National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Equipment API, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Makes and Models API and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Manufacturers API, and 3 more.

Is there an OpenAPI specification for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration API?

Yes. APIs.io indexes 6 OpenAPI specifications for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, each linked for download from this page.

How much does the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration API cost?

APIs.io lists 3 pricing plans for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with each plan's price, limits and inclusions under Pricing on this page.

Is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration API ready for AI agents?

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a Kin Score of 21.9 out of 100 (emerging) and an Agent Readiness score of 17.5 (agent-aware), scored by API Evangelist on 2026-11-06.

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