WhichTrim vehicle records

Find model years in the WhichTrim catalogue by make, model and/or year. Returns each match with its Safety Signal grade, recall count and page URL. Use this first to get the vehicle id that the other tools take.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "query": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Make and/or model, e.g. 'kia telluride' or 'rav4'."
    },
    "year": {
      "type": "integer",
      "description": "Restrict to one model year."
    },
    "limit": {
      "type": "integer",
      "description": "Maximum results (default 10, max 40)."
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "query"
  ]
}

The full published record for one model year: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner-complaint counts and the mileage at which owners reported problems, crash ratings, open investigations, service bulletins and the diagnostic trouble codes its record names.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "id": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Vehicle id, e.g. 2021_kia_telluride. Get one from search_vehicles."
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "id"
  ]
}

Every trim of one model year as the manufacturer's own press kit states it: name, powertrain, drivetrain and MSRP, each trim's headline specs, which equipment is standard on which trims, and the warranty. Pass `trim` for one trim's full specification sheet (engine, dimensions, cargo, weights, brakes, wheels, tires) and its standard and optional equipment, with what it adds over the cheapest trim. Only model years with a press kit on file have trims — search_vehicles marks them.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "id": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Vehicle id, e.g. 2026_toyota_rav4. Get one from search_vehicles."
    },
    "trim": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Optional. One trim, named as the manufacturer prints it ('XLE Premium', 'SEL AWD', 'LE hybrid'), or a trim id from an earlier answer. Leave it out for every trim side by side."
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "id"
  ]
}

Every NHTSA recall campaign on file for one model year, with severity, park-outside and do-not-drive advisories and the reported completion rate. IMPORTANT: recalls apply to a build range, not to a model year, so this cannot establish whether one specific vehicle is affected — only a VIN check at nhtsa.gov/recalls can.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "id": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Vehicle id, e.g. 2021_kia_telluride."
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "id"
  ]
}

Decode a 17-character VIN against NHTSA's vPIC database and join it to the WhichTrim record for that model year: year, make, model, engine, plant, plus the grade and recall campaigns on file.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "vin": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "A 17-character VIN."
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "vin"
  ]
}

What a diagnostic trouble code (P0420, U0100, …) means where the OBD-II standard defines it, and — the part no other source publishes — which vehicles' federal record actually names it: how many manufacturer service bulletins and owner complaints mention it, and on which model years.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "code": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "A trouble code, e.g. P0420."
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "code"
  ]
}

A manufacturer service bulletin, service campaign, warranty extension or over-the-air notice by the number on the letter or the document (Hyundai 9D6, Kia SC199, '26-01-068H TSB', GM N262570770). Returns what NHTSA's summary says, the model years it names, every document filed under it with a verified link to NHTSA's PDF where one exists, and the page URL. These are NOT safety recalls — the answer says so.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "number": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "The number as printed: a campaign id (9D6, SC199) or a bulletin/document number (26-01-068H, T-SB-0141-26, 00-03-10-002J)."
    },
    "make": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "The make, if known (hyundai, chevrolet). A number filed under several makes returns each without it."
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "number"
  ]
}

Two model years side by side on the figures that decide most purchases: fuel economy or EV range, Safety Signal grade, recalls, complaints, crash rating and starting price where a press kit is on file.

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "a": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Vehicle id for the first car, e.g. 2021_kia_telluride. Get one from search_vehicles."
    },
    "b": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Vehicle id for the second car, e.g. 2021_honda_pilot. Get one from search_vehicles. Must be a different id from `a`."
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "a",
    "b"
  ]
}