# NHTSA vPIC Vehicle Decoder

> NHTSA vPIC Vehicle Decoder is a paid API for AI agents from api.healthtravel-api.workers.dev, paid per call via x402, $0.002/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-10-30).

Decodes a 17-character VIN using NHTSA vPIC to return make, manufacturer, model, model year, trim, vehicle type, plant location, and check-digit validation.

## Facts

- Endpoint: GET https://api.healthtravel-api.workers.dev/api/travel/nhtsa-vpic-vehicle-decoder?utm_source=zero.xyz
- Price: $0.002/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-10-30
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/nhtsa-vpic-vehicle-decoder-cb65cbb7
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_tcEnhNKaW-UKFN5DV0SbA

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability nhtsa-vpic-vehicle-decoder-cb65cbb7
```

Example prompt: Can you decode the VIN 1HGBH41JXMN109186 and tell me the make, model, year, trim, and where it was manufactured?

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when you need basic vehicle identity information (make, model, year, trim, type, plant location) decoded from a VIN using the official NHTSA vPIC database. It is ideal for VIN validation, enriching vehicle records, and confirming manufacturer details at very low cost ($0.002/call). Do not use it if you need recall data, vehicle history, accident reports, or title information — those require separate services like NHTSA recall lookup or Carfax.

## Known failure modes

- Invalid VIN format (contains disallowed letters I, O, Q or is not 17 characters) — returns an error or empty result
- VIN not found in NHTSA vPIC database — partial or empty fields returned
- NHTSA API upstream outage — service may be temporarily unavailable
- Non-US or obscure manufacturer VINs may return incomplete or missing fields

## How this service works

Decodes a VIN with NHTSA vPIC: make, manufacturer, model, model year, trim, vehicle type, plant city/state/country and the check-digit message. Only fields NHTSA has for that VIN are returned; no recall or history data.

## Output

Returns a JSON object with the fields NHTSA has on record for the provided VIN, including make, manufacturer name, model, model year, trim, vehicle type, and plant city/state/country. Also includes a check-digit validation message. Only fields that NHTSA has populated for that specific VIN are returned; recall history and ownership data are not included.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
 "required": [
  "input"
 ],
 "properties": {
  "input": {
   "type": "object",
   "required": [
    "type",
    "method"
   ],
   "properties": {
    "type": {
     "type": "string",
     "const": "http"
    },
    "method": {
     "enum": [
      "GET"
     ],
     "type": "string"
    },
    "queryParams": {
     "type": "object",
     "required": [
      "vin"
     ],
     "properties": {
      "vin": {
       "type": "string",
       "description": "17-character VIN (letters I, O, Q not allowed)"
      }
     }
    }
   },
   "additionalProperties": false
  },
  "output": {
   "type": "object",
   "required": [
    "type"
   ],
   "properties": {
    "type": {
     "type": "string"
    },
    "example": {
     "type": "object"
    }
   }
  }
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/nhtsa-vpic-vehicle-decoder-cb65cbb7/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from api.healthtravel-api.workers.dev](https://www.zero.xyz/host/api.healthtravel-api.workers.dev/llms.txt)