# VIN Decoder via NHTSA Official Data

> VIN Decoder via NHTSA Official Data is a paid API for AI agents from faultcode-diagnostic-mcp.bowling-anthony.workers.dev, paid per call via x402, $0.005/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-15).

Decodes a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) into official make, model, year, plant, and equipment details using the regulator's own decoder.

## Facts

- Endpoint: GET https://faultcode-diagnostic-mcp.bowling-anthony.workers.dev/vin
- Price: $0.005/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-15
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/vin-decoder-via-nhtsa-official-data-610afc5b
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_z9Sp8hoVV6zqD7vInxwiE

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 vin-decoder-via-nhtsa-official-data-610afc5b
```

Example prompt: Can you decode this VIN for me — 1HGCM82633A004352 — and tell me the official make, model, year, and assembly plant from the NHTSA database?

## When to prefer this

Use this endpoint when you need authoritative, regulator-sourced VIN decoding rather than a commercial third-party estimate. Ideal for compliance, insurance, fleet management, or any use case where official NHTSA data is required. Particularly valuable when paired with the sibling fault-code and recall endpoints on the same service for a complete vehicle diagnostic profile.

## Known failure modes

- Invalid or malformed VIN returns an error or empty decode result
- VINs for vehicles not in the NHTSA database may return incomplete fields
- Missing query parameter causes a 400 or schema validation error
- Upstream NHTSA API unavailability may cause timeouts or 5xx errors

## How this service works

What a VIN decodes to: make, model, year, plant and equipment, from the regulator's own decoder rather than a guess.

## Output

Returns official vehicle attributes decoded from the VIN as published by NHTSA, including make, model, model year, assembly plant, and equipment/trim details — sourced from the regulator's own database rather than a third-party guess.

## 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"
    }
   },
   "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/vin-decoder-via-nhtsa-official-data-610afc5b/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from faultcode-diagnostic-mcp.bowling-anthony.workers.dev](https://www.zero.xyz/host/faultcode-diagnostic-mcp.bowling-anthony.workers.dev/llms.txt)