$ man vin-decode
/vin-decode(1)
PRICE / CALL
$0.005
USDC · base mainnet · scheme: exact
METHOD
POST
CLUSTER
localeCATEGORY
uncategorized
STATUS
● live
NAME
vin-decode — vin decoder / vin lookup / decode vin / vehicle identification number / nhtsa vpic wrapper
SYNOPSIS
POST https://x402.org/v1/vin-decode
Content-Type: application/json
X-PAYMENT: <signed-transferWithAuthorization>
{ ... }↳ first call →
402 Payment Required. Sign USDCtransferWithAuthorization, retry with theX-PAYMENT header.DESCRIPTION
VIN decoder / VIN lookup / decode VIN / vehicle identification number / NHTSA vPIC wrapper. Pass a 17-char VIN; returns make, model, model_year, manufacturer, plant country, body class, vehicle type, fuel type, engine cylinders/displacement/HP, drive type, transmission, GVWR, safety features (ABS, traction control, airbags), and any decode errors. Includes a `valid_checksum` flag (ISO 3779 mod-11 check; reliable for North-American VINs). Backed by NHTSA's free public vPIC API — US Govt public domain, no API key required.
INPUT — request schema
| property | type | description | req? |
|---|---|---|---|
| vin | string | 17-character VIN. Alphanumeric, no I/O/Q. | required |
| model_year | integer | string | Optional model year hint (YYYY) — helps NHTSA disambiguate the 10th position. | optional |
OUTPUT — response shape
| field | type | description |
|---|---|---|
| vin | string | Echoed 17-character VIN that was decoded, uppercased and stripped of whitespace. |
| valid_checksum | boolean | True if the VIN passes the ISO 3779 mod-11 check digit; reliable for North-American VINs. |
| decode_ok | boolean | True if NHTSA vPIC returned a usable decode with no fatal errors. |
| errors | array | List of decode error codes/messages reported by vPIC (e.g. invalid characters, unknown WMI). |
| make | stringnull | Vehicle make (e.g. Ford, Toyota), or null if vPIC could not determine it. |
| model | stringnull | Vehicle model name (e.g. F-150, Camry), or null if not resolvable from the VIN. |
| model_year | integernull | Four-digit model year decoded from the VIN, or null if vPIC could not determine it. |
| manufacturer | stringnull | Full manufacturer name as registered with NHTSA (e.g. Ford Motor Company), or null. |
| body_class | stringnull | Body style classification (e.g. Sedan/4-Door, Pickup, SUV), or null if unavailable. |
| vehicle_type | stringnull | Top-level vehicle type (e.g. Passenger Car, Truck, Motorcycle), or null. |
| fuel_type_primary | stringnull | Primary fuel type (e.g. Gasoline, Diesel, Electric), or null if not reported. |
| source | string | Upstream data source identifier, always "NHTSA vPIC" for this endpoint. |
| attribution | string | Required attribution string crediting NHTSA's vPIC public-domain dataset. |
EXAMPLES — two ways to call
EXAMPLE 1 · curl
curl -X POST https://x402.org/v1/vin-decode \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{ }'first response =
402 Payment Required with payment requirements; sign + retry with X-PAYMENT.EXAMPLE 2 · mcp
# install once claude mcp add x402 --command "npx x402-deployer-mcp" # then ask Claude Code: # "use the vin-decode tool to ..."
MCP server handles payment automatically — your coding agent just calls the tool by name.
METADATA
- tags
- vinvehiclecarautomotivenhtsadecode
- methods
- POST
- cluster
- locale
- price
- $0.005 USDC per call
ADJACENT — other endpoints in locale
| endpoint | description | price |
|---|---|---|
| iata-airport-info | IATA / ICAO airport code lookup. | $0.005 |
| satellite-tile | Satellite imagery tile / lat-lon to satellite PNG / Sentinel-2 tile API / cloud-free satellite snapshot / agent-callable satellite imagery. | $0.005 |
| visa-requirements | Visa requirements lookup. | $0.005 |
| weather | Weather API / weather forecast / current weather / hourly forecast. | $0.005 |
| weather-forecast | Weather forecast / hourly forecast / current weather / temperature / precipitation / UV index / sunrise-sunset / Open-Meteo / weather API. | $0.005 |
| astro-times | sunrise-sunset / golden-hour / civil twilight / nautical dusk / day-length / solar-noon / dawn-dusk / astronomy times. | $0.002 |
| country-info | Country info / ISO 3166 / country code lookup / capital city lookup / currencies by country / population / region resolver. | $0.002 |
| earthquakes-recent | Earthquake feed / seismic activity / USGS / recent quakes / quake monitor / tremor data / fault line activity / tsunami alerts. | $0.002 |
SEE ALSO