Carfax

Used car listings, open safety recalls and vehicle history highlights

Carfax provides used-car listings near a US ZIP code with free history highlights, plus open safety recalls reported by CARFAX for a VIN or US plate.

Check recalls

Check a VIN or US license plate for open safety recalls reported to CARFAX, including the vehicle and recall details. A state is required for plates; details missing from CARFAX are null. Service campaigns are not included.

Your information

Vehicle

17-character VIN or US license plate number, for example 1C4SJVGJ0PS570046 or 7ABC123.

More options

StateOptional

US state name or two-letter code for license plate searches, for example California or CA.

1 credit per run

Example results

VIN: 1HGCM82633A004352
Make: HONDA
Year: 2003
Model: ACCORD EX V-6
Open Recall Count: 0
Recalls: None

Example data · Run in Studio for fresh results.

About Carfax

Carfax’s Search cars method returns used-car listings and vehicle-history highlights; enter a car make and model and a five-digit US ZIP code.

Check recalls returns open safety recall details; enter a VIN or license plate, and include a US state for plate searches.

Built by Fous from carfax.com and checked automatically; it last passed a check on Sep 29, 2026. Fous is not affiliated with Carfax.

Actions

Check recalls

1 credit per run

What you provide

Field	Type	Required	Description
State`state`	Text	Optional	US state name or two-letter code for license plate searches, for example California or CA.Example: California
Vehicle`vehicle`	Text	Required	17-character VIN or US license plate number, for example 1C4SJVGJ0PS570046 or 7ABC123.Example: 1C4SJVGJ0PS570046

What you get

Field	Type	Description
VIN`vin`	Text	Vehicle identification number.Example: 1HGCM82633A004352
Make`make`	Text	Vehicle make.Example: HONDA
Year`year`	Number	Model year.Example: 2003
Model`model`	Text	Vehicle model and trim as reported by CARFAX.Example: ACCORD EX V-6
Recalls`recalls`	List	Open safety recalls (not service campaigns).
Title`recalls[].title`	Text	Recall title or affected component.Example: 2022-2026 MY Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer (WS)
Remedy`recalls[].remedy`	Text	Repair or remedy information.Example: FCA US will conduct a voluntary safety recall to repair the pivot joints on…
Page Link`recalls[].page_link`	Text	CARFAX recall check page for this vehicle; enter the VIN to see current details.Example: https://www.carfax.com/recalls
Description`recalls[].description`	Text	What is being recalled.Example: FCA US will conduct a voluntary safety recall to repair the pivot joints on…
Safety Risk`recalls[].safety_risk`	Text	Safety risk described for the recall.Example: Crossbars which detach from a vehicle may create a road hazard to operators…
Date Announced`recalls[].date_announced`	Text	Date shown by CARFAX in YYYY-MM-DD format.Example: 2026-09-17
Government Recall Number`recalls[].government_recall_number`	Text	NHTSA campaign number, when given.Example: 26V-584
Open Recall Count`open_recall_count`	Number	Number of open safety recalls reported to CARFAX.Example: 0

Example result

For Vehicle: 1HGCM82633A004352

JSON

{
  "vin": "1HGCM82633A004352",
  "make": "HONDA",
  "year": 2003,
  "model": "ACCORD EX V-6",
  "recalls": [],
  "open_recall_count": 0
}

Search cars

1 credit per run

Search used cars near a US ZIP code in CARFAX order, with listing details and free vehicle-history highlights. Paid full history reports are not included.

What you provide

Field	Type	Required	Description
Car`car`	Text	Required	Car make and model, such as Honda Accord.Example: Honda Accord
Zip Code`zip_code`	Text	Required	Five-digit US ZIP code, such as 20001.Example: 20001
Max Price`max_price`	Number	Optional	Highest listing price in US dollars, such as 20000. Leave blank for any price.Example: 20000
Max Results`max_results`	Number	Optional	Maximum number of listings, such as 25.Example: 25
Radius (miles)`radius_miles`	Number	Optional	Search radius in miles, such as 50.Example: 50

What you get

Field	Type	Description
Listings`listings`	List	Used cars in CARFAX search order.
VIN`listings[].vin`	Text	Vehicle identification number.
Make`listings[].make`	Text	Car make.
Trim`listings[].trim`	Text	Car trim.
Year`listings[].year`	Number	Model year.
Model`listings[].model`	Text	Car model.
Price`listings[].price`	Number	Listing price in US dollars.
Mileage`listings[].mileage`	Number	Odometer mileage in miles.
Currency`listings[].currency`	Text	Price currency code.
Photo Link`listings[].photo_link`	Text	First vehicle photo link.
Dealer Name`listings[].dealer_name`	Text	Seller dealership.
Vehicle Use`listings[].vehicle_use`	Text	CARFAX use label such as Personal Use or Fleet.
Listing Link`listings[].listing_link`	Text	CARFAX listing page.
Distance (miles)`listings[].distance_miles`	Number	Distance to dealer in miles.
Dealer Location`listings[].dealer_location`	Text	Dealer city and state.
Previous Owners`listings[].previous_owners`	Number	Number of previous owners shown by CARFAX.
Accidents Reported`listings[].accidents_reported`	Text	CARFAX accident or damage history highlight.
Service Records Count`listings[].service_records_count`	Number	Number of service records shown by CARFAX.

Example result

For Car: Honda Accord, Zip Code: 20001, Max Price: 1, Max Results: 5

JSON

{
  "listings": []
}

For developers

Run this workflow from your own code. In Studio, turn on Developer mode and create an API key.

cURL

# First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
: "${FOUS_API_KEY:?Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example}"

curl 'https://api.fous.com/v1/query' \
  --fail-with-body --silent --show-error --max-time 120 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
  "api": "@carfax",
  "visibility": "public",
  "operation": "check_recalls",
  "version": 1,
  "input": {
    "vehicle": "1HGCM82633A004352"
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "json"
  }
}'

What you can do with it

Compare used-car listings near a ZIP code
Find listings within a price range and search radius
Review reported owners, accidents, and service records
Check a vehicle for open safety recalls
Look up recalls using a license plate and state

Questions

Is Fous affiliated with Carfax?

No. Fous is not affiliated with Carfax. This workflow reads the public carfax.com website and returns its data.

How much does it cost?

Each run costs 1 credit. With pay-as-you-go, a credit costs 1¢; monthly plans cost less per credit.

Do I need a Carfax account?

No. You only need a Fous account.

How current is the data?

Fous gets the data from carfax.com when you run it; repeating the same request within a day may return the saved result. Fous checks this workflow automatically; it last passed a check on Sep 29, 2026.