Summary
Every answer resolves to a vehicle id first, which is what makes it citable.
Search turns a year, make and model into an id, and every other vehicle call takes that id — so a recall or a complaint attaches to one specific vehicle rather than to a make in general. The trouble-code lookup is the exception and stands on its own.
What it is
A vehicle data server over the CarVector API, run from npx or reached as a hosted endpoint. Vehicles are addressed by an opaque id that search returns.
What you get
- search_vehicles — vehicles matching a year, make and model, each with its id and specifications
- get_vehicle — full specifications for one vehicle: engine, drivetrain, body, a representative image and a recall count
- get_recalls — federal recall campaigns, each with component, summary, consequence and remedy
- get_complaints — the owner-complaint signal: totals by component and year, plus the most recent complaints
- get_tsbs — the manufacturer's technical service bulletin index, the fix a dealer already knows about
- get_investigations — federal defect investigations, which often run ahead of a recall
- lookup_dtc — an OBD-II trouble code's title, category, severity and its safety and emissions flags
Requirements
A CarVector API key in CARVECTOR_API_KEY, from a free tier that takes no card. Complaints are on the Pro plan; bulletins and investigations are on Business. Run it from npx, or point a client at the hosted endpoint with a bearer token instead.
Setup effort
One command plus a key — npx -y carvector-mcp --key cv_your_key, then supply credentials