Terms of Use
Last updated Draft: 6 placeholders to complete before launch
VINDecoder360 is an information service. It decodes VINs and shows recall and complaint data from public NHTSA sources, provided as is and without warranty. Public data can be incomplete or out of date, and a decode is not a substitute for inspecting the vehicle or getting a vehicle history report. Please use the site fairly and don't scrape it.
Status of these terms
What is the service?
VINDecoder360 (“we”, “us”), operated by TODO(owner): legal entity name, provides free information about vehicles identified by their VIN, recall and complaint data by make, model and year, and guides about VINs. By using the site you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the site.
Is the information guaranteed to be accurate?
No. The site is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind. Vehicle data comes from public third-party sources, mainly NHTSA, and from our own calculations. That data may be incomplete, out of date or wrong, especially for vehicles not built for the U.S. market or built before model year 1981. We don't guarantee that the site will be available at any given time or free of errors.
Can I rely on a decode when buying a vehicle?
Not on its own. A decode describes what the VIN encodes; it doesn't show a vehicle's history or condition. Before buying or relying on a vehicle, you should:
- Inspect the vehicle, ideally with an independent mechanic.
- Check that the VIN matches in every location and on the paperwork; see where to find your VIN.
- Get a vehicle history report from a licensed provider.
- Check open recalls for the specific VIN with NHTSA or the manufacturer; our recall lists cover a make, model and year, not a single vehicle.
What are the rules for using the site?
You may use the site for any lawful purpose. You must not:
- Scrape, crawl or copy the site's content or results in bulk, except through normal search-engine indexing.
- Send automated or high-volume requests, or try to get around rate limits or other protections.
- Interfere with the site's operation or security, or try to access systems you aren't authorised to use.
- Use the site to commit fraud, including disguising a vehicle's identity.
If you need to decode VINs in bulk, use NHTSA's vPIC service directly: it offers a batch decoding API and downloadable standalone databases for developers.
Who owns the content, and what about links to other sites?
Our guides, page text and design belong to VINDecoder360; you may quote short passages with a link to the source page. Vehicle data from NHTSA is public U.S. government information. Links to other websites, such as NHTSA or manufacturer sites, are provided for convenience; we aren't responsible for their content or availability.
Liability, changes and contact
To the extent the law allows, we aren't liable for losses arising from use of the site or reliance on its information. TODO(legal): final liability wording. We may update these terms; the date at the top shows the latest version. Questions about these terms: support@vindecoder360.com.