Meta's feed rules
Where the feed goes
In Meta Commerce Manager, open your vehicle catalog and add a data feed as one of its data sources: upload the file once, or give Meta a URL to fetch it from on a schedule. Problems with the feed are listed there after each upload. Field names are Meta's own, such as vehicle_id and state_of_vehicle, and enum values match regardless of capitals.
Common errors and their fixes
Vehicles missing from the catalog
Cause: Meta ignores every vehicle that shares a vehicle_id with another, not just the second one. Two lots using the same stock numbers, or a vehicle listed twice, make both copies disappear.
Fix: Give each vehicle its own vehicle_id, such as its VIN or a stock number with a location prefix, and check the file for repeats before uploading. The duplicate rows guide shows how to find them.
Required fields are empty
Cause: Each vehicle needs vehicle_id, title, description, url, make, model, year, mileage.value, mileage.unit, at least one image, body_style, price, exterior_color and state_of_vehicle, plus the dealership's location.
Fix: Fill in every required field on every row. A vehicle with one missing is left out of your ads.
Price not accepted
Cause: price is written as the amount, a space, then the 3-letter currency code. $18,000, 18000 and 18000USD aren't read.
Fix: Write prices as 18000 USD, without symbols or commas. The currency symbols guide shows how to clean a column, then add the code with a formula such as =A2&" USD".
Wrong VIN length
Cause: A VIN has exactly 17 characters. Copying from a website or a DMS export can drop one, or add a space or an invisible character.
Fix: Trim spaces and check each VIN is 17 characters. Vehicles built before 1983 have shorter numbers: leave vin blank for those. See invisible characters for the ones you can't see.
Mileage or year rejected
Cause: mileage.value and year are whole numbers. 45,200, 45k and 45200 mi don't read as numbers.
Fix: Write mileage as 45200 with the unit in mileage.unit (MI or KM), 0 for new vehicles, and the year as four digits.
Body style, fuel type or drivetrain not recognised
Cause: These fields take Meta's own values: body_style one of CONVERTIBLE, COUPE, CROSSOVER, HATCHBACK, MINIVAN, SEDAN, SMALL_CAR, SUV, TRUCK, VAN, WAGON or OTHER; fuel_type GASOLINE, DIESEL, HYBRID, ELECTRIC, FLEX or OTHER; drivetrain FWD, RWD, AWD, 4X4, 4X2 or Other.
Fix: Map your own labels to Meta's, such as Pickup to TRUCK and 4WD to 4X4. Capitals don't matter.
Not shown on Marketplace
Cause: Marketplace adds its own rules: used vehicles need more than 500 miles, and every vehicle at least two images.
Fix: Add a second image column (image[1].url) and check the mileage of nearly new used vehicles.
Descriptions rejected
Cause: Descriptions can't include promotional text such as limited-time offers, links, or text written in capitals.
Fix: Describe the vehicle itself, its features and condition, in normal sentences, up to 5,000 characters.
Images don't load
Cause: Each image must be a public link, starting with http:// or https://, to a file of up to 4 MB. Links to a photo gallery page or a file behind a login don't work.
Fix: Use the direct link to each photo file, and check one in a private browser window.
Address errors
Cause: The dealership's address can be one address field or separate address.city, address.region, address.country and address.postal_code columns, but not both in one file. Latitude and longitude are needed too.
Fix: Use the separate columns, with the country written in full, and look up each dealership's coordinates once.
The file won't read at all
Cause: In a CSV, a value with a comma or a line break must be in double quotes, and a quote inside one is written twice. Descriptions break this most often.
Fix: Save from a spreadsheet as CSV rather than writing the file by hand. See commas in CSV files.
After importing
After each upload, Commerce Manager lists the feed's problems and the vehicles they affect. Fix those rows in the file and upload it again, or let the next scheduled fetch pick up the corrected file.
Vehicles that are sold should come out of the feed, or be marked not_available, so ads don't show them. A scheduled feed from a URL keeps that up to date without uploading by hand.
Checklist before you import
Collecting inventory from several lots?
Send each location a form instead of a spreadsheet. The Meta vehicle catalog template uses Meta's field names, flags repeated vehicle IDs and VINs that aren't 17 characters, and takes body styles and fuel types only from Meta's lists.
Try the vehicle catalog templateRelated Guides
Relevant Templates
Import Builder is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Meta Platforms. Facebook and Meta are trademarks of Meta Platforms, Inc. Feed rules as described in Meta's automotive inventory ads catalog reference, October 2026.