What 2.1 million complaints actually show
40 pieces of analysis, each one built from the federal record rather than written about it. Every figure in every sentence comes from a query against the live database, and every one of them is rebuilt when the data is.
Which means nothing here goes stale, and nothing here was invented.
Rankings
The 25 Worst Model Years in the Federal Complaint Record
Every one of these drew far more complaints than the other years of its own model — and a higher share of them involved a crash, a fire or an injury.
3 min read · 191 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
The Most Complained-About Cars in America
Which models have collected the most complaints since 1995 — and why that is not the same as which models are worst.
3 min read · 166 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
The Cleanest Model Years on Record
The graded years that drew fewer complaints than the rest of their own model, with fewer of them involving harm.
2 min read · 163 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Brands Own the Most F-Graded Model Years
F grades counted by make — and set against how many model years each brand has on the site, because a big range collects more of everything.
2 min read · 82 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Safety and harm
Which Cars Catch Fire Most Often
Every complaint where the owner reported a fire, counted by model year.
3 min read · 228 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
The Cars With the Most Crash-Involved Complaints
Complaints where the failure the owner described ended in a crash.
3 min read · 217 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
The Cars With the Most Complaints Reporting an Injury
Where owners told the federal government somebody was hurt.
3 min read · 213 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Every Car With a Complaint That Reported a Death
The smallest and gravest slice of the record: 0.17% of all complaints.
3 min read · 213 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Car Parts Hurt People Most Often
Not which part is complained about most — which part's failures are most likely to involve harm.
2 min read · 108 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
The Cars That Break Inside the Warranty
Failures reported under 36,000 miles, where a part wearing out is not an explanation.
2 min read · 180 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
What breaks
Which Cars Have the Most Transmission Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 254 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Cars Have the Most Engine Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 242 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Cars Have the Most Electrical Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 244 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Cars Have the Most Brake Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 249 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Cars Have the Most Airbag Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 246 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Cars Have the Most Steering Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 250 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Cars Have the Most Suspension Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 244 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Cars Have the Most Fuel System Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 242 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Cars Have the Most Acceleration and Cruise Control Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 250 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Cars Have the Most Headlight and Lighting Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 246 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Cars Have the Most Door, Latch and Lock Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 239 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Cars Have the Most Driver-Assist and Collision-Avoidance Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 256 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Cars Have the Most Stability and Traction Control Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 244 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Cars Have the Most Window, Mirror and Wiper Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 247 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Cars Have the Most Seat Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 244 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Cars Have the Most Wheel Problems
Every complaint filed about this part since 1995, by model, by model year, and by the mileage it failed at.
4 min read · 252 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Buying used
Used Cars to Avoid, According to the Federal Record
Not an opinion piece. The model years that drew the most complaints relative to the rest of their own model, with what went wrong on each.
4 min read · 138 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
The Best Year to Buy of Each Popular Used Car
For the twenty-five most complained-about models: which year of the run has the cleanest record, and which has the worst.
2 min read · 160 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
What to Check Before You Buy, Based on What Actually Fails
The parts that break most often across the whole record, and the mileage each tends to break at.
2 min read · 55 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
At What Mileage Cars Actually Break
Half of all complaints carry an odometer reading. This is what they say about when each part gives out.
2 min read · 71 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Recalls and investigations
The Cars NHTSA Told Owners to Stop Driving
The agency marks a handful of recalls "do not drive" or "park outside". These are the most urgent warnings in the entire federal file.
9 min read · 349 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Every Car NHTSA Is Investigating Right Now
An open investigation is the earliest public signal that a regulator thinks something is wrong — and that nobody has fixed it yet.
5 min read · 127 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Car Recalls in Canada: What the Record Shows
Transport Canada runs its own recall programme with its own campaign numbers and its own unit counts. Almost nobody publishes it.
2 min read · 61 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
The Most Recalled Cars in America
Counted by campaigns, model by model.
2 min read · 58 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
How Canadian and American Recalls Differ
The same defect, two regulators, two sets of numbers — and cars recalled on one side of the border that were not on the other.
2 min read · 116 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Parts Get Recalled Most
A recall is the point where a manufacturer agrees a defect is dangerous enough to fix for free. This is what they agree about.
2 min read · 32 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Trends and geography
What Thirty Years of Complaints Show
The shape of the whole file: when people complain, about what, and how that has changed since 1995.
2 min read · 93 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which Model Years Drew the Most Complaints
Every model year from 1993 on, with how many complaints its cars collected and how many were graded F.
2 min read · 250 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
Which States File the Most Car Complaints
Where the complaints come from — and why the answer is mostly about population, except where it is not.
2 min read · 54 figures · updated 3 weeks ago
What NHTSA Crash Tests Show
The agency crash-tests cars itself and publishes the photographs. Here is what it has rated, and how the ratings changed in 2011.
2 min read · 101 figures · updated 3 weeks ago