FaultScore

Harley-Davidson Softail vs Chevrolet Express 1500

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure Harley-Davidson Softail Chevrolet Express 1500
Complaints on file 54 133
Model years covered 1995–2013 1996–2014
Worst model year 2004
Best model year 2000
Crashes reported 3 14
Fires reported 1 6
Injuries reported 3 14
Deaths reported 0 1
Most complained-about part Engine & Cooling Brakes
Share of complaints involving harm 13% 26.3%

Harley-Davidson Softail by year

95 96 97 98 00 01 02 03 04 05 07 08 10 11 12 13
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Engine & Cooling 13 24.1%
Fuel & Propulsion 7 13.0%
Transmission & Drivetrain 6 11.1%
Electrical System 4 7.4%
Wheels 4 7.4%
Brakes 3 5.6%
Suspension 3 5.6%
Equipment & Accessories 3 5.6%

Chevrolet Express 1500 by year

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Brakes 18 13.5%
Airbags 15 11.3%
Fuel & Propulsion 15 11.3%
Body & Structure 12 9.0%
Electrical System 11 8.3%
Engine & Cooling 9 6.8%
Tires 8 6.0%
Lights 6 4.5%