Methodology

Complaints

A complaint is a report filed with NHTSA by a vehicle owner or other source. One complaint can list several problem areas; we count each complaint once per vehicle and once per problem area it mentions. Complaints about tyres, child seats and loose equipment are excluded. Model years before 1995 are not shown.

Problem areas and mileage

Problem areas are NHTSA's top-level component groups (for example “Engine and Engine Cooling”). The mileage figure is the median odometer reading reported in complaints for that problem area; reports without a mileage are left out.

Rankings

“Most complaints” rankings compare model years of the same model by raw complaint count. Counts are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold or how long they have been on the road, so they show where problems are reported, not which car is safest.

Recalls, investigations and ratings

Recalls are NHTSA safety recall campaigns that list the model year. Investigations are NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation cases. Crash ratings are NHTSA 5-Star overall ratings; when versions of a model year were rated differently we show the range.

Repair costs

We don't estimate repair prices ourselves. Many owners write what they paid or were quoted in their NHTSA complaint (for example “replacement required for $2,700”). We read those amounts only when the surrounding words are about a repair, and ignore purchase prices, crash damage, towing, insurance, diagnosis fees and amounts under $50 or over $15,000. To avoid crediting a bill to the wrong part, we only use complaints about a single problem area.

Older amounts are converted to today's dollars with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index (CPI-U). We show the median and the middle half of the reported costs, rounded, and only when at least 5 owners (one model year) or 8 owners (all years of a model) reported a cost. These are owners' figures, not quotes; real prices depend on the shop, region, parts and warranty coverage.

Which pages appear in search engines

Model-year pages are offered to search engines only when they have at least 10 owner complaints. Pages with less data stay available to visitors but are marked “noindex”.

Privacy of complaint excerpts

We show at most five short excerpts per vehicle. Names, VINs, locations, dealer details, phone numbers and email addresses are never published.

Updates and errors

Data is refreshed daily. NHTSA itself makes no guarantee about the accuracy of its records, and neither can we. If you find an error, please tell us.