How many owners complained about your car?

We count every complaint filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for 676 model years across 21 brands, normalize by vehicle age, measure trends, and rebuild every page once a month.

143,881 Complaints 3,409 Recalls 92 Models 21 Brands 35 Investigations · Open

Monthly report · 2026-09-02

Analyst brief

This index tracks 143,881 owner complaints and 3,409 safety recalls across 92 models from 21 brands for model years 2018 through 2025. Owners filed 34,772 complaints in the last 12 months versus 29,757 in the previous 12, showing a steady pace. The most common problem area fleet-wide is Engine, which accounts for 22.2% of complaints. Fastest-rising complaint volume is seen in the Toyota Sienna, Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5, while 35 NHTSA defect investigations affecting tracked models are currently open.

Summary drafted by an AI model running on our own server from the figures on this page, and checked number by number against the data before publishing. The statistics and the analysis above come from our fixed methodology, not from the model.

As of 2026-09-02, this index covers 143,881 owner complaints and 3,409 safety recalls across 92 models from 21 brands, model years 2018–2025. Owners filed 34,772 complaints in the last 12 months versus 29,757 in the previous 12 — a steady pace.

Fleet-wide, the most common problem area is Engine (22.2% of complaints). Fastest-rising complaint volume: Toyota Sienna, Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5. 35 NHTSA defect investigations affecting tracked models are currently open.

What's new › Rankings › Investigations ›

Fewest complaints per year on the road

Most complaints per year on the road

Improving

Worsening

Honda HR-V+1665.0%
Toyota Tundra+544.0%
Kia Sportage+509.0%
BMW X5+388.0%
Tesla Model S+325.0%
Mercedes-Benz GLE+294.0%

Complaints per year on the road. 1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road. How we count

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In depth

Long-form explainers written for owners and buyers, each with a data section that is refreshed from the latest NHTSA records every month.

Why modern engines burn oil, and what owner complaints revealThe design choices that make many recent engines consume oil, the warning signs owners describe, what counts as normal, and which tracked models draw the most engine complaints right now.
Transmission problems explained: shudder, harsh shifts, CVTs and what to test on a driveHow the main automatic transmission types fail, why some designs generate far more owner complaints than others, and a practical test-drive checklist built from what owners report.
Phantom braking and other driver-assist complaints: what goes wrong and which models draw the most reportsHow automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise and lane keeping produce false alarms, why some models generate far more reports, what NHTSA has investigated, and what to test before buying.
Stalling and loss of motive power: the complaint NHTSA takes most seriouslyWhy a stall at speed is treated as a crash risk, the fuel pump, engine, transmission and high-voltage causes owners report, what to do in the moment, and where the complaints concentrate now.
From complaint to recall: how an NHTSA defect investigation worksThe stages of a U.S. safety investigation, how long each takes, what the action numbers mean, how manufacturers respond, and which investigations are open right now on the models this site tracks.
Why the model year matters more than the badge: first-year problems and how to read year-by-year dataHow redesigns, mid-cycle fixes and supplier changes make one model year very different from the next, what first-year complaint patterns look like, and which tracked models show the largest gap between their best and worst years.
What electric-vehicle owners complain about, compared with gas carsThe complaint categories that dominate EV reports, how they differ from combustion vehicles, why the numbers are skewed by a few brands, and the live problem mix of the electric segment.

Guides

Practical guides for owners and used-car buyers.

Using complaint data when buying a used carA practical checklist: read the model trend, find the years to avoid, check problem areas and recall completion, and what to test on the drive.
How to check whether your car has an open recallStep-by-step: find your VIN, check NHTSA's recall lookup, understand park-outside and do-not-drive warnings, and get a free repair.
How to file a vehicle safety complaint with NHTSAWhat to include in an NHTSA complaint, how the ODI number works, and how complaint patterns turn into investigations and recalls.
Glossary: complaints, recalls and investigationsPlain-language definitions of ODI numbers, campaign numbers, park-outside warnings, PE and EA investigations, TSBs, the complaint index and other terms used on this site.
Frequently asked questionsAnswers about where the data comes from, how often it updates, why sales are not included, how to cite the site and how to use the data programmatically.