Glossary: complaints, recalls and investigations
Plain-language definitions of ODI numbers, campaign numbers, park-outside warnings, PE and EA investigations, TSBs, the complaint index and other terms used…
- Complaint
- A report filed with NHTSA by a vehicle owner or occupant describing a safety-related problem. Unverified; a record of what the owner experienced, not a finding of defect.
- ODI number
- The identifier NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation assigns to each complaint. Shown next to every excerpt on this site.
- Component
- The system NHTSA tags a complaint with (for example "POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION"). We map components to twelve plain-language groups.
- Recall
- A formal safety campaign in which a manufacturer notifies owners of a defect or non-compliance and repairs it free of charge.
- Campaign number
- The recall identifier, such as 24V077000: two digits for the year, a letter for the type (V for vehicle) and a sequence number.
- Remedy
- The repair the manufacturer will perform under a recall. Always free at franchised dealers.
- Park outside / do not drive
- Warnings attached to recalls with fire risk (park outside, away from structures) or crash risk (do not drive until repaired).
- Over-the-air (OTA)
- A recall remedy delivered as a software update without a dealer visit.
- Investigation
- NHTSA's own inquiry into a possible defect. Types: PE (preliminary evaluation), EA (engineering analysis, the deeper stage), RQ (recall query, checking whether an existing recall is adequate), AQ (audit query) and DP (defect petition from the public).
- Technical service bulletin (TSB)
- A manufacturer's repair guidance to dealers. Not a recall; repairs are not necessarily free.
- Model year
- The year the manufacturer assigns to a vehicle design, usually beginning in the autumn of the previous calendar year.
- Complaints per year on the road
- Complaints divided by the years since January 1 of the model year (minimum one). Our main comparison figure.
- Complaint index
- Complaints per year divided by the average of a comparison group. 1.00 equals the group average.
- Early-life complaints
- Complaints filed within 24 months of the model year's start, used to compare model years fairly and to measure trend.
- Severe report
- A complaint in which the owner reported a crash or a fire.
- Segment
- A group of similar vehicles (compact SUVs, full-size pickups, electric vehicles) used for peer comparisons.