About Auto Problems

Auto Problems shows what actually goes wrong with used cars, model year by model year, from the complaints owners file with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). So far we've researched 1,376 complaints across 10 model years.

How we make these pages

1. 1CollectWe start from NHTSA's public owner-complaint file (data through Oct 4, 2026), plus its recall and 5-Star Safety Rating data. Each page covers one model year.
2. 2Classify every complaintEvery complaint owners filed for the model year is classified, not a sample: the problems the owner describes, how severe they are, symptoms, repairs and any cost mentioned. Quotes are copied word for word and checked against the original text.
3. 3CountThe classifications are tallied into the numbers on the page: how many complaints describe each problem, typical mileage, owner-reported costs and how often repairs worked.
4. 4Write, check and editThe findings are condensed into short summaries written from those numbers only. An automatic check rejects any number in the text that isn’t in the data, and an editor reviews each page before it’s published.

What the verdicts mean

Each verdict is judged from that model year's own complaints. We don't rank vehicles against each other: raw complaint counts favor models that sell fewer cars, and we can't adjust for sales yet.

• Serious known problemsOne serious problem (transmission, engine or stalling, steering, brakes, airbags, fire, fuel leaks) is in a quarter or more of the complaints; or a smaller but clear cluster comes with an unusual share of crash, fire, injury or loss-of-power reports, or with early failures; or an urgent recall or NHTSA investigation matches a top complaint.
• Some known problemsOne of those warning signs on its own: a smaller serious cluster, an unusual share of safety reports, early failures, or a do-not-drive or park-outside recall.
• No pattern of serious problemsNone of those signs. This doesn’t mean the vehicle is trouble-free.
• Too few complaints to judgeFewer than 50 complaints on file.

What to keep in mind

• Complaints are reports from owners. NHTSA doesn't verify each one, and most problems are never reported.
• Counts aren't adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.
• Repair costs appear only when at least 10 owners report one, and fix rates only when at least 10 complaints say whether a repair worked; otherwise we show no number.
• We're not affiliated with NHTSA or any automaker. Nothing here is mechanical, legal or safety advice: check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Data sources

• NHTSA complaints data
• NHTSA recalls
• NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
• NHTSA vPIC (VIN decoding)

Who we are

Adrian V. LockhartAutomotive investigative writer. Adrian V. Lockhart is an automotive investigative writer covering defects, recalls, dealer service issues and reliability trends.

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