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Reliability: owner complaints to NHTSA

Every complaint that US owners have filed with NHTSA since the 1990s. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect: the most popular models get the most complaints.

Analytics sectionsReliability

Owners complain most about “Engine and cooling”: 13% of all complaints. Most complaints with a fire: Ford F-150 (2,308).

Complaints2,264,318
With a crash141,289
With a fire57,104
Deaths reported8,595
What fails: complaints by system
  1. Engine and cooling 293,936 14%
  2. Electrical system 251,861 12%
  3. Transmission and drivetrain 220,917 11%
  4. Brakes 199,390 10%
  5. Airbags 157,169 8%
  6. Steering 145,305 7%
  7. Fuel and propulsion 129,553 6%
  8. Wheels and tires 106,352 5%
  9. Body and structure 105,013 5%
  10. Suspension 90,475 4%
  11. Speed control 85,725 4%
  12. Visibility, wipers, sunroof 77,828 4%
  13. Seats and seat belts 68,564 3%
  14. Exterior lighting 63,348 3%
  15. Driver assistance (AEB, lane assist) 46,550 2%
  16. Stability control (ESC) 21,627 1%
  17. Doors, latches and locks 20,794 <1%
Complaints by make
  1. Ford 387,010 22%
  2. Chevrolet 254,059 15%
  3. Dodge 154,983 9%
  4. Toyota 141,271 8%
  5. Honda 128,037 7%
  6. Jeep 125,899 7%
  7. Nissan 98,137 6%
  8. Hyundai 79,043 5%
  9. Chrysler 67,764 4%
  10. GMC 65,708 4%
  11. KIA 63,139 4%
  12. Volkswagen 50,313 3%
  13. BMW 41,465 2%
  14. Pontiac 39,153 2%
  15. Subaru 35,324 2%
Complaints by model
  1. Ford F-150 48,468 11%
  2. Ford Explorer 43,783 10%
  3. Jeep Grand Cherokee 40,356 9%
  4. Ford Escape 36,798 8%
  5. Honda Accord 32,498 7%
  6. Ford Focus 29,896 7%
  7. Chevrolet Malibu 29,562 7%
  8. Ford Fusion 28,929 6%
  9. Ford Taurus 24,077 5%
  10. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 24,076 5%
  11. Toyota Camry 23,529 5%
  12. Jeep Wrangler 23,478 5%
  13. Hyundai Sonata 22,416 5%
  14. Honda CR-V 21,662 5%
  15. Jeep Cherokee 21,290 5%
Most complaints with a fire
  1. Ford F-150 2,308
  2. Pontiac Grand Prix 1,015
  3. Ford Explorer 988
  4. Hyundai Sonata 855
  5. Jeep Grand Cherokee 851
  6. Ford Expedition 848
  7. Ford Escape 762
  8. Jeep Wrangler 750
  9. Ford Taurus 688
  10. Kia Sorento 666
  11. Kia Optima 655
  12. Ford Escort 612
  13. Toyota Camry 562
  14. Ford Windstar 562
  15. Ford Aerostar 516
Most deaths reported in complaints
  1. Tesla Model Y 318
  2. Ford Explorer 296
  3. Honda Civic 195
  4. Ford Bronco 135
  5. Dodge Durango 123
  6. Mazda 626 111
  7. Honda Pilot 108
  8. Toyota Camry 100
  9. Honda Ridgeline 100
  10. Lexus CT 99
  11. Bentley Arnage 99
  12. Ford Focus 88
  13. Jeep Grand Cherokee 85
  14. Ford F-150 84
  15. Chevrolet Cobalt 81
Complaints by model year
1990
1995
2000
2005
96,485
2010
2015
2020
2025
2027
Complaints by year of the failure
1995
2000
2005
2010
106,593
2015
2020
2025
2026

Source: NHTSA, Office of Defects Investigation: complaints database (FLAT_CMPL). · Updated: Nov 10, 2026

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