Sources & attribution
Every figure on this site comes from three official U.S. government datasets published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). All three are works of the same agency; as works of the U.S. federal government they are in the public domain, and we use and attribute them per NHTSA's terms.
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) consumer complaints
Consumer-submitted complaints received since 1 January 1995 (the ODI flat file). NHTSA datasets & APIs.
NHTSA safety recall campaigns
Official manufacturer safety recall campaigns. nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) investigations
Formal NHTSA safety investigations (the FLAT_INV flat file), each with an open date and, once resolved, a close date and any resulting recall campaign. We use these to show whether a reported problem is under an open probe or has been examined and closed. NHTSA datasets & APIs. A closed investigation is not a defect finding: NHTSA may close a probe by opening a recall, without finding a defect, or by superseding it with another action. We label an investigation only as open or closed, and note the resulting recall campaign when the data records one.
What the data does and doesn't mean
NHTSA does not verify individual complaints; a complaint is not proof that a defect exists, and counts reflect what owners chose to report, not confirmed failure rates. Recalls are official safety campaigns and repairs are free at authorized dealers — the authoritative check for your exact vehicle is your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
CarModelProblems.com is an independent site and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. NHTSA does not endorse this site. Last reviewed: 2026-07-10.
