Do drivetrain problems track share of state roads salted in winter across states?
Across U.S. states, NHTSA owner complaints about drivetrain problems run higher where share of state roads salted in winter is higher, after adjusting for the makes sold in each state. This is an association across states, not proof that share of state roads salted in winter causes this repair. Too few complaints name this repair alone, so the share of state roads salted in winter pattern is measured across all 30,824 complaints about the drivetrain, which this repair belongs to.
State reports of drivetrain problems against share of state roads salted in winter, one dot per stateEach dot is a state: how much more (or less) than expected this repair is reported there, adjusted for the makes sold in the state, against its share of state roads salted in winter (USGS salt-use tier)
How to read it: Each dot is a state. Further right means more share of state roads salted in winter (usgs salt-use tier); higher up means more complaints for this repair than expected (1.0 is average). If the dots climb to the right, reports of this repair rise with share of state roads salted in winter (usgs salt-use tier).
What it shows: States with more share of state roads salted in winter (usgs salt-use tier) tend to sit higher on the chart across 49 states: a pattern in the data, not proof of cause.
Data: USGS Estimates of Road Salt Application across the Conterminous United States, 1992-2019 (state tiers), joined to NHTSA owner complaints, downloaded 2026-10-06 · 49 states. Chart: CalcScrape · calcscrape.com
The 10 states with the most share of state roads salted in winter (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois): reports of drivetrain problems run 6% above what the makes sold there would predict, and 9 of 10 are above expected. The 10 with the least (Washington, Oregon, California, New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi): 9% below, and 0 of 10 are above expected.
Exceptions: New York is among the highest in share of state roads salted in winter but reports below expected.
Split the states into thirds: the third with the least share of state roads salted in winter runs 6% below what the makes sold there would predict, the middle third 8% above, and the third with the most 5% above. Most of the share of state roads salted in winter effect sits between the lowest and the middle third.
For share of state roads salted in winter, after allowing for the 1562 comparisons we ran, luck alone would produce a pattern this strong about 1 time in 990. Take out any single state and the share of state roads salted in winter pattern still holds.
Weak spot: compare only states with similar days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station and the pattern keeps about 72% of its strength, so part of it may come from days per year with a high of 100F or more, median station instead of share of state roads salted in winter.
For share of state roads salted in winter, of the 5 exception states, 3 read the same way for the other parts of the drivetrain (so that is the system there, not this repair) and 2 are specific to this repair.
Road salt and slush corrode exposed metal and seize moving parts, and freezing weather stiffens rubber, so repairs to exposed parts can follow harsh winters.