Original data studies built from public government records. We download the raw files, count them ourselves, and show our method. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite or republish any table with a link to the source page.

Key findings

  • Ford F-150 drew the most NHTSA owner complaints of any 2015–2025 vehicle (11,842), led by transmission / powertrain problems.
  • Across all vehicles, the top three problem areas among 374,444 complaints are engine (81,031, 21.6%), electrical system (69,468, 18.6%), transmission / powertrain (59,542, 15.9%).
  • Phantom braking is rising: collision-avoidance complaints went from 0.8% of the 52,560 complaints on 2015 models to 15.0% of the 10,233 on 2025 models. The Tesla Model Y leads.
  • Repair prices are up 70% since 2016, against 41% for overall inflation (BLS).
  • Mechanic pay varies by 66% between Oklahoma City and San Jose.

How we build these studies

Every number comes from a raw government file we download ourselves: NHTSA's full consumer complaint database (not the partial public API) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics price and wage series. We publish the counting rules and the limits on each page, including what the data can't tell you. The data is refreshed when the agencies publish new releases. Questions or corrections: see About.

Vehicles in the Car Problem Index