What is ProblemsByVin?

ProblemsByVin is a free reference site that aggregates vehicle defect data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and pairs it with editorial commentary from ASE-certified mechanics. We currently track 6,250 vehicles spanning 44 makes from model years 2005 through 2026 (owner-complaint data is most complete through 2025, as newer vehicles are still accumulating reports), with 4,971 recall campaigns and 859,326 owner complaints on file.

Where does the data come from?

All defect, recall, and complaint data on this site is sourced directly from the NHTSA public records API. Recalls are pulled from the recallsByVehicle endpoint and complaints are pulled from the complaintsByVehicle endpoint. Editorial commentary is written by independent contributors and reviewed by ASE-certified mechanics. We are not affiliated with any vehicle manufacturer.

Is ProblemsByVin free to use?

Yes. All vehicle lookups, recall searches, complaint browsing, and editorial content on this site are free. No signup, no paywall, no rate limits. Some links to extended warranty providers are affiliate links — if you buy a plan through one, we may earn a commission. This does not affect the price you pay or the data we present.

How do I check my specific vehicle?

Two ways: paste your 17-character VIN into the decoder at the top of any page, or pick your year, make, and model from the dropdown menus on the homepage. Both methods route to the same vehicle hub page, which shows recalls, owner complaints, reliability scores, and editorial commentary specific to your vehicle.

How often is the data updated?

The site syncs with the NHTSA database weekly via automated pulls. New recalls and complaints filed during the week appear on the site by the following Monday. The vehicle index is refreshed monthly to add new model-year vehicles as NHTSA assigns them VIN ranges.

ProblemsByVin Issue / 2026.09

ProblemsByVin

Know what you're buying.
Before you sign.

Vehicle Problems, Recalls & Complaints — by VIN or Year, Make & Model

Car problems and complaints for every used vehicle — what actually breaks, read straight from the federal record.

Every recall NHTSA has on file. Every owner complaint they've logged — grouped into the failure patterns that actually bite, with the mileage they tend to hit and what the fix costs. Paired with commentary from mechanics who've wrenched on these vehicles. 859,326 owner complaints across 6,250 vehicles, refreshed weekly. Free. No signup. No paywall.

6,250

Vehicles indexed

4,971

Recall campaigns

859,326

Owner complaints

Weekly

Refreshed

Where the complaints cluster — share by system

Electrical 16%Powertrain 15%Engine 14%Steering 13%Airbags 11%Brakes 7% Other 23%

Search car complaints by make, model & year 44 makes · 22 years · free

Look it up

Browse by year & make

Or use your VIN

Decode by VIN

Common car problems by make Top 16 of 44 makes

Browse all 44 makes →

Latest recall news & settlements All news →

Recall Sep 12

2023 Ford F-150 Recalled Over Fuel System

A detached tank can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, a fuel leak can cause an engine stall or increase the risk of a fire

By Mark Driver

Recall Sep 12

2026 Ford F-150 Recalled Over Power Train

Rear wheel lock-up can result in a loss of vehicle control. Driveshaft separation can result in a loss of drive power, or a vehicle rollaway if the vehicle

Recall Sep 12

2026 Ford F-150 Recalled Over Suspension

A misaligned stabilizer rod can cause a loss of vehicle handling and control, which can increase the risk of a crash.

Investigation Sep 9

NHTSA escalates probe of Tesla Full Self-Driving to engineering analysis after new crashes

Failure to detect impaired-visibility conditions or alert the driver in time can result in collisions.

Recall Sep 6

Recall Roundup: 1 New Vehicle Recall (September 6, 2026)

This week's notable NHTSA recalls — what's failing on each vehicle, the safety risk, and the fix.

Recall Sep 4

2025 Chrysler Pacifica Recalled Over Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

A loss of electronic stability control increases the risk of a crash.

I buy used trucks for a moving company in Garland, Texas, and I fix most of them myself. I started keeping notes on which ones were trouble; this site is those notes, scaled to every vehicle in the federal data. It reads the recall and owner-complaint record and gives you a straight answer — buy it, buy it with your eyes open, or walk — and when the data is too thin to call, it says so instead of guessing. We take no money from manufacturers. The only thing we're selling is the honest read.

— Mark Driver, founder · about ProblemsByVin

Trending vehicles most-discussed in the database

2010 Fusion

13 recalls · 5,125 complaints · reliability 1.0/5

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2012 Focus

8 recalls · 3,800 complaints · reliability 2.2/5

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2007 Camry

10 recalls · 3,614 complaints · reliability 1.9/5

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2011 Sonata

14 recalls · 3,376 complaints · reliability 1.7/5

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2010 Prius

10 recalls · 2,821 complaints · reliability 2.2/5

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2013 F-150

3 recalls · 2,796 complaints · reliability 2.8/5

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Browse all 6,250 vehicles →

Browse by problem type most common categories across the fleet

Electrical

115,339 complaints · 3215 vehicles

Powertrain

109,354 complaints · 2875 vehicles

Engine

101,342 complaints · 2752 vehicles

Steering

91,713 complaints · 2333 vehicles

Airbags

80,881 complaints · 2469 vehicles

Brakes

50,711 complaints · 2150 vehicles

Body

34,679 complaints · 1819 vehicles

Cruise Control

25,080 complaints · 1599 vehicles

Visibility

23,750 complaints · 1503 vehicles

Lighting

22,858 complaints · 1212 vehicles

Suspension

22,066 complaints · 1479 vehicles

Fuel System

19,465 complaints · 999 vehicles

Failures people search by deep-dive hubs

The failures people actually search by — what they are, which vehicles, and the mileage they hit.

CVT Transmission Failure

Shudder or judder on light-throttle acceleration, typically 30–50 mph

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Excessive Oil Consumption

Burning more than a quart of oil per 1,000 miles with no visible leak

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Timing Chain Stretch

Rattle on cold start-up, lasting one to a few seconds before quieting

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Head Gasket Failure

Coolant level dropping with no visible drip under the car

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Spark Plug Ejection (Ford Modular V8)

Sudden loud popping or backfire, often followed by exhaust escaping from under the hood

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Theta II Engine Failure (Hyundai / Kia)

Knocking or "marbles in a coffee can" sound from the lower end, especially on cold start

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Honda 1.5T Oil Dilution

Oil level on the dipstick rising between oil changes (instead of dropping)

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EcoBoost Internal Water Pump Failure

Coolant reservoir level slowly dropping with no visible leak under the truck

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GM Ignition Switch Defect

Engine cutting out unexpectedly while driving, sometimes with every dash gauge going dead at once

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Most-complained engines & transmissions the few platforms behind most of the misery

A small number of engine and transmission families cause an outsized share of the complaints. See the full study — or go straight to the worst offenders.

Hyundai/Kia Theta II 2.4L

Bearing failure, engine seizure

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GM 5.3L V8 (AFM)

Lifter failure, oil consumption

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Ford 1.6L EcoBoost

Coolant intrusion, fire risk

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Ford 6F35 automatic

Harsh, erratic shifting

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Ford DPS6 PowerShift

Clutch shudder — class action

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Subaru Lineartronic CVT

Juddering, CVT failure

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Browse every engine family and transmission family we track.

Which years should you avoid? best & worst model years

Every model year ranked, with a straight buy-or-avoid call and the reason behind it.

Ford Escape

22 model years · 25,138 complaints — see best & worst

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Ford Fusion

15 model years · 22,909 complaints — see best & worst

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Ford F-150

22 model years · 20,217 complaints — see best & worst

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Jeep Grand Cherokee

22 model years · 16,833 complaints — see best & worst

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Ford Explorer

22 model years · 16,649 complaints — see best & worst

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Chevrolet Silverado

22 model years · 15,253 complaints — see best & worst

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Ford Focus

14 model years · 14,427 complaints — see best & worst

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Hyundai Sonata

22 model years · 14,411 complaints — see best & worst

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Browse all 6,250 vehicles →

Start here — buyer & owner guides the questions people actually ask

Plain-English guides built on the same federal data — for before you buy, and for what to watch once you own it.

Worst model years to avoid

Every model ranked — best and worst years

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Most-complained-about problems

The failures that dominate the federal record

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Used-car reliability red flags

What to check before you buy

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When do cars break?

The mileage failures actually hit

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Known powertrain defects

Engine & transmission families to know

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CVT reliability

Which CVTs hold up — and which don't

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How to check recalls by VIN

Free, in under a minute

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Under investigation

Defects NHTSA is probing right now

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OBD-II code lookup

What the code your scanner threw means

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Should you buy an extended warranty?

Run the math on any vehicle in our database. We pull every documented failure pattern from NHTSA, scale repair costs by make-complexity, and run the numbers against typical service contract pricing. We say skip when the math says skip.

Try the calculator ->

What owners are reporting recent NHTSA-filed complaints · verbatim

2025 Chevrolet Equinox · visibility

You can't see clearly out the windshield while driving during the day or night due to dashboard reflection on the windshield. The defect is highly publicised on the internet and on Equinox EV forums. I was told it is an engineering defect…

12/31/2025

2025 Honda Odyssey · engine

When the Auto Idle Stop is engaged, I have now had 3 instances of the engine completely stalling when at a stop. Not only has the engine stalled, but I have difficulty getting the engine to restart. It has been very scary, as it has left…

12/31/2025

2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee L · other

I purchased my 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee, new, approximately one month ago on [XXX] at Victory CDJR in Merrillville, IN 46410. Since purchase, the vehicle has been returned to the dealership three times for the same issue, and I am now…

12/31/2025

2025 Jeep Wagoneer S · electrical

Main instrument cluster failed. There was no warning. Occasionally, the main screen would boot up slow. Currently at dealership where they diagnosed the screen to not be communicating. With the screen not working, it disabled the turn…

12/31/2025

2025 GMC Yukon XL · brakes

The image module system has completely failed and never worked in the Yukon. Then it would brake while still accelerating.

12/31/2025

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 · powertrain

I was driving on the freeway in the left lane when suddenly a bunch of error lights popped up on the dash and the car threw itself into neutral. When I tried to give the car acceleration it wouldn’t go which is when I realized the car was…

12/31/2025

Latest critical recalls most recent · all severities

severe NHTSA 26V560000 September 1, 2026

2026 RAM 1500 — Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Ram 1500 vehicles

A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

severe NHTSA 26V561000 September 1, 2026

2026 Chrysler Pacifica — Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Chrysler Voyager, Chrysler Pacifica, and 2026 Chrysler Voyager Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) vehicles

A loss of electronic stability control increases the risk of a crash.

severe NHTSA 26V558000 September 1, 2026

2026 Tesla Model Y — Tesla, Inc

A lateral link separation could shift the wheel alignment, causing a loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.

severe NHTSA 26V562000 September 1, 2026

2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee — Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee L, 2022-2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Jeep Grand Cherokee 4XE vehicles

Rear coil springs that detach from the vehicle while driving increase the risk of a crash.

All recent recalls →

How it works

Find your rig

Drop in your VIN, or pick year and make. We map straight to a single, definitive page for that exact vehicle.

See the verdict

Reliability score, severity counts, top trouble spots — at a glance. Drill into any problem area and we summarize the pattern across every complaint: what fails, around what mileage, and what owners report.

Act on it

Schedule the recall fix at any dealer (free), price out a repair, or compare against alternatives before you commit.

Most "best vehicles" lists are written by people who've never had to diagnose a broken shift fork at 2 a.m. We started this site so buyers could see what's actually breaking.

— Mark Driver, founder

All data sourced from the NHTSA recallsByVehicle and complaintsByVehicle public APIs. Updated weekly via automated sync. Editorial commentary written by ProblemsByVin contributors, reviewed by ASE-certified mechanics. We are not affiliated with any vehicle manufacturer. Some links on this site are affiliate links and we may earn a commission if you purchase through them.