Know what you're buying.
Before you sign.
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. 867,426 owner complaints across 6,261 vehicles, refreshed weekly. Free. No signup. No paywall.
A fuel leak, especially near an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.
This week's notable NHTSA recalls — what's failing on each vehicle, the safety risk, and the fix.
A fuel leak can increase the risk of a fire if it reaches an ignition source.
A rearview camera image that does not display can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
A loss of vehicle steering control increases the risk of a crash.
Risk of an electrical fire; owners are urged to park outside and away from structures until repaired.
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.
The failures people actually search by — what they are, which vehicles, and the mileage they hit.
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.
Browse every engine family and transmission family we track.
Every model year ranked, with a straight buy-or-avoid call and the reason behind it.
Plain-English guides built on the same federal data — for before you buy, and for what to watch once you own it.
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 ->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…
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…
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…
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…
The image module system has completely failed and never worked in the Yukon. Then it would brake while still accelerating.
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…
Wheel detachment can cause a loss of vehicle control or create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
A loss of vehicle steering control increases the risk of a crash.
An instrument panel display that fails to show engine oil pressure, engine coolant temperature, or electrical charge increases the risk of a crash.
A ball joint that separates from the lower control arm can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Drop in your VIN, or pick year and make. We map straight to a single, definitive page for that exact vehicle.
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.
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.