Research from the database

Original analysis of NHTSA owner complaint and recall data, focused on the patterns that matter when you're buying, selling, or maintaining a used vehicle.

May 10, 2026 · Mark Driver

7% of Vehicles, 39% of Complaints

The 28 engine and transmission platforms that define US vehicle reliability

When you actually count up the NHTSA owner complaints filed against the engines and transmissions everybody in the shop world already knows are problems, how big is that pile? We pulled the data and counted.

All research uses NHTSA public-record data. Methodology and source repository are linked from each piece.