Independent · Not affiliated with NHTSA or any automaker MethodologyData sourcesData refreshed Oct 6, 2026

Car guides

Plain-English guides to VINs, recalls, owner complaints, crash tests and fuel costs. Every figure links to the NHTSA, EPA or other official record it comes from.

Burned-out silver convertible sports car parked on cobblestones beside a hedge, its paint scorched and windshield gone
Safety & recallsCar Fire Statistics: How Many, What Causes Them and Which CarsAbout 196,000 highway vehicles catch fire in the US each year. NFPA’s national figures plus NHTSA data: fire complaints by model, fire-risk recalls, EVs vs gas cars and what to do.7 min readUpdated

Latest guides

Hundreds of new cars and station wagons in red, yellow, white and black parked in tight rows at a port terminal
Safety & recallsCar Recall Statistics: Recalls per Year, by Automaker and Biggest EverHow many cars are recalled each year, which automakers recall the most, what gets recalled, the biggest recalls on record, how many get fixed…6 min readUpdated
Front compartment of a Lexus RZ 450e electric SUV, hood open, showing orange high-voltage cables and the drive unit
Safety & recallsEV Recalls: What Goes Wrong in Electric Vehicles, From NHTSA DataEvery recall that covers only electric models, from NHTSA’s file: how many there are, which automakers file the most, the most common problems, battery…7 min readUpdated
Two sedans, one blue and one silver, backed into side-by-side spaces in a bright underground parking garage
Safety & recallsBackup Camera Recalls: Why There Are So Many, and What to DoRearview camera recalls have surged since cameras became mandatory in 2018. Why, the biggest and newest campaigns from NHTSA’s file, which automakers lag on…4 min readUpdated
Dark blue Jeep Wrangler Rubicon four-door SUV with off-road tires parked on a suburban driveway
Safety & recallsSUV Rollover Risk: Which Vehicles Roll Over Most and LeastNHTSA’s rollover ratings for every tested vehicle: which SUVs, pickups and cars have the lowest and highest rollover risk, how the numbers have changed…5 min readUpdated
A red pickup and a dark SUV driving through deep flood water on a city street in Houston after Hurricane Ike
Buying usedHow to Tell If a Car Has Flood Damage, and Check the VINHow to spot a flood-damaged car: the free VIN checks for flood and salvage records, the physical signs cleaners miss, what flood and rebuilt…6 min readUpdated
Blue SUV with its hood open on an autumn used-car lot, with a clipboard checklist and flashlight on the fender
Buying usedUsed Car Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before You BuyA step-by-step used car inspection checklist: the free record checks to run first, what to look at on the body, tires, engine and interior,…7 min readUpdated
Interior of a large auto service center with hydraulic lifts, a red pickup in a service bay and air hose reels overhead
Safety & recallsTSB vs Recall: What a Technical Service Bulletin Means for YouA recall is a free, mandatory safety fix; a TSB is repair guidance for a known problem. Who pays, how to look up TSBs…6 min readUpdated
Open hood of a white sedan at an auto show showing the turbocharged engine, coolant reservoir and battery
Car problemsMost Common Car Problems, According to 1.5 Million Owner ComplaintsWhat owners actually report to NHTSA: the most common car problems by system, how they’re changing as cars add driver-assist tech, and how they…5 min readUpdated
Firefighters in turnout gear spraying water on a burning car-shaped training prop at dusk during a fire-safety demonstration
Safety & recallsPark Outside Recalls: Every Vehicle With a Fire WarningPark Outside recalls mean a car can catch fire while parked and switched off. Every recent warning for cars and trucks, which ones are…5 min readUpdated

Reference guides and tools

Evergreen explainers built around our data: VIN basics, recalls, crash-test ratings and fuel costs.

Open driver's door of a silver SUV showing the door-jamb label beside the latch
VIN basicsWhere Is the VIN on a Car, Truck or SUV?The dashboard plate, the door-jamb label and your paperwork, the federal rules behind each, and a buyer’s VIN-match checklist.
Blank vehicle title form on a desk beside a key fob, reading glasses and a notebook
VIN basicsHow to Read a VIN, Character by CharacterThe four sections of a VIN, country codes, what the 8th and 10th digits mean, and a check-digit calculator.
Three unbadged cars from the 1980s, 2000s and today parked in a row on a quiet street
VIN basicsVIN Model Year Codes: 10th Digit ChartEvery year code from 1980 to 2039, the position-7 rule and model year vs. build date.
Compact SUV raised on a two-post lift in a bright service bay, with a parts tray beneath it
RecallsCar Recall Check by VIN: How Recalls WorkHow to check recalls by VIN, the 15-year free-repair rule, what to do with an open recall and 10 years of repair rates.
Buckled seat belt across an empty front passenger seat in soft daylight
SafetyCar Safety Ratings: NHTSA 5-Star Crash Tests ExplainedWhat the stars mean, how to compare fairly, star shares since 2011 and rollover risk by vehicle type.
Fuel nozzle in the filler of a dark grey hatchback at a modern gas station at dusk
FuelFuel Cost Calculator and GuideTrip and yearly fuel cost for your exact car at this week’s EIA regional gas prices.