Car problems 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.
Car problemsCars With Transmission Problems: What 200,000 Owner Complaints ShowWhich cars and model years draw the most transmission complaints to NHTSA, from the Ford Focus PowerShift to the Jeep Cherokee 9-speed, how transmission recalls differ from wear problems, and what to check before buying.
Latest guides
Car problemsPhantom Braking: Why Cars Brake for No Reason, and Which Models Draw ComplaintsWhy automatic emergency braking sometimes brakes for nothing, which models draw the most owner complaints to NHTSA, the Tesla and Honda investigations, recalls, the…
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…