About the data

Recalls come from NHTSA's recall database (Part 573 defect and noncompliance reports), including the defect summary, consequence, remedy, affected makes, models and model years, and the number of units the manufacturer estimates are affected.

Complaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and others since 1995. They are not verified by NHTSA and do not prove that a defect exists; counts are useful for spotting patterns. We group each complaint by the top-level component NHTSA assigns (for example “Power Train” or “Air Bags”). We do not publish personal details: no names, cities, VINs or dealer contacts.

Investigations are NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation cases (preliminary evaluations, engineering analyses, recall queries and defect petitions).

Make and model names follow NHTSA's spelling; the same model can occasionally appear under slightly different names. To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.