Data sources

• Recalls, owner complaints and 5-star crash ratings: public records published by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. We refresh them monthly.
• VIN decoding: the federal vehicle product information catalog.
• U.S. sales by model and year: carmaker sales reports, used to turn complaint counts into a rate per 100,000 cars sold.
• Repair costs: our own typical ranges built from common parts prices and standard labor hours at U.S. shop rates.

To check whether a specific car has an open recall, enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. It is free.