The Most-Reported Car Problem Isn't the Engine
Ask what breaks on a car and nobody says wiring. Across 1.3 million owner complaints, the electrical system is the single most-reported category.
A Five-Star Safety Rating Means Less Than You Think
Five stars is on every listing and every brochure. It means far less than it did ten years ago — and the numbers show exactly how much less.
Ford Has 4,845 Recalls. Here Is What That Actually Means.
Ford has more recalls than any brand in our data, and that gets used as proof it builds bad cars. One division changes what the number means.
Cars That Actually Reach 200,000 Miles, Ranked by Data
Everyone has an uncle whose Toyota hit 300,000 miles. Nobody counts the ones scrapped at 140,000. So I stopped asking people and asked the listings instead: what share of each brand actually turns up with 200,000 miles on the clock?
One Bad Part Haunts Certain Nissan Altima Years to Avoid
The Altima is a lot of car for the money, until one part turns it into a paperweight. Here are the exact years that part ruins, and the newer ones that fixed it.
America’s Favorite SUV Has Bad Years: Toyota RAV4 Years to Avoid
There are two problem RAV4s, and they break in totally different ways. I pulled the data so you know which era to dodge, and which ones I'd buy tomorrow.
Even the Bulletproof Honda Civic Has Years to Avoid
I've got one rule for buying a used Civic, and this is the data that proves it. Break the rule and you land on one of these years.
Not Every Toyota Camry Is Safe. Here Are the Years to Avoid
The Camry is basically a household appliance with wheels. But I dug into the complaint data and a few years genuinely surprised me. Here are the ones I'd skip.