Guides
Recalls, complaints and car problems, explained
Short, sourced guides to recall notices and NHTSA complaints, plus buying a used car without inheriting its model's worst year. The numbers in them come from the same NHTSA files as the rest of the site. They change when those files do.
Recalls
How to check for open recalls by VIN
A VIN search tells you whether one specific car still needs a recall repair. Where to find the number, and the recalls a clean result can miss.
Recall, TSB or warranty extension: what's the difference?
A recall is a safety fix the law makes free. A service bulletin is a repair note to dealers with no free repair promised, and a warranty extension covers one known problem on its own terms.
When the recall fix isn't available yet
Your VIN shows an open recall, but the dealer has no parts. Why the fix lags the recall, and what the manufacturer owes you if the wait drags on.
Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls
Most recalls let you keep driving until the repair. A few tell owners to stop driving or to park away from buildings, and this covers which cars on this site carry one and what manufacturers offer while you wait.
Recall reimbursement: getting paid back for a repair you already made
If you paid to fix something that later became a safety recall, federal rules require the manufacturer to have a plan to pay you back. A regulation sets the window, and it limits what the plan can refuse.
Complaints and investigations
How to file a complaint with NHTSA, and what happens after
Anyone can file a vehicle safety complaint with NHTSA, online or by phone. What to have ready before you start, and what the agency does (and doesn't do) with your report.
What the NHTSA investigation stages mean
NHTSA's investigation codes, from a defect petition to an engineering analysis. How long each stage is meant to take, how long it really has, and whether NHTSA can force a recall.
Buying and owning
How to research a used car's problem history before you buy
A history report covers one car's past. Owner complaints and recalls show what tends to go wrong with the model and at what mileage, and you want both before you pay.
Dashboard warning lights: which ones mean stop now
Color tells you most of it. The carmakers' own guides on which lights mean stop now, and why a flashing check engine light is more urgent than a steady one.
What car years-to-avoid lists get wrong
Most years-to-avoid lists rank model years by raw complaint totals, which makes old years look worse and new ones look clean. How to read complaint data without being fooled by it.
How to describe a car problem to a mechanic
A fault that won't show up in the shop is the hardest kind to fix. Write down when it happens and what you notice, then ask for the paperwork that protects you later.
Hybrid and EV battery complaints, explained
A hybrid warning on the dash can point at the high-voltage system or just the 12-volt battery. What owners report to NHTSA, which vehicles draw the most reports, and how battery warranties work.