Configuration matching across the site catalogue
- EPA configuration matched2,608
- No EPA configuration match134
Finding 01
A familiar model name can hide different hardware
Our EPA layer matches 2,608 of 2,742 model-years, or 95.1%. The other 134 are explicit gaps. We do not fill them by quietly borrowing an engine or drivetrain from a neighboring year.
2,336 matched model-years contain multiple EPA configurations, and 745 include more than one fuel category. Those are overlapping groups, not counts to add together. A model-year can include gasoline and hybrid versions, or front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions.
Showing the most expensive component from every version at once can overstate the hardware on a reader's car. Our repair scenarios use configuration rules, while asking the reader to confirm the actual engine and drivetrain before interpreting the costs.
Finding 02
A match means possible applicability, not a VIN decode
Stored EPA summaries combine attributes within a model-year. An available turbocharger means at least one matched configuration has it, not that every trim does. The summary also does not establish that every listed fuel and drivetrain combination was sold together.
When an EPA match is missing, the calculator labels a broader model-family fallback and withholds equipment-specific scenarios requiring unconfirmed features. This is intentionally incomplete. An honest gap is more useful than a confident bill for equipment that may not exist.
Hydrogen vehicles expose another boundary: the repair library has no dedicated fuel-cell-stack or hydrogen-system cost layer. Removing combustion repairs does not make the remaining list comprehensive. A buyer needs a specialist estimate and explicit contract terms for those systems.
Finding 03
External links have their own coverage limits
FixCatalogue's public sitemap has a normalized model-path match for 226 of our 323 models. 1,713 model-years have an indexed issue-file path. This measures discoverable links, not the share of problems that has been documented.
A missing path can be a naming mismatch, an indexing difference or a page absent from the retrieved sitemap. It is not evidence of a reliable car. Many links can also reflect one campaign applying to several years rather than independent failures.
Keep each layer in its proper role. NHTSA supplies public records, EPA identifies possible configurations, repair benchmarks supply cost inputs and FixCatalogue contributes research leads. The useful analysis is in the joins and their limits, not in treating four imperfect sources as a complete vehicle history.
Reproduce the result
Method, sample and exclusions
- Join EPA by exact mapped make/model/year keys. Separate unmatched years from matched years with multiple configurations.
- Use the existing normalized model-path matcher for FixCatalogue and count files within an exact indexed year.
- Fuel and configuration counts overlap. Preserve one CSV row per site model-year so each group can be recomputed.
- Audit the packaged snapshots. Live source coverage can change; new imports require review.
What this does not establish
- EPA summaries are not exact VIN records or a determination of contract eligibility.
- Link counts do not measure prevalence, severity or unique campaigns across years.
- The FixCatalogue layer in this audit is its sitemap, not its complete database.
The download has 2,742 data rows plus a header, generated from the same inputs as this page. Dates and units appear in the column names or source ledger. Blank fields mean unavailable.
CSV column definitions
makemodelmodel_yearepa_matched: 1 = yes; 0 = noepa_configurationsfuel_categoriesdrive_categoriesfixcatalogue_model_matched: 1 = yes; 0 = noindexed_issue_routesepa_snapshotindex_snapshot
Configuration counts measure matched source rows, not unique trims or VINs. Issue counts measure sitemap routes, not independent failures.
Sources and correction record
- EPA configuration download · source or review date 2026-08-07
- FixCatalogue public sitemap · source or review date 2026-09-03
- NHTSA bulk data and definitions · source or review date 2026-09-03
Version 1, published 2026-09-04. No corrections recorded. To challenge a figure, email me@autowarranty.autos with the row, page and supporting source.
Our calculations and explanatory charts may be cited with a link to this report. Underlying data retains its source terms. Download availability is not a grant of third-party content rights.