Zero complaints does not always mean an empty record
- Zero complaints; other records present155
- Zero in all three record counts22
Finding 01
A zero complaint count leaves plenty to check
In the 2026-09-03 snapshot, 177 of 2,742 mapped model-years have zero complaint reports. Of those, 155, or 87.6%, still have at least one recall-campaign or manufacturer-communication record. Only 22 are zero across all three counts.
That doesn't mean every car in the first group has a defect, or every car in the second group is trouble-free. Some manufacturer communications are service guidance, not warnings about widespread failures. A recall can also apply to only certain vehicles.
Before you move on from a zero, check recalls by VIN and read the service information for the car's engine and build date. You can download the records behind our finding if you'd like to check a model-year yourself.
Finding 02
New model years have had less time to accumulate reports
The latest model year here is 2026. It includes 238 mapped records, 65 of which show zero complaints. Counts describe the downloaded snapshot. Its date is not an incident cutoff, and the records do not cover each vehicle's full service life.
An older model has had more time to collect complaints. A popular model also has more owners who might file one. We don't have the vehicle numbers, mileage and time on the road needed to make those counts a fair comparison of failure rates.
So we don't turn complaints into a percentage chance that your car will break down, or a score telling you to buy a warranty. The available records can't support that kind of answer.
Finding 03
Use the reports to prepare for an inspection
425 model-year records have the same complaint count as another year of that model. Calling one of those years better than the other would be misleading. A comparison tells you even less when both counts are zero or there's only one year to look at.
Our vehicle pages flag tied counts and incomplete years, and leave out rankings that don't help. Where we compare counts, it's within the same model. A higher count alone doesn't tell you how serious the problems were or how many cars were affected.
Use these reports to decide what to ask a mechanic to inspect. Check whether any known issue belongs under a recall or an existing warranty first. Then compare the future repairs a new contract covers with its full price. A zero in the complaints column cannot answer that question.
Behind the numbers
How we worked it out
- Use every mapped model-year, including sparse rows that may be excluded from search indexing.
- Select complaint count = 0. Partition by whether recalls > 0 or communications > 0.
- A tie requires another year of the same model with the same complaint count.
- Downloads contain aggregate counts, not personal reports. The same campaign or communication can apply to several model-years.
What these figures can't tell you
- No sales, fleet-size, mileage or time-in-service denominator is available.
- Zero may reflect sparse reporting or source-matching gaps.
- Recall counts do not establish VIN applicability or completed repairs.
The download has 2,742 data rows plus a header, generated from the same inputs as this page. Dates and units are listed in the columns or sources below. A blank field means the information wasn't available.
CSV column definitions
makemodelmodel_yearcomplaint_reportsrecall_campaignsmanufacturer_communicationszero_complaints: 1 = yes; 0 = noother_records_present: 1 = yes; 0 = nocomplaint_count_tied_within_model: 1 = yes; 0 = nosource_snapshot_date
Configuration counts measure matched source rows, not unique trims or VINs. Issue counts measure sitemap routes, not independent failures.
Sources and corrections
- NHTSA bulk data and definitions · source or review date 2026-09-03
- Check an individual vehicle's recalls · source or review date 2026-09-04
First published 2026-09-04; wording updated September 5, 2026. The figures are unchanged. If you spot a problem, email me@autowarranty.autos with the page, data row and a source we can check.
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.