Is it a lemon? Check any car's problems before you buy.

Owner complaints, recalls and the model years to avoid for 1,581 cars, SUVs and trucks — straight from the U.S. government's safety database, updated October 20, 2026.

1,433,608owner complaints
7,613recalls
1,581models
11,408model years rated

Model years to avoid

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Latest recalls

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Most complaints this month

Complaints filed with NHTSA in the last 30 days.

  1. 2025 Honda Odyssey58 new complaints · mostly engine
  2. 2026 Tesla Model Y43 new complaints · mostly collision avoidance
  3. 2016 Ford Escape41 new complaints · mostly transmission
  4. 2015 Ford F-15029 new complaints · mostly transmission
  5. 2016 Ford F-15029 new complaints · mostly transmission
  6. 2020 Jeep Cherokee29 new complaints · mostly transmission
  7. 2023 Nissan Rogue29 new complaints · mostly engine
  8. 2026 Honda CR-V28 new complaints · mostly collision avoidance
  9. 2019 Jeep Cherokee28 new complaints · mostly transmission
  10. 2018 Ford Escape27 new complaints · mostly engine

Popular models

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Acura21 modelsAlfa Romeo3 modelsAudi51 modelsBMW117 modelsBuick19 modelsCadillac27 modelsChevrolet135 modelsChrysler22 modelsDodge37 modelsFiat5 modelsFord109 modelsGenesis7 modelsGMC61 modelsHonda24 modelsHyundai39 modelsInfiniti33 modelsJaguar16 modelsJeep20 modelsKia37 modelsLand Rover16 modelsLexus69 modelsLincoln20 modelsLucid2 modelsMaserati10 modelsMazda27 modelsMercedes-Benz216 modelsMini13 modelsMitsubishi25 modelsNissan34 modelsPolestar3 modelsPorsche58 modelsRam9 modelsRivian3 modelsSubaru19 modelsTesla5 modelsToyota55 modelsVinFast1 modelVolkswagen27 modelsVolvo56 models
Discontinued brands (15)
Daewoo3 modelsEagle3 modelsFisker1 modelGeo3 modelsHummer2 modelsIsuzu24 modelsMercury15 modelsOldsmobile11 modelsPlymouth6 modelsPontiac16 modelsSaab8 modelsSaturn18 modelsScion6 modelsSmart1 modelSuzuki13 models

Problems by system

How CarLemons works

Every year, car owners file tens of thousands of safety complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — stalling engines, slipping transmissions, airbags that don't deploy, brakes that fail. Automakers file recall reports, and NHTSA opens investigations when a pattern emerges. All of it is public, but scattered across government databases that are hard to search.

CarLemons collects that data for every car, SUV, pickup and minivan sold in the U.S. since 1995 and turns it into plain answers: which model years to avoid, which are the safest bets, what goes wrong and at what mileage, and which recalls apply. Each model year is compared with other years of the same model at the same age, so a car that has been on the road for ten years isn't judged against one that came out last spring. Read how we rate model years.

Buying used? Look up the exact model year, read what owners report, then run the car's VIN through our free VIN decoder and recall check to make sure open recalls have been fixed.