The worst model year for each popular model, by owner complaints

We count the complaints each model year drew in its first three years (for a 2019 model, those filed by the end of 2021), so every year is measured over the same stretch. Comparing a model with its own other years also takes most of the difference in sales between models out of the picture. The multiple is the worst year's count divided by the model's median year. Model years after 2023 don't have three full years yet and are left out, as are launch and final years with very few sold. A model needs at least four ranked years and at least 25 complaints in a typical year to be listed, because smaller counts swing too much; 71 models qualify.

Reading the table

• A high multiple shows where owners reported trouble. It doesn't prove a defect: complaints are unverified reports, and a particular car from a bad year can be perfectly sound.
• Sales still matter within a model. A year that sold unusually well or badly will look higher or lower than its real rate.
• The model pages go deeper. Each model's best and worst years page ranks every year, and each year's recalls and problems page lists the problems owners describe and the areas NHTSA files complaints under.
• Look up the specific car too. Run any used car's VIN through NHTSA's lookup before you buy. Here's how.