VehDB Insights · NHTSA owner complaints
The Most Complained-About Vehicles of the 2011 Model Year
Every complaint owners filed with NHTSA against 2011 model-year vehicles, whenever it was filed, ranked by vehicle. Complaints are unverified owner reports, but they are the earliest public reliability signal and they precede recalls.
53,800
Owner complaints
filed with NHTSA, 2011 model year
762
Vehicles complained about
distinct make and model
2,259
Complaints citing a crash
1,081 citing a fire
2,037
People injured
78 deaths reported
| # | Vehicle | Complaints | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hyundai Sonata |
3,376
|
116 | 112 |
| 2 | Ford Fusion |
2,783
|
80 | 10 |
| 3 | Ford F-150 |
2,188
|
45 | 18 |
| 4 | Ford Edge |
1,801
|
23 | 4 |
| 5 | Jeep Grand Cherokee |
1,639
|
53 | 61 |
| 6 | KIA Sorento |
1,517
|
42 | 61 |
| 7 | Ford Escape |
1,316
|
38 | 7 |
| 8 | Ford Explorer |
1,196
|
30 | 4 |
| 9 | Chevrolet Malibu |
977
|
40 | 17 |
| 10 | Dodge Durango |
798
|
15 | 57 |
| 11 | Chevrolet Equinox |
782
|
30 | 3 |
| 12 | Chrysler Town And Country |
773
|
10 | 12 |
| 13 | Chevrolet Cruze |
731
|
38 | 20 |
| 14 | Ford Fiesta |
730
|
32 | 5 |
| 15 | Dodge Charger |
694
|
25 | 64 |
| 16 | Dodge Ram 1500 |
688
|
28 | 7 |
| 17 | Subaru Outback |
651
|
23 | 6 |
| 18 | Toyota Sienna |
612
|
34 | 7 |
| 19 | Chevrolet Traverse |
608
|
16 | 4 |
| 20 | Volkswagen Jetta |
606
|
27 | 9 |
| 21 | Toyota Camry |
598
|
106 | 7 |
| 22 | KIA Optima |
592
|
23 | 33 |
| 23 | Toyota Corolla |
584
|
44 | 2 |
| 24 | BMW 328I |
576
|
18 | 25 |
| 25 | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 |
563
|
22 | 4 |
Top 25 vehicles by complaint count. Source: NHTSA ODI complaint file, aggregated Sep 8, 2026.
What 2011 owners complained about
The ten components named most often across every 2011 model-year vehicle. A complaint naming several components counts once for each.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 9,299 | 173 | 399 |
| Electrical System | 9,090 | 170 | 496 |
| Air Bags | 8,109 | 1,033 | 39 |
| Steering | 7,576 | 244 | 25 |
| Power Train | 6,056 | 155 | 34 |
| Unknown Or Other | 4,724 | 122 | 109 |
| Service Brakes | 3,553 | 370 | 33 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 3,397 | 65 | 68 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2,821 | 382 | 14 |
| Structure:body | 2,289 | 196 | 73 |
Methodology
- Source: the official NHTSA ODI complaint file (US DOT, public domain), aggregated into VehDB weekly. Last refresh: Sep 8, 2026. Narratives and complainant details are never stored.
- A complaint is one report by one owner. It counts once in the vehicle totals, and once per component it names in the component table, so component figures over-count if summed.
- Only vehicle complaints with a known model year are included; tire, equipment and child-seat complaints are excluded.
- Counts are absolute, not normalised by sales: a best-selling model accumulates more complaints than a niche one at the same defect rate. A high count is not by itself a verdict on quality.
- Crash, fire, injury and death figures are what the owner reported on the complaint form, not verified outcomes.
Need complaint data per vehicle?
GET /v1/cars/{uuid}/complaints returns these statistics for any car in the catalogue, and the complaints_for_vehicle MCP tool gives them to AI agents.