VehDB Insights · NHTSA owner complaints
The Most Complained-About Vehicles of the 2016 Model Year
Every complaint owners filed with NHTSA against 2016 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.
51,608
Owner complaints
filed with NHTSA, 2016 model year
818
Vehicles complained about
distinct make and model
2,278
Complaints citing a crash
778 citing a fire
2,003
People injured
140 deaths reported
| # | Vehicle | Complaints | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford Explorer |
2,444
|
38 | 14 |
| 2 | Ford F-150 |
2,033
|
56 | 25 |
| 3 | Honda Pilot |
1,691
|
23 | 9 |
| 4 | Hyundai Tucson |
1,616
|
14 | 24 |
| 5 | Ford Fusion |
1,613
|
58 | 6 |
| 6 | RAM 1500 |
1,531
|
90 | 35 |
| 7 | Jeep Cherokee |
1,406
|
37 | 14 |
| 8 | KIA Sorento |
1,246
|
29 | 49 |
| 9 | Ford Focus |
1,180
|
27 | 2 |
| 10 | Ford Escape |
1,104
|
36 | 10 |
| 11 | Honda Civic |
1,078
|
36 | 4 |
| 12 | Dodge Grand Caravan |
999
|
14 | 7 |
| 13 | Ford Edge |
897
|
17 | 3 |
| 14 | Chevrolet Malibu |
836
|
22 | 2 |
| 15 | KIA Soul |
803
|
28 | 34 |
| 16 | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 |
793
|
41 | 10 |
| 17 | KIA Optima |
754
|
27 | 19 |
| 18 | Hyundai Sonata |
722
|
19 | 28 |
| 19 | Chevrolet Colorado |
699
|
14 | 1 |
| 20 | Tesla Model S |
645
|
92 | 12 |
| 21 | Subaru Outback |
643
|
22 | 3 |
| 22 | Honda Accord |
599
|
32 | 5 |
| 23 | Nissan Altima |
552
|
28 | 3 |
| 24 | Nissan Rogue |
539
|
35 | 3 |
| 25 | Chrysler Town And Country |
522
|
12 | 1 |
Top 25 vehicles by complaint count. Source: NHTSA ODI complaint file, aggregated Sep 8, 2026.
What 2016 owners complained about
The ten components named most often across every 2016 model-year vehicle. A complaint naming several components counts once for each.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 12,127 | 182 | 369 |
| Power Train | 8,775 | 259 | 47 |
| Electrical System | 7,967 | 191 | 290 |
| Unknown Or Other | 7,821 | 256 | 182 |
| Steering | 4,625 | 208 | 11 |
| Service Brakes | 3,847 | 469 | 34 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 3,047 | 73 | 82 |
| Air Bags | 2,962 | 841 | 20 |
| Structure:body | 2,625 | 191 | 59 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2,349 | 302 | 9 |
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.