How we rate model years
Every verdict on UsedScore comes from one public source: complaints owners file with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). We compare each model year with the other years of the same model, over the same amount of time on the road, with serious complaints counting more. Data as of September 24, 2026.
1. Same time on the road for every year
Older cars pile up complaints just by being older. So for each model year we count only complaints NHTSA received within 60 months of the model year's start (October 1 of the year before; the 2017 model year starts October 1, 2016). Years with less than 60 months on the road are marked Too new to judge. Once they've had 6 months, we show a partial comparison: their complaints so far against what the rated years drew over the same number of months.
2. Serious complaints count more
Each complaint gets a weight:
weight = component factor × (1 + 2 if a crash + 2 if a fire + 3 if anyone was injured + 5 if anyone died)
| Component | Factor |
|---|---|
| Engine, powertrain (transmission and drivetrain), fuel and propulsion, brakes (including stability and traction control), steering, air bags | 1.5 |
| Electrical | 1.2 |
| Everything else | 1.0 |
A complaint that names several components uses the highest factor among them. These are starting defaults; changes are logged below.
3. Adjusted for how many were sold
A model year that sold twice as many cars will draw about twice as many complaints without being any worse. So we divide each year's weighted complaints by its estimated U.S. sales, giving weighted complaints per 100,000 sold. Automakers publish sales by calendar year, and a model year goes on sale the fall before, so we estimate a model year's sales as a quarter of the previous calendar year's plus three quarters of its own. The newest years use the latest full year's sales until the automaker publishes more. Sales come from each automaker's own sales reports; see About the data.
4. Compared with the model's typical year
A year's complaint index is its weighted complaints per 100,000 sold divided by the median of the model's rated years. An index of 1.0 is a typical year for that model; 2.0 is twice the complaint rate. Years are compared only with other years of the same model, never with other models.
5. Verdicts
| Verdict | Complaint index | Also requires |
|---|---|---|
| Best bet | 0.6 or less | 60 months on the road |
| Solid | above 0.6 to 1.2 | 60 months on the road |
| Use caution | above 1.2 to 2.0 | 60 months on the road |
| Avoid | above 2.0 | 60 months on the road, and at least two problem areas that each carry 10% or more of the year's weighted complaints. A spike from one component alone stays at Use caution. |
| Too new to judge | not rated | under 60 months on the road |
| Not enough data | not rated | the model has fewer than 100 complaints across its rated years |
We also flag the first model year of each generation: redesign years often run worse, and it's worth knowing when a year is one.
What the data can't tell you
- Sales figures are estimates for model years. Automakers report sales by calendar year, including fleet sales, and a few totals include close relatives we can't separate (older Camry totals include the Camry Solara coupe, for example). The estimate removes most of the difference between big and small sales years, not all of it.
- It covers complaints filed with NHTSA, not every problem. Complaints lean toward safety-related failures. Infotainment, paint and comfort problems are under-reported.
- A complaint is an owner's report. NHTSA doesn't verify each one, and a verdict is not a finding that any vehicle is defective. Always have a used car inspected and check its VIN for open recalls on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Sources and refresh schedule
We load NHTSA's public complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications files, match model names to each model (hybrid and trim variants of the same nameplate count; different vehicles like the Rogue Sport don't), and rebuild every score after each load. Owner quotes are short, verbatim and linked to their NHTSA complaint number. See About the data.
Changelog
- September 2026: first version of the method, with the weights and bands above, adjusted for U.S. sales.