NHTSA recalls
Campaign, consequence and remedy with a clear hand-off to VIN lookup.
Compare US car model years
Know the year.
Not the sales pitch.
Choose a model-year, check recalls and ODI investigations, compare complaint patterns across years and inspect official EPA configurations—without a made-up reliability score.
Quick examples:
Server-rendered dossiers
Start with a model-year file.
Every US model year the EPA recorded from 1984 to 2027 has a permanent page — 10,605 of them. These five show the different shapes the evidence takes.
Three ways through the data
One car, every year, or the whole checklist.
Start with one exact model year, compare a nameplate across time, or take the evidence into a complete used-car inspection.
Model-year matrixWhich year of this model?
Every model year of a nameplate in one table — complaint totals, most-reported components, fuel economy and configuration counts side by side. 1,133 nameplates.
Open the Toyota RAV4 matrix →Vehicle risk evidenceSearch all safety signals.Filter every published US model-year by NHTSA complaints, ODI defect investigations and recall campaigns. Raw counts stay separate and verified zero states remain explicit.
Open the safety evidence index →CPSC equipment recallsCheck equipment separately.Search selected child-passenger, charging, lifting and tyre-care recall notices without pretending a consumer product fits a particular vehicle.
Open the equipment register →UK MOTPass rate by nameplate.Great Britain MOT test outcomes for make×model hubs with at least 500 tests: pass rate, mileage and common defects. Separate from US recall and complaint dossiers.
Open UK MOT hubs →Market historyHow US vehicles changed.Every EPA-recorded configuration since 1984: the manual gearbox falling from 46.1% to 2.6%, all-wheel drive rising to 67.1%, and electric arriving from nothing.
Open 1984–2026 →Used-car researchTake the buying checklist.Move from model-year evidence to the exact vehicle: recalls, VIN, title history, inspection, test drive, fuel cost and repair fitment in the right order.
Open the used-car checklist →Popular model-year research
Which year should you investigate?
These are among the most frequently researched used-car nameplates. Each guide compares every published year and shows the evidence without declaring a best or worst year the source data cannot support.
1997–2026Honda
CR-V30 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1984–2026Toyota
Camry43 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1984–2026Honda
Accord43 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1985–2026Honda
Civic42 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1984–2026Ford
F-15043 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1996–2026Toyota
RAV431 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1984–2027Toyota
Corolla44 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1987–2027Jeep
Wrangler40 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1999–2026Chevrolet
Silverado28 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →
CR-V30 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1984–2026Toyota
Camry43 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1984–2026Honda
Accord43 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1985–2026Honda
Civic42 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1984–2026Ford
F-15043 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1996–2026Toyota
RAV431 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1984–2027Toyota
Corolla44 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1987–2027Jeep
Wrangler40 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →1999–2026Chevrolet
Silverado28 model years comparedBest year? Compare the evidence →
Best year for Honda Civic? · Civic years to investigate · Honda Civic recalls
The evidence stack
Recall first.
Four different jobs.
A useful reliability file does not crush everything into a mysterious score. It shows what was reported, what became an official action, and what remains unknown.
ODI complaints + investigations
Owner allegations and agency investigations shown separately from defect findings.
EPA FuelEconomy
Configuration-level specifications, MPG and annual-cost estimates from 1984 onward.
NHTSA vPIC
Literal make, model and model-year—never a fuzzy badge match.
Why there is no magic score
381 complaints does not mean “unreliable.”
Raw complaint volume is affected by sales volume, vehicle age, miles driven, publicity and reporting behavior. Until those denominators are present and validated, ModelYearFacts shows the signal—not a made-up verdict.
- Compare like-for-like model years
- Read component patterns, not anecdotes
- Separate reports from confirmed campaigns
VIN
The final safety step
Model-year research starts here. Your VIN finishes it.
A campaign may cover only certain production dates or configurations. Always use NHTSA’s official VIN tool before relying on a recall result for one specific car.
Open the official VIN lookup ↗Commercial boundary
Parts can help a repair.
They cannot grade a car.
Automotive products and future approved offers can flow through the shared offer router only after exact identifier matching and site/merchant permission. Paid links stay separate from complaint, recall and efficiency evidence.
Current status: transparent external parts searches are live; R2 affiliate offers remain held for rights and exact-fitment review.
Source ledger
Primary records, linked.
IDENTITYNHTSA vPICUS Government public data · model identity↗REPORTSNHTSA ODIOwner complaints · allegation status preserved↗REVIEWSNHTSA InvestigationsODI actions · not defect findings↗ACTIONSNHTSA RecallsCampaigns, consequences and remedies↗EFFICIENCYFuelEconomy.govDOE / EPA estimates · 1984 to current↗EQUIPMENTCPSC RecallsConsumer products · no vehicle-fitment join↗
One car in mind?