Free to use. Pick any brand, model, and year below and see live NHTSA recall and complaint data, with a plain-English verdict on whether that year is a safe used buy.
No signup, no paywall, no catch — this pulls directly from NHTSA’s public database every time you check a year.
CarMerit reliability checker
Check any used car — live NHTSA data
Pick a brand, model, and year to see current owner-complaint and recall counts straight from NHTSA, plus CarMerit’s verdict on whether that year is a safe used buy.
Owner complaints
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NHTSA, live data
Safety recalls
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NHTSA, live data
Most-reported problem areas
Complaint counts are raw owner reports filed with NHTSA and are not adjusted for sales volume — popular models and years naturally generate more reports. Verdicts combine this data with CarMerit’s own research and may not reflect every individual vehicle. Data source: NHTSA.gov. Always verify a specific vehicle’s history before buying.
How to use this tool
- Pick the brand you’re shopping for.
- Pick the model from that brand.
- Pick the model year you’re considering.
- Read the verdict, check the live complaint and recall counts, and scan the most-reported problem areas for that year.
- Shortlisting two years of the same model? Use the compare box to see them side by side.
Where the data comes from
Every complaint and recall count on this page is pulled live from NHTSA.gov — the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s public vehicle safety database. We don’t estimate, average, or pre-load these numbers; they’re fetched and cached for a few days at a time, then refreshed.
Complaint counts are raw owner reports, not adjusted for how many of that model were sold — a popular model will naturally show more complaints than a rare one. Our verdicts combine this NHTSA data with CarMerit’s own research into known issues, common failure points, and what to inspect before buying. Always verify a specific vehicle’s history (VIN check, pre-purchase inspection) before you buy — this tool tells you about the model year in general, not the exact car in front of you.
Why we built this
Most “is this car reliable” advice online is vague, outdated, or trying to sell you something. NHTSA’s own complaint and recall database is free and public, but it’s not easy for a regular buyer to search or interpret. We built this tool to put that same data in front of you in plain English, model by model, year by year — for free, with no signup. If it saves you from one bad used-car purchase, it’s done its job.
