2016 Honda Civic
The 2016 Honda Civic is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize sedan with 6 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Civic 2Dr, is EPA-rated at 35 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C. Owners have filed 1083 complaints, most often about the steering. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civic 2Dr | Gas | FWD | 1.5L 4-cyl turbo | 31 | 41 | 35 | $1,900 |
| Civic 4Dr | Gas | FWD | 1.5L 4-cyl turbo | 31 | 42 | 35 | $1,900 |
| Civic 2Dr | Gas | FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl | 30 | 39 | 34 | $1,950 |
| Civic 4Dr | Gas | FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl | 30 | 40 | 34 | $1,950 |
| Civic 4Dr | Gas | FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl | 27 | 38 | 31 | $2,150 |
| Civic 2Dr | Gas | FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl | 26 | 37 | 30 | $2,250 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 37284, 37075, 37286, 37077, 37076, 37285.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates| Configuration | Smog rating | Emission standard | Where it can be sold new | SmartWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civic 2Dr, Civic 4Dr | 6 / 10 | LEV-III ULEV125 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 125 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | SmartWay |
| Civic 4Dr | 6–9 / 10 | LEV-III ULEV125 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 125 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | SmartWay |
| Civic 2Dr, Civic 4Dr | 6–9 / 10 | Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 / California LEV-III SULEV30/PZEV / LEV-III ULEV125 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | SmartWay |
Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.
The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.
Specifications filed with NHTSA
Source: NHTSA vPICDimensions Exterior
| Body style | Sedan/Saloon |
| Doors | 4 |
| GVWR class | Class 1B: 3,001 - 4,000 lb (1,360 - 1,814 kg) |
Engine Basics
| Cylinders | 4 |
| Displacement | 1.5 L |
| Engine configuration | In-Line |
Engine Output
| Horsepower | 174 hp |
Fuel Economy
| Fuel | Gasoline |
Transmission
| Drivetrain | 4x2 |
| Transmission | Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) |
Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: EX, EX-T, EX-TL, LX). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.
Dimensions & weight
Source: Transport Canada| Length | 176.8–182.3 in |
| Width (body, without mirrors) | 74.0 in |
| Height | 54.7–55.9 in |
| Wheelbase | 106.3 in |
| Track, front | 61.0 in |
| Track, rear | 61.4 in |
| Curb weight | 2,743–2,919 lb |
| Weight distribution, front/rear | 61/39 to 62/38 |
Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 4 configurations: Dx/Lx/Ex 4-door Sedan, Ex-T/Touring 2-door Coupe, Ex-T/Touring 4-door Sedan, LX 2-door Coupe. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.
Factory warranty running out?
The 2016 Honda Civic is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. What an extended plan does and does not cover is worth reading before a dealer quotes you one.
What to check before you buy →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Recalls (5)
Source: NHTSA recall databaseFuel System, Gasoline
KGC, KGDParking Brake
KC6Exterior Lighting
KB8Engine And Engine Cooling
JX9These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.
Whether any of this applies to one specific Civic
A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2016 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Honda publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.
Hear about a recall before the letter does
The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2016 Honda Civic, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
Parts & accessories for the 2016 Honda Civic
Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.
Find parts for this Civic →Owner complaints
Source: NHTSA complaint database36 involved a crash · 4 a fire · 16 injuries · 0 deaths reported
Filed per year: 2015: 2 · 2016: 116 · 2017: 64 · 2018: 63 · 2019: 144 · 2020: 141 · 2021: 86 · 2022: 78 · 2023: 108 · 2024: 103 · 2025: 101 · 2026: 77
Most-cited components
In depth: electrical problems → · engine problems → · visibility and wiper problems →
In owners' own words
Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.
Hesitation and lag on acceleration after hard or quick brake application. Feels like engine momentarily stalling or trans mission not engaging for one or two seconds.. Happens when vehicle is in motion, happens in stop and go traffic, happens coming out of turns,also in straight line motion.
I recently purchased a 2016 Honda Civic ex, four door. I was driving to work yesterday morning at 5 AM. I had approached apx 56 MPH and the vehicle stopped accelerating, across the dashboard screen was a blinking red stating, brake system failure. ! Keep in mind, this vehicle is brand new I have less than 5,000 miles on it !
I cranked up my brand new Honda and a emissions system error displayed. I contacted the dealer and drove it to them. In retrospect that was probably a bad idea. My entire electrical system could have glitched and I could have been hurt. Rodents ate my wiring harness this weekend.
While driving the vehicle and using the cruze control in our touring model the systems would fail and the display multiple errors like stability control and collision mitigation have failed. To reset these we had to pull off the road stop the engine and restart. We have videos of the displays. It happened at any speed.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. While driving 10 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle stalled. On another occasion, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure.
I leased a brand new 2016 Honda Civic on friday, february 26, 2016 and drove off the lot with 5 miles on the odometer. On monday, february 29, 2016, my car started to shake, the engine light came on as well as other indicators on the car, I was not able to accelerate or properly operate the vehicle.
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Reported by Honda itself: 312 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 3 killed, 361 injured, as claimed, not verified. Every Civic model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.
When owners reported it
miles, typically
Half the 463 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 12,000 and 50,000 miles. That is when problems get reported, which is not the same as when they start — and not a failure rate, because nobody knows how many of these cars never had a problem at all.
Median mileage by component
| Component | Reports | Median miles | Vs same age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 132 | 40,000 | 0.83× |
| Unspecified | 115 | 35,956 | — |
| Service Brakes | 64 | 24,000 | 0.6× |
| Electrical System | 61 | 28,600 | 0.64× |
| Engine | 54 | 32,800 | 0.53× |
| Visibility/Wiper | 34 | 32,742 | 0.91× |
| Electronic Stability Control | 22 | 15,000 | 0.37× |
| Structure | 22 | 24,000 | 0.53× |
Vs same age is this model year’s median for the system divided by the median of every 2016-model-year complaint about the same system, all makes: under 1× means owners of this car reported it at lower mileage. Here, owners reported earlier than same-age vehicles: service brakes (0.6×), electrical system (0.64×), engine (0.53×). Which systems go early across the whole fleet: the component study.
Odometer readings as filed by owners with NHTSA. Readings under 100 or over 400,000 miles are dropped as data entry rather than history, and a component needs at least 12 readings before a median is shown for it.
Crash ratings
Source: NHTSA NCAP| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 DR FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | 9% |
| 4 DR FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | 10% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Driver-assist crash reports (1)
Source: NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-011 no injury reported
Mar 2022 to Mar 2022 · 0 with an air bag deployment · 1 towed
What was engaged, and what was hit
System named: not named in the filings
Crash partner: Other 1
Filed by: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
| Incident | System | Struck | Injury alleged | State | Speed | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2022 | Level 2 | Other | no injury reported | CA | — | 62-3382 |
From the manufacturer’s own filing
The reporting entity’s narrative as NHTSA published it, with anything identifying removed and nothing added. A narrative is a notice, written before the entity had verified what happened.
The customer was driving when another passenger drove too close, causing the customer to swerve and crash into a curb. The customer alleges that the Lane Keep Assist System and Adaptive Cruise Control were engaged
A report under the General Order is a notice the manufacturer or operator must file within days of hearing of a crash in which a Level 2 driver-assist or automated-driving system was engaged within 30 seconds of impact. It is filed before anything is verified, and entities with telematics hear of far more crashes than entities that rely on complaints, so counts say as much about the reporting as about the car and are not comparable across makes. Nothing is normalised by fleet size. Every report on file, by make and year → · NHTSA’s page and files
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications- Term not in NHTSA’s summary · Honda bulletin A26-099Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, and/or misfire.
- Term not in NHTSA’s summary · Honda bulletin A26-008Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, and/or misfire.
- Term not in NHTSA’s summary · Honda bulletin AEBM08262026901Dealer Message - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire, and/or DTCs P0300 through…
- Term not in NHTSA’s summary · Honda bulletin A23-039Due to a new North America regulation which introduces a new refrigerant and oil requirement, the compressor shaft seal may leak.
- Term not in NHTSA’s summary · Honda bulletin A19-091American Honda is extending the warranty on the A/C condenser to 10 years from the original date of purchase with unlimited miles.
- Term not in NHTSA’s summary · Honda bulletin ONL6A506122023Owner Notification Letter - Due to a new North America regulation that introduced a new refrigerant and oil requirement, the compressor shaft seal may leak.
1 more in this page’s JSON.
The term and the vehicles it covers are the manufacturer’s, as NHTSA’s summary of each filing states them; a dealer checks one particular car by its VIN. Every Honda warranty extension (66) → · Every warranty extension on file, all makes →
Most often about: Equipment, Engine, Electrical System, Visibility/Wiper, Fuel/Propulsion System.
- A26-099 Service bulletin2026-09-25 · Engine
- Service Bulletin - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, and/or misfire. In some cases, DTCs P0300 through P0304 may also be stored (DTCs are not required for repair).
- A26-097 Service bulletin2026-09-25 · Engine
- Service Bulletin - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, and/or misfire. In some cases, DTCs P0300 through P0304 may also be stored (DTCs are not required for repair).
- A26-009 Service bulletin2026-09-25 · Engine
- Service Bulletin - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, and/or misfire. In some cases, DTCs P0300 through P0304 may also be stored (DTCs are not required for repair).
- A26-008 Service bulletin2026-09-25 · Engine
- Service Bulletin - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, and/or misfire. In some cases, DTCs P0300 through P0304 may also be stored (DTCs are not required for repair).
- A26-099 Service bulletin2026-08-28 · Engine
- Service Bulletin - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire, and/or DTCs P0300 thru P0304 stored.
- A26-097 Service bulletin2026-08-28 · Engine
- Service Bulletin - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire, and/or DTCs P0300 thru P0304 stored.
- AEBM08262026901 Other2026-08-26 · Engine
- Dealer Message - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire, and/or DTCs P0300 through P0304 stored.
- A26-099 Service bulletin2026-08-26 · Engine
- Service Bulletin - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire and/or DTCs P0300 thru P0304 stored.
A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.
Diagnostic trouble codes on file
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaintsCodes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.
| Code | What it means | Most often filed under | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| P0300 P0300 on Honda → | Misfire detected, but not isolated to one cylinder. | Engine · Ignition coils → | 29 bulletins · 1 owner report |
| P0301 P0301 on Honda → | Cylinder 1 is misfiring. | Engine · Ignition coils → | 18 bulletins · 1 owner report |
| P0302 P0302 on Honda → | Cylinder 2 is misfiring. | Engine · Ignition coils → | 18 bulletins · 1 owner report |
| P0303 P0303 on Honda → | Cylinder 3 is misfiring. | Engine · Ignition coils → | 15 bulletins · 1 owner report |
| P0304 P0304 on Honda → | Cylinder 4 is misfiring. | Engine · Ignition coils → | 14 bulletins · 1 owner report |
| U0038 | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Power Train | 4 bulletins |
| U0101 | A module has stopped hearing from the transmission control module. | Power Train | 4 bulletins |
| P0172 P0172 on Honda → | The engine is running rich on bank 1: too much fuel for the air going in. | Equipment · Oxygen sensor → | 3 bulletins |
| P2817 P2817 on Honda → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Power Train | 2 bulletins |
Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
At the New York inspection station
Source: New York State DMVIn New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2016 Honda Civic failed the emissions check on 3.1% of first inspections — lower than the 4.2% for every 2016 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 2.0% (every 2016 vehicle: 2.2%).
failed emissions
8,846 initial inspections of 8,653 vehicles.
| Measure | The 2016 Civic | Every 2016 vehicle | Behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the emissions check | 3.1% | 4.2% | 8,832 |
| Failed the safety inspection | 2.0% | 2.2% | 8,846 |
| Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit | 0.26% | 0.27% | 8,846 |
| Miles driven a year | 9,810 | 10,028 | odometer at inspection |
| Average odometer | 100,883 | 103,109 | odometer at inspection |
New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2016 vehicle” is every 2016 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).
Civic by model year
all years, side by side →Common questions about the 2016 Civic
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsDoes the 2016 Honda Civic have any recalls?
NHTSA has posted 5 recall campaigns for the 2016 Honda Civic. The most serious on file is 26V332000, covering Air Bags. 1 of them was filed with no repair available at the time — NHTSA's file records what the manufacturer had in hand on the filing date, not what exists today. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.
How safe is the 2016 Honda Civic?
NHTSA gave the 2016 Honda Civic 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 4-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 5-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it C (73/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2016 Honda Civic?
Across the 6 EPA-rated configurations of the 2016 Honda Civic, the best EPA combined figure is 35 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What are the dimensions of the 2016 Honda Civic?
Transport Canada measured it at 176.8–182.3 in long, 74.0 in wide (body, without mirrors), 54.7–55.9 in tall, on a 106.3 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 2,743–2,919 lb depending on configuration. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.
What do owners complain about on the 2016 Honda Civic?
Owners have filed 1083 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Honda Civic, most often about steering, unspecified, electrical system. Of those, 36 involved a crash, 4 a fire, 16 reported injuries. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.
How clean is the 2016 Honda Civic?
The EPA smog rating for the 2016 Honda Civic runs 6 to 9 out of 10 across its configurations. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III SULEV30/PZEV, Federal Tier 3 Bin 125, Federal Tier 3 Bin 30, LEV-III ULEV125 — which the table above lists per configuration.
Are there service bulletins for the 2016 Honda Civic?
The manufacturer has filed 344 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2016 Honda Civic, most often covering equipment, engine, electrical system. The most recent is dated 2026-09-25. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.
How does the 2016 Honda Civic do at state inspection?
In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2016 Honda Civic failed the emissions check on 3.1% of first inspections — lower than the 4.2% for every 2016 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 2.0% (every 2016 vehicle: 2.2%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.
What we hold, and what an empty row means
Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.
| Data | Held | Source | What it covers — or what empty means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy & configurations | 6 configurations | EPA certification records | Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures. |
| Emission certificates | 6 configurations | EPA emission certificates | Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new. |
| Recalls | 5 | NHTSA recall campaigns | A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags. |
| Owner complaints | 1083 | NHTSA complaint database | Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold. |
| Crash ratings | 2 tested | NHTSA NCAP | Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them. |
| Service bulletins | 344 | NHTSA manufacturer communications | Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall. |
| Investigations | none | NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation | No defect investigation has been opened. |
| Driver-assist crash reports | 1 | NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01 | Crashes the manufacturer or operator reported with a Level 2 or automated-driving system engaged. Notices, filed before verification; not comparable across makes. |
| Specifications filed with NHTSA | 10 fields | NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns | What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder. |
| Measured dimensions | 7 fields | Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications | Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions. |
| Trims, pricing & equipment | none | Manufacturer press kit | We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind. |
Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.