2022 Kia EV6
The 2022 Kia EV6 is sold in the U.S. as an electric compact hatchback with 3 EPA-rated configurations. Its longest-range version, the EV6 RWD (Long Range), is EPA-rated at 310 miles with 117 MPGe combined efficiency. NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of D. Owners have filed 279 complaints, most often about the electrical system.
| Trim | Powertrain | Drive | MSRP | HP | Torque | MPG comb | Cargo (2nd row) | Wheels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light | Electric | RWD | — | 167 hp | 258 lb-ft | 117 MPGe | 24.4 cu-ft | 19 in |
| Wind | Electric | RWD | — | 225 hp | 258 lb-ft | 117 MPGe | 24.4 cu-ft | 19 in |
| Wind | Electric | AWD | — | 320 hp | 446 lb-ft | 105 MPGe | 24.4 cu-ft | 19 in |
| GT-Line | Electric | RWD | — | 225 hp | 258 lb-ft | 117 MPGe | 24.4 cu-ft | 19 in |
| GT-Line | Electric | AWD | — | 320 hp | 446 lb-ft | 105 MPGe | 24.4 cu-ft | 20 in |
MSRP excludes destination. Open a trim for the complete spec sheet and standard/optional equipment. Have the car in front of you? Decode its VIN to see which of these trims it is and what it was priced at.
Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Range | kWh/100mi | Charge (240V) | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV6 RWD (Long Range) | Electric | RWD | 168 kW PMSM | 134 | 101 | 117 MPGe | 310 mi | 29 | 8.7 h | $650 |
| EV6 RWD (Standard Range) | Electric | RWD | 125 kW PMSM | 136 | 100 | 117 MPGe | 232 mi | 29 | 6.3 h | $650 |
| EV6 AWD (Long Range) | Electric | AWD | 74 and 165 kW PMSM | 116 | 94 | 105 MPGe | 274 mi | 31.7 | 8.4 h | $700 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 44926, 44927, 44925.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates| Configuration | Smog rating | Emission standard | Where it can be sold new | SmartWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV6 AWD (Long Range), EV6 RWD (Long Range), EV6 RWD (Standard Range) | 10 / 10 | Federal Tier 3 Bin 0 / California ZEV | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | SmartWay Elite |
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.
Factory warranty running out?
The 2022 Kia EV6 is in the years where high-voltage electronics and module 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 (4)
Source: NHTSA recall databaseElectrical System
SC327Electrical System
SC302Parking Brake
SC236These 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.
NHTSA defect investigations
Electrical System:Propulsion System:Dc/Dc Converter — Loss of Motive Power closed
On July 3, 2023, the Office of Defect Investigation (ODI) opened PE23012 to investigate allegations of loss of motor power on model year (MY) 2022 Kia EV6 vehicles. Some consumers reported loss of motor power immediately after warning lamp illumination or reduction of motive power while the vehicle was in motion. This investigation found that the Integrated Charing Unit (ICCU) may become damaged over time from transient high voltage and thermal cycling. A damaged ICCU may not be able to charge the 12-volt battery which can discharge gradually while driving with a reduction of motive power. The vehicle could eventually experience a complete loss of motive power thereby increasing the risk of
Opened Jul 3, 2023 · closed Apr 17, 2024 · action PE23012 · the investigation’s page →
Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds closed
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021. On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject mat
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005 · the investigation’s page →
Whether any of this applies to one specific EV6
A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2022 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Kia 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 2022 Kia EV6, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
Parts & accessories for the 2022 Kia EV6
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 EV6 →Owner complaints
Source: NHTSA complaint database11 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 6 injuries · 1 deaths reported
141 per 10,000 built · Kia reported 19,824 EV6 built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)
Filed per year: 2022: 17 · 2023: 70 · 2024: 42 · 2025: 55 · 2026: 95
Most-cited components
In depth: electrical 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.
The contact owns a 2022 Kia EV6. The contact stated that on various occasions while coming to a stop at a stop signal, a loud crunching sound was heard underneath the vehicle. The brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle jerked forward. No warning lights were illuminated.
While operating and driving on a busy two lane roadway, about an hour in to a two hour trip, the vehicle displayed “check electrical system” message without warning, then quickly lost power, rendering the car only able to drive at 25 mph for a brief moment, and then, just as quickly, shut down completely and did not operate.
The headlights on the 2022 Kia EV6 do not provide enough illumination for proper night driving. They are full and barely shine enough for 10 feet out from vehicle. This causes concern for object avoidance and proper identification from oncoming traffic and pedestrians.
I had driven the car for about 80 miles on a mix of urban expressway, parkway, and city streets, when inexplicably the "frunk lid" (or hood) released itself from the fully closed position to the "ajar" position. That is the position that the lid would assume if you pulled the inside release.
The amp for the audio system has failed. Because of this, the audible alerts associated with the vehicle safety system cannot be easily heard. The systems are still functioning but the audio alerts are not. The exterior EV pedestrian alert sounds are still functioning. I was able to make an appointment at the dealer within 7 days.
We were driving down the road, no vehicles in front or to the side, when our glass moonroof exploded. Sounded like a gun going off inside the car. Immediately we saw glass pour down the back of the car, wind started to erratically shake the sunshade, which thankfully was closed at the time of the event.
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 Kia itself: 6 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 2 killed, 6 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 30 per 100,000 built. Every EV6 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 19 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 8,000 and 60,000 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 15 | 16,030 | 0.64× |
Vs same age is this model year’s median for the system divided by the median of every 2022-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: electrical system (0.64×). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV AWD | not rated | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | not rated | — |
| SUV RWD | not rated | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | not rated | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Driver-assist crash reports (4)
Source: NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-011 serious · 2 minor · 1 no injury reported
Sep 2022 to Apr 2025 · 3 with an air bag deployment · 4 towed
What was engaged, and what was hit
System named: Due to multiple ECU's no version can be described (1), SMART CRUISE CONTROL & LANE FOLLOWING ASSIST (1)
Crash partner: Other 1 · Passenger Car 1 · Pole / Tree 1 · SUV 1
Filed by: Kia America, Inc.
| Incident | System | Struck | Injury alleged | State | Speed | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2025 | Level 2 · Due to multiple ECU's no version can be described | Passenger Car | serious | — | — | 753-11009 |
| Jun 2024 | Level 2 · SMART CRUISE CONTROL & LANE FOLLOWING ASSIST | Pole / Tree | minor | VA | 29 mph | 753-8012 |
| Oct 2022 | Level 2 | Other | minor | CA | 66 mph | 753-4134 |
| Sep 2022 | Level 2 | SUV | no injury reported | CA | 16 mph | 753-3912 |
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.
Following receipt of 10/27/22 VOQ#5 (ODI 11491182), involving a 22MY EV6, Kia attempted to identify the VIN which was completed on 10/31/22. The VOQ alleges that the vehicle was being driven on the freeway with lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control when the customer took his eyes off the road to grab something from the backseat and claims the system…
***July Monthly Update 7/15/2024 On July [redacted], 2024, Kia identified that the incident occurred on [redacted] approximately between [redacted], [redacted], VA [redacted]. On July 9, 2024, Kia received the customers signed consent form to ship the ACU. On July 15, 2024, Kia received the ACU and downloaded the EDR Report.
On June 2, 2025, Kia received a letter from the customers attorney requesting insurance information from Kia and attaching a police report relating to an April [redacted], 2025 incident involving the customers 2022MY Kia EV6.
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- 15 years or 180,000 miles, whichever comes first · Kia warranty extension WTY044CAMPAIGN: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ICCU INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY044) - This bulletin provides information associated with the ‘Warranty Extension Program’ (WTY044) to inspect and, if necessary…
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 Kia warranty extension (28) → · Every warranty extension on file, all makes →
Most often about: Electrical System, Fuel/Propulsion System, Structure, Equipment, Visibility/Wiper.
- TSB_CLI049_R2 Service bulletin2026-08-28 · Electrical System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR – ELECTRICAL A/C COMPRESSOR - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information regarding the partial repair of the Air Conditioning (A/C) compressor assembly on some 2011MY~ Optima Hybrid (TF HEV, JF HEV/PHEV), 2015MY~
- TSB_BOD336 Service bulletin2026-06-04 · Structure — Body
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: KEY AND CYLINDER SET REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides information to replace the driver’s door lock and trunk lid key cylinders on some 2019-2024MY Kia vehicles listed below. On affected vehicles, the stored key code may not correspond to the mechanical key profile, which can result in incorrect key cutting when the original key is lost or damaged.
- TSB_ELE422 Service bulletin2026-05-28 · Electrical System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE. KIA. COM - This bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable Kia vehicles using the Kia Navigation Updater available at update.kia.com. The software update may improve system performance, enhance existing features, and apply the latest operating software for sup
- WTY044_TSB Service bulletin2026-04-23 · Fuel/Propulsion System
- WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ICCU INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY044) - This bulletin provides information associated with the ‘Warranty Extension Program’ (WTY044) to inspect and, if necessary, replace the Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) and/or the ICCU Fuse on 2022-2024MY EV6 (CV1) vehicles produced from November 17, 2021 through July 22, 2024. The affected vehicl
- TSB_ELE417 Service bulletin2026-04-14 · Electrical System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SOFTWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information on the process for downloading infotainment software updates and preparing USB for installation on applicable Kia vehicles. The software downloads and USB preparation process is similar across all supported platforms; however, in‑vehicle installation procedures vary by head unit type.
- SC327Y_TSB_R1 Service bulletin2026-01-16 · Fuel/Propulsion System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ICCU AND FUSE REPLACEMENT (SC327Y) - This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published under SC327, titled “ICCU and Fuse Inspection/Replacement and ICCU Software Upgrade.” If DTC P1A9096 is present or stored after ICCU Software Upgrade has been performed per SC327, follow the instructions in this
- PS797 Other2025-12-09 · Back Over Prevention — Warnings
- PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal transmission and reception times between the vehicle (ultrasonic sensor) and an object. The membrane
- TSB_TRA046_R5 Service bulletin2025-04-17 · Power Train
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each Kia model. A flush is required ONLY when a transmission is
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1A90 | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 1 owner report |
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 2022 Kia EV6 failed the safety inspection on 1.5% of first inspections — close to the 1.4% for every 2022 model-year vehicle inspected.
failed the safety inspection
531 initial inspections of 522 vehicles.
| Measure | The 2022 EV6 | Every 2022 vehicle | Behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the safety inspection | 1.5% | 1.4% | 531 |
| Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit | 0% | 0.18% | 531 |
| Miles driven a year | 10,783 | 10,455 | odometer at inspection |
| Average odometer | 46,411 | 44,815 | odometer at inspection |
Electric vehicles get no emissions test in New York, so the safety inspection is the record here. 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 2022 vehicle” is every 2022 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).
Compare the 2022 EV6 with
Any vehicle, your weights →| Head-to-head | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Nissan Rogue Sport · Compact Hatchback · grade A | Rogue Sport +6.6 |
EV6 by model year
all years, side by side →Common questions about the 2022 EV6
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsDoes the 2022 Kia EV6 have any recalls?
NHTSA has posted 4 recall campaigns for the 2022 Kia EV6, 1 of them rated critical. The most serious on file is 26V431000, covering Electrical System. There is an active park outside advisory — act on it before driving. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.
How safe is the 2022 Kia EV6?
NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2022 Kia EV6 yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it D (68/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2022 Kia EV6?
Across the 3 EPA-rated configurations of the 2022 Kia EV6, the longest EPA range is 310 miles on a charge. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What do owners complain about on the 2022 Kia EV6?
Owners have filed 279 complaints with NHTSA about the 2022 Kia EV6, most often about electrical system, fuel/propulsion system, power train. Of those, 11 involved a crash, 6 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 2022 Kia EV6?
The EPA smog rating for the 2022 Kia EV6 is 10 out of 10. 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 ZEV, Federal Tier 3 Bin 0 — which the table above lists per configuration.
Are there service bulletins for the 2022 Kia EV6?
The manufacturer has filed 77 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2022 Kia EV6, most often covering electrical system, fuel/propulsion system, structure. The most recent is dated 2026-08-28. 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 2022 Kia EV6 do at state inspection?
In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2022 Kia EV6 failed the safety inspection on 1.5% of first inspections — close to the 1.4% for every 2022 model-year vehicle inspected. 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.
Is the 2022 Kia EV6 better than the 2022 Nissan Rogue Sport?
The Nissan Rogue Sport wins clearly, 64.9 to 58.3, on safety. The Kia EV6 is ahead on fuel & range. Raise the fuel & range weight from 3 to 3.7 and it flips. We publish a full side-by-side of the 2022 Kia EV6 against the 2022 Nissan Rogue Sport — specifications by family, equipment feature by feature, safety record and ownership costs. You can re-weight what matters to you and the verdict recalculates.
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 | 3 configurations | EPA certification records | Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures. |
| Emission certificates | 3 configurations | EPA emission certificates | Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new. |
| Recalls | 4 | NHTSA recall campaigns | A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags. |
| Owner complaints | 279 | 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 | 77 | NHTSA manufacturer communications | Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall. |
| Investigations | 2 | NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation | Open and closed defect investigations, with the agency's own narrative. |
| Driver-assist crash reports | 4 | 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 | none | NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns | We had no VIN pattern to decode for this model year, or the manufacturer filed nothing usable. |
| Trims, pricing & equipment | 5 trims | Manufacturer press kit | Transcribed from the manufacturer's own press material, every value carrying the document it came from. |
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. Trim-level specifications and pricing are transcribed from the manufacturer's official press kit; every value carries its source in the data file.