2020 Land Rover Range Rover
The 2020 Land Rover Range Rover is sold in the U.S. as a plug-in hybrid, hybrid, gas and diesel large SUV with 17 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Range Rover, is EPA-rated at 24 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 23 recall campaigns for this model year, 2 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 143 complaints, most often about the electrical system.
Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Range | kWh/100mi | Charge (240V) | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range Rover PHEV | Plug-in hybrid | 4WD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo + 105 kW PMSM | 18 | 21 | 19 (25 MPGe blended) | 19 mi electric | 80 | 3 h | $4,350 |
| Range Rover Sport PHEV | Plug-in hybrid | 4WD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo + 105 kW PMSM | 18 | 21 | 19 (25 MPGe blended) | 19 mi electric | 80 | 3 h | $4,350 |
| Range Rover MHEV | Hybrid | 4WD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo + 48V Li-Ion | 19 | 24 | 21 | — | — | — | $3,900 |
| Range Rover Sport MHEV | Hybrid | 4WD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo + 48V Li-Ion | 19 | 24 | 21 | — | — | — | $3,900 |
| Range Rover Velar | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 21 | 27 | 23 | — | — | — | $3,550 |
| Range Rover Velar P300 | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 20 | 26 | 22 | — | — | — | $3,750 |
| Range Rover Velar | Gas | AWD | 3.0L 6-cyl | 18 | 24 | 20 | — | — | — | $4,100 |
| Range Rover Velar P380 | Gas | AWD | 3.0L 6-cyl | 18 | 24 | 20 | — | — | — | $4,100 |
| Range Rover Sport | Gas | 4WD | 5.0L 8-cyl | 17 | 22 | 19 | — | — | — | $4,350 |
| Range Rover | Gas | 4WD | 5.0L 8-cyl | 16 | 21 | 18 | — | — | — | $4,550 |
| Range Rover LWB | Gas | 4WD | 5.0L 8-cyl | 16 | 21 | 18 | — | — | — | $4,550 |
| Range Rover Velar | Gas | AWD | 5.0L 8-cyl | 15 | 20 | 17 | — | — | — | $4,850 |
| Range Rover SVA | Gas | 4WD | 5.0L 8-cyl | 14 | 19 | 16 | — | — | — | $5,150 |
| Range Rover Sport SVR | Gas | 4WD | 5.0L 8-cyl | 15 | 20 | 16 | — | — | — | $5,150 |
| Range Rover LWB SVA | Gas | 4WD | 5.0L 8-cyl | 13 | 19 | 15 | — | — | — | $5,500 |
| Range Rover | Diesel | 4WD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 22 | 28 | 24 | — | — | — | $4,000 |
| Range Rover Sport | Diesel | 4WD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 22 | 28 | 24 | — | — | — | $4,000 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 42375, 42376, 42794, 43624, 41251, 41252, 41446, 41445, 41640, 41636.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates| Configuration | Smog rating | Emission standard | Where it can be sold new | SmartWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range Rover PHEV, Range Rover Sport PHEV | 7 / 10 | California LEV-III SULEV30 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | SmartWay |
| Range Rover MHEV, Range Rover Sport MHEV, Range Rover Velar, Range Rover Velar P300, Range Rover Velar P380 | 7 / 10 | California LEV-III SULEV30 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
| Range Rover, Range Rover LWB, Range Rover LWB SVA, Range Rover SVA, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Sport SVR, Range Rover Velar | 3 / 10 | California LEV-III ULEV125 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 125 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
| Range Rover, Range Rover Sport | 1 / 10 | California LEV-III LEV160 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 160 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
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 | Sport Utility Vehicle [SUV]/Multipurpose Vehicle [MPV] |
| Doors | 5 |
| GVWR class | Class 2E: 6,001 - 7,000 lb (2,722 - 3,175 kg) |
Engine Basics
| Cylinders | 6 |
| Displacement | 3 L |
| Engine configuration | In-Line |
Engine Output
| Horsepower | 355 hp |
Fuel Economy
| Fuel | Gasoline |
Seating
| Seat rows | 2 |
| Seating capacity | 5 seats |
Transmission
| Drivetrain | AWD/All-Wheel Drive |
| Transmission | Automatic |
| Transmission speeds | 8 |
Driver assistance
Standard: Anti-lock brakes, Automatic emergency braking, Backup camera, Blind-spot monitoring, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Lane departure warning, Lane keeping assist, Pedestrian automatic emergency braking, Rear cross-traffic alert
Optional: Adaptive cruise control, Parking assist
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: Autobiography, HSE, P525 HSE, P525 HSE LWB). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.
Dimensions & weight
Source: Transport Canada| Length | 171.7–204.7 in |
| Width (body, without mirrors) | 77.6–81.5 in |
| Height | 64.6–72.4 in |
| Wheelbase | 104.7–122.8 in |
| Track, front | 64.2–66.5 in |
| Track, rear | 64.2–66.1 in |
| Curb weight | 3,902–5,516 lb |
| Weight distribution, front/rear | 48/52 to 59/41 |
Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 11 configurations: Evoque 4-door SUV, LWB 4-door SUV, SWB 2.0L PHEV 4-door SUV, SWB 3.0L 4-door SUV, SWB 4-door SUV, SWB 5.0L V8 4-door SUV …. 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 2020 Land Rover Range Rover 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 (23)
Source: NHTSA recall databaseElectrical System
D126 H575Air Bags
N945Air Bags
N978Air Bags
N979Back Over Prevention
N901Back Over Prevention
N778Engine And Engine Cooling
N785Engine And Engine Cooling
N763Electrical System
N742Air Bags
N664Seat Belts
N630Air Bags
N566Exterior Lighting
N556Seat Belts
N523Seats
N524Electrical System
N516Electrical System
N503Tires
N494Tires
N491Tires
N486Structure
N412Visibility
N341These 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
Steering:Linkages:Knuckle:Spindle:Arm — Front Steering Knuckle Fractures open
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is upgrading its Preliminary Evaluation (PE25006) of front steering knuckle fractures on model year (MY) 2014 through 2017 Range Rover Sport vehicles to an Engineering Analysis. ODI opened PE25006 on June 27, 2025, after receiving 12 Vehicle Owner's Questionnaire (VOQ) reports of the front aluminum steering knuckles fracturing in these vehicles. The reports describe the fractures occurring at the joint where the steering knuckle attaches to the upper control arm ball joint in one or both steering knuckles. Fracture of the front suspension knuckle can lead to detachment of the upper suspension arm. Detachment of the upper suspension arm results in t
Opened Apr 24, 2026 · action EA26003 · 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 Range Rover
A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2020 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Land Rover 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 2020 Land Rover Range Rover, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
Parts & accessories for the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover
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 Range Rover →Owner complaints
Source: NHTSA complaint database10 involved a crash · 3 a fire · 13 injuries · 0 deaths reported
18 per 10,000 built · Land Rover reported 80,322 Range Rover built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)
Filed per year: 2019: 1 · 2020: 21 · 2021: 9 · 2022: 6 · 2023: 14 · 2024: 18 · 2025: 28 · 2026: 46
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 Telematics Control Unit (TCU) short-circuited internally while the vehicle was parked, draining the battery and leaving the vehicle completely immobilized. It would not start and had to be towed to an authorized Land Rover dealer.
The contact owns a 2020 Land Rover Range rover 3.0. The contact stated while driving on the highway heard loud bang, no warning lights illuminated, continued to drive. white grayish Smoke coming from underneath the vehicle and a burning oil smell. There was also a lot of oil spots visible underneath the vehicle. Pulled off the road.
I have had to have the rear tailgate repaired twice, First time the tailgate would not lift, this was in Sept 2024, then the rear lower tailgate would not open it just jammed and the upper tailgate failed after repairin the lower costing me over $2000 in repairs for the 2nd repair.
A safety alert keeps coming up when I attempt to break. Have had multiple services done with ongoing issues with inter cooler parts unheard lines and supercharger so much plastic under the hood investigate and help the consumer it’s a ongoing struggle for customers
I had not driven the vehicle for about a week. When I started it, there was a message on the dash about the hill descent malfunctioning. I put the vehicle in Reverse, and without pressing the accelerator, it was incredibly difficult to stop. Had I not been in my own driveway, this would have been very dangerous.
On XXX at approximately 17,900 miles, a tire on my 2020 Range Rover Velar exploded suddenly while my wife was driving on the highway at approximately 50 mph. The blowout displaced the axle. The vehicle was brought to a stop without a collision, and no injuries occurred.
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 Land Rover itself: 6 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 6 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 7.5 per 100,000 built. Every Range Rover 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 44 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 5,000 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 13 | 14,690 | 1.48× |
Vs same age is this model year’s median for the system divided by the median of every 2020-model-year complaint about the same system, all makes: under 1× means owners of this car reported it at lower mileage. 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 NCAPNHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsMost often about: Electrical System, Equipment, Power Train, Engine, Unknown Or Other.
- N861 Range Rover 18SEP26 Other2026-09-18 · Power Train
- Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL), loss of start/stop functionality and no communication during diagnostic sessions.
- N881 Range Rover 18SEP26 Other2026-09-18 · Power Train
- Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) may illuminate if the vehicle is refueled within 15 seconds of turning the engine off.
- N900 Range Rover 18SEP26 Other2026-09-18 · Unknown Or Other
- Catalyst Over Temperature
- N900 Range Rover 21AUG26 Other2026-08-21 · Power Train
- Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illuminated on the instrument cluster. The root cause of the symptoms is the catalytic converter over temperature.
- N881 Range Rover 21AUG26 Other2026-08-21 · Power Train
- Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) may illuminate if the vehicle is refueled within 15 seconds of turning the engine off.
- N861 Range Rover 21AUG26 Other2026-08-21 · Engine
- Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) Battery Offline
- TUCC_AUG2026_11 Other2026-08-21 · Unknown Or Other
- Catalyst over temperature
- N900v3 - 13AUG26 Service bulletin2026-08-13 · Unknown Or Other
- Catalyst Over Temperature
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| P026B | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Power Train | 2 bulletins |
| P0A7B | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 2 owner reports |
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 2020 Land Rover Range Rover failed the emissions check on 4.0% of first inspections — higher than the 2.2% for every 2020 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 0.81% (every 2020 vehicle: 1.6%).
failed emissions
2,706 initial inspections of 2,633 vehicles.
| Measure | The 2020 Range Rover | Every 2020 vehicle | Behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the emissions check | 4.0% | 2.2% | 2,695 |
| Failed the safety inspection | 0.81% | 1.6% | 2,706 |
| Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit | 0.41% | 0.19% | 2,706 |
| Miles driven a year | 9,093 | 9,980 | odometer at inspection |
| Average odometer | 57,000 | 62,630 | 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 2020 vehicle” is every 2020 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).
Range Rover by model year
all years, side by side →Common questions about the 2020 Range Rover
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsDoes the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover have any recalls?
NHTSA has posted 23 recall campaigns for the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover, 2 of them rated critical. The most serious on file is 23V221000, covering Engine And Engine Cooling. 3 of them were 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. 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 2020 Land Rover Range Rover?
NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it F (37/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover?
Across the 17 EPA-rated configurations of the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover, the best EPA combined figure is 24 mpg (MPGe on the electrified versions). Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What are the dimensions of the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover?
Transport Canada measured it at 171.7–204.7 in long, 77.6–81.5 in wide (body, without mirrors), 64.6–72.4 in tall, on a 104.7–122.8 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,902–5,516 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 2020 Land Rover Range Rover?
Owners have filed 143 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover, most often about electrical system, engine, unspecified. Of those, 10 involved a crash, 3 a fire, 13 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 2020 Land Rover Range Rover?
The EPA smog rating for the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover runs 1 to 7 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 LEV160, California LEV-III SULEV30, California LEV-III ULEV125, Federal Tier 3 Bin 125, Federal Tier 3 Bin 160, Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 — which the table above lists per configuration.
Are there service bulletins for the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover?
The manufacturer has filed 2211 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover, most often covering electrical system, equipment, power train. The most recent is dated 2026-09-18. 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 2020 Land Rover Range Rover do at state inspection?
In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover failed the emissions check on 4.0% of first inspections — higher than the 2.2% for every 2020 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 0.81% (every 2020 vehicle: 1.6%). 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 | 17 configurations | EPA certification records | Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures. |
| Emission certificates | 17 configurations | EPA emission certificates | Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new. |
| Recalls | 23 | NHTSA recall campaigns | A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags. |
| Owner complaints | 143 | NHTSA complaint database | Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold. |
| Crash ratings | none | NHTSA NCAP | NHTSA has not tested this model year. Cars are selected for testing, so untested is not unsafe. |
| Service bulletins | 2211 | 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 | none | NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01 | No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like. |
| Specifications filed with NHTSA | 13 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.