Edmunds.com, a premier online resource for automotive information, has obtained and reviewed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaint database. A key finding: despite being the subject of intense scrutiny of the company, Toyota ranks 17th among automakers in the overall number of complaints per vehicle sold.
According to the database, which consists of complaints filed by individuals and is not checked for accuracy by NHTSA, Toyota was the subject of 9.1 percent of the complaints from 2001 through 2010 (through February 3). During this period, the company sold 13.5 percent of all new cars in the United States.
Land Rover ranks first among automakers, with 0.6 percent of the complaints compared to only 0.1 percent market share from 2001 through 2010 (through February 3).
The following chart sets forth the results for all automakers:
| AUTOMAKER | RANK (IN ORDER OF MOST COMPLAINTS PER MARKET SHARE) | PERCENT OF COMPLAINTS IN NHTSA DATABASE | PERCENT OF SALES IN US MARKET | |||
| LAND ROVER | 1 | 0.6% | 0.1% | |||
| AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORP. | 2 | 0.9% | 0.4% | |||
| ISUZU MANUFACTURING SERVICES OF AMERICA | 3 | 0.3% | 0.2% | |||
| VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 4 | 4.1% | 2.4% | |||
| JAGUAR CARS LTD | 5 | 0.4% | 0.2% | |||
| VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC. | 6 | 1.1% | 0.7% | |||
| CHRYSLER LLC | 7 | 16.3% | 13.0% | |||
| MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS | 8 | 1.7% | 1.5% | |||
|
MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
9 | 1.3% | 1.2% | |||
| FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 10 | 18.3% | 17.6% | |||
| GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 11 | 25.3% | 24.5% | |||
| NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. | 12 | 5.8% | 5.9% | |||
| HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY | 13 | 4.2% | 4.4% | |||
| BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC | 14 | 1.7% | 1.9% | |||
| SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. | 15 | 1.1% | 1.3% | |||
| AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO. | 16 | 6.8% | 9.4% | |||
| TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 17 | 9.1% | 13.5% | |||
| MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 18 | 1.0% | 1.5% | |||
| PORSCHE CARS NORTH AMERICA, INC. | 19 | 0.1% | 0.2% | |||
| SMART USA DISTRIBUTOR LLC | 20 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Edmunds.com analysts also attempted to evaluate the deaths and injuries reported in the NHTSA database, but it quickly became clear that the data is unreliable. For example, one complaint indicated that 99 people had died in one vehicle as a result of an accident. It should also be noted roughly 10 percent of total complaints appear to be duplicates. Finally, this analysis did not rate the reported incidents for severity.
“No one should overlook the issues raised by the Toyota recalls, but it is important to keep things in perspective,” said Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl. “A broader view shows that consumer complaints reflect an industry issue, not just a Toyota issue. As Toyota’s experience in recent months clearly demonstrates, it is no longer an option for car companies to dismiss consumer complaints, even if the event is difficult to replicate or diagnose.”
“Edmunds’ CarSpace.com Forums have been a venue for driver feedback since 1996,” noted Sylvia Marino, Executive Director of Community Operations for Edmunds.com. “Automakers can easily review postings to uncover issues and discuss them with the consumers who have experienced them.”
Edmunds.com has created a free resource to keep consumers informed about the 2010 Toyota recall at http://www.edmunds.com/industry-car-news/toyota-recall.html.