---
license: cc-by-4.0
language:
- en
pretty_name: "US Vehicle Failure-Mileage Distribution (NHTSA, 2005-2025)"
tags:
- automotive
- vehicles
- nhtsa
- vehicle-reliability
- recalls
- failure-analysis
- open-data
- consumer-data
size_categories:
- 1K<n<10K
configs:
- config_name: default
  data_files:
  - split: train
    path: failure-mileage-distribution.csv
---

# US Vehicle Failure-Mileage Distribution (NHTSA Owner Complaints, MY 2005–2025)

For every U.S. vehicle + component failure pattern with enough mileage-bearing complaints, the **mileage at which owners report the failure** — as quartiles (25th percentile / median / 75th percentile). ~9,100 (vehicle, component-category) clusters derived from the U.S. NHTSA owner-complaint record.

Mileage is parsed from NHTSA's ODI bulk flat-file, which carries odometer readings the public JSON API omits, validated to a 1,000–400,000-mile band. Quartiles are published only for clusters with ≥8 mileage-bearing complaints. **No other public source aggregates complaint mileage at this resolution.**

## Columns
| column | meaning |
|---|---|
| `year`, `make`, `model` | vehicle identity |
| `component_category` | NHTSA component bucket (e.g. powertrain, engine, brakes) |
| `complaint_count` | complaints in the cluster |
| `mileage_q1` / `mileage_median` / `mileage_q3` | reported failure-mileage quartiles |
| `mileage_sample_size` | complaints with a valid odometer reading |

## Source & methodology
Derived from public U.S. NHTSA owner complaints and recalls. NHTSA complaints are **unverified consumer reports.** Canonical version, full methodology, and the other datasets: **https://problemsbyvin.com/data/** . Also archived with a DOI on Zenodo: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20648310

## License
CC BY 4.0 — free to use with attribution to **ProblemsByVin (https://problemsbyvin.com)**.