Midsize sedan — what actually breaks

2015–2020 · 43 models · 82 engines · 35,433 federal complaints

Every figure below is computed from federal complaint records decoded to the exact engine, aggregated across the whole segment. Where this segment differs from the all-vehicle average, it says so — where it doesn't, no claim is made.

What complaints in this segment are about

Share of component mentions across all midsize sedans in the database, with the all-vehicle average below it for comparison.

This segment

All vehicles

Transmission & drivetrainEngineBrakesElectricalSteeringBody & structureFuel systemEverything else

Body & structure complaints run well below their all-vehicle share (0.7×).

How often those complaints involve a fire, crash or injury

Share of this segment's complaints. The vertical mark is the all-vehicle average — these shares can be compared because sales volume cancels out of a within-group ratio.

Fire1.1%

Crash5.4%

Injury2.9%

all vehicles — Fire 1.2% · Crash 4.1% · Injury 2.6%

The engines with the biggest complaint records

Largest complaint samples in the segment — not a worst-list: complaint totals track sales volume, not failure rate. Each links to the full engine-level breakdown.

Chevrolet Malibu — LFV · 1.5L I42,284 complaintsEngine 22% · Electrical 15%

Honda Accord — L15BE · 1.5L I42,184 complaintsEngine 18% · Fuel system 11%

Tesla Model 3 — Electric2,050 complaintsElectrical 9% · Brakes 6%

Nissan Altima — QR25DE · 2.5L I41,947 complaintsTransmission & drivetrain 20% · Engine 7%

Ford Fusion — 1.5L I41,794 complaintsEngine 36% · Transmission & drivetrain 15%

Chrysler 200 — 2.4L I41,712 complaintsElectrical 22% · Engine 19%

Hyundai Sonata — THETA-II · 2.4L I41,708 complaintsEngine 42% · Steering 9%

Tesla Model S — Electric1,690 complaintsElectrical 20% · Steering 5%

Engines that break differently from their class

Across this segment, complaints lead with Engine. These engines don't follow that pattern — their complaint mix points somewhere else, which is worth knowing before buying one.

Nissan Leaf — ElectricElectrical leads at 40%

Ford Fusion — ATK · 2.0L I4Electrical leads at 30%

Chrysler 200 — 3.6L V6Transmission & drivetrain leads at 29%

Honda Accord — J35Y1 · 3.5L V6Electrical leads at 27%

Severity outliers in this segment

Engines whose Crash share sits at least twice the all-vehicle average, by the conservative bound of a 95% confidence interval. A share of complaints, not of cars on the road.

Hyundai Ioniq — KAPPA · 1.6L I4Crash ≥ 12.5%

Toyota Camry — 2AR-FE · 2.5L I4Crash ≥ 12.4%

Tesla Model S — ElectricCrash ≥ 11.2%

Ford Cmax Energi — ATK · 2.0L I4Crash ≥ 9.4%

Tesla Model 3 — ElectricCrash ≥ 9.1%

The recalls that matter in this segment

Recalls where NHTSA told owners to stop driving or park outside. Model-level, manufacturer-confirmed. Recall repairs are always free, whatever the car's age.

Chrysler 300 — Air Bags › Frontal › Passenger Side › Inflator Module (stop driving, 2015–2015) 19V018000
Dodge Charger — Air Bags › Frontal › Passenger Side › Inflator Module (stop driving, 2015–2015) 19V018000
Volkswagen Passat — Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Caliper (stop driving, 2018–2018) 18V369000
Subaru Legacy — Steering › Column (stop driving, 2016–2017) 16V292000
Hyundai Sonata — Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Caliper (stop driving, 2015–2015) 14V368000
Hyundai Sonata — Steering (stop driving, 2015–2015) 14V325000
Genesis G80 — Electrical System › Starter Assembly › Solenoid (park outside, 2017–2019) 24V107000
Hyundai Genesis — Electrical System › Starter Assembly › Solenoid (park outside, 2015–2016) 24V107000
Kia Cadenza — Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip › Control Unit/Module (park outside, 2015–2016) 23V652000
Kia Optima — Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip › Control Unit/Module (park outside, 2015–2015) 23V652000

All the midsize sedans we cover

Method and limits

Complaints: NHTSA public complaint database, model years 2015–2020, each decoded to its exact engine through the partial VIN it carries.
Do not compare complaint totals between engines or models — totals track sales. Only within-group shares (component mix, severity rates) are comparable, because volume cancels out.
Claims on this page only appear when they clear preset thresholds (deviation ≥1.25×, samples ≥500 mentions or ≥80 complaints). Absence of a claim means the data didn't support one, not that we didn't look.