Midsize SUV — what actually breaks
2015–2025 · 80 models · 128 engines · 68,860 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 suvs in the database, with the all-vehicle average below it for comparison.
Body & structure complaints run 1.3× their all-vehicle share in this segment.
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.
all vehicles — Fire 1.1% · Crash 4.4% · 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.
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.
Severity outliers in this segment
Engines whose Crash / Fire / Injury 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.
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.
- Ford Transit — Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Pedals And Linkages (stop driving, 2025–2025) 26V090000
- Porsche Cayenne — Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Upper Arm (stop driving, 2024–2024) 24V533000
- Mercedes-Benz AMG G63 — Power Train › Driveline › Differential Unit (stop driving, 2022–2023) 23V851000
- Mercedes-Benz AMG G63 — Power Train › Driveline › Differential Unit (stop driving, 2022–2022) 22V937000
- BMW iX — Electrical System › Propulsion System › Traction Battery (stop driving, 2022–2023) 22V541000
- Cadillac SRX — Suspension › Rear (stop driving, 2015–2016) 21V473000
- Volkswagen Atlas — Steering (stop driving, 2021–2021) 20V712000
- Jeep Wrangler — Air Bags › Frontal › Passenger Side › Inflator Module (stop driving, 2015–2016) 19V018000
- Mazda CX-9 — Air Bags › Frontal › Passenger Side › Inflator Module (stop driving, 2015–2015) 18V717000
- Volkswagen Atlas — Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Caliper (stop driving, 2018–2018) 18V369000
All the midsize suvs we cover
Method and limits
- Complaints: NHTSA public complaint database, model years 2015–2025, 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.