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Top Lemon Cars for 2021: Car Complaint Index

Looking to avoid the top lemon cars? Review a list of the cars that received the most car complaints per sales in the 2021 Car Complaint Index. Thanks to consumer advocate Jack Gillis, author of The 2021 Car Book, and the efforts of the Center for Auto Safety regarding the lemon law, we are able to provide you with the Top 20 vehicle complaints on file with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) per sales.

Each year, thousands of Americans call their government to register complaints about their vehicles. The complaint index is based on a ratio of the number of complaints for each vehicle to the sales of that vehicle. The numbers represent relative index scores, not the number of complaints received. The complaint index score considers sales volume and years on the road. Lower index numbers are better.

The Car Book is available for sale through the Center For Auto Safety if you are interested in purchasing a copy.

For an outline of Lemon Laws across the nation, visit our State Lemon Laws page which includes information on NJ lemon law, NY lemon law, and PA lemon laws.

The 2021 Projected Car Complaint Index Ratings

Model Complaint Index Ratio
Hyundai Santa Fe >20,000
Chrysler Pacifica >20,000
Tesla Model S >20,000
Hyundai Tucson 14,401
Ford Fusion Energi 12,119
Jeep Cherokee 10,628
Dodge Journey 9,736
Mercedes-Benz GLC 9,574
Mercedes-Benz CLA 9,296
Dodge Durango 9,183
Jeep Grand Cherokee 8,638
Chevrolet Bolt 8,463
Jeep Renegade 7,496
Volvo XC90 7,435
Nissan Titan 6,958
Tesla Model X 6,723
Cadillac XT5 6,519
Chevrolet Equinox 6,328

For more information on the consumer complaint database please visit the NHTSA website.

Reprinted with permission from The 2020 Car Book, 38th edition by Jack Gillis. Visit thecarbook.com for more details. © 2020 All Rights Reserved. Information presented here does not reflect the opinions of Kimmel & Silverman, P.C., its attorneys, or its staff.

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