CarComplaints.com
{{Short description|Automotive complaint website}}
{{infobox website
| name = Autobeef, LLC
| logo = File:CarComplaints.com Logo.png
| company_type = Privately held
| type =
| founder = Michael Wickenden
| location = South Hero, Vermont, United States
| locations =
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people =
| industry = Internet
| products =
| services = Automotive Complaint Information
| market cap =
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| owner =
| num_employees = 10
| parent =
| divisions =
| subsid =
| url = {{URL|http://www.carcomplaints.com/}}
| screenshot = CarComplaints.com Screenshot.png
| screenshot_size = 240px
| caption = CarComplaints vehicle complaint page
| website_type =
| language = English
| advertising = Banner ads, referral marketing
| registration = Optional
| num_users =
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2000|06|27}}
| current_status = Active
| footnotes =
| intl =
}}
CarComplaints.com is an online automotive complaint resource that uses graphs to show automotive defect patterns, based on complaint data submitted by visitors to the site. The complaints are organized into logical groups with data published by vehicle, vehicle component, and specific problem. The average cost to fix, average mileage at failure, common solutions and individual owner comments are shown for each problem group. There is no charge or user signup required to access the complaint data, although user registration is required in order to submit a car complaint.[http://www.carcomplaints.com/about.shtml "About Us | CarComplaints.com"] Retrieved July 20, 2010.
Rating System
Vehicles are rated on a system of four badges, which are given based on nominations by owners of certain vehicles or generations of vehicles. From highest-rated to lowest-rated, the badges are:{{Cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://www.carcomplaints.com/faq/ |access-date=2024-10-03 |website=www.carcomplaints.com}}
- Seal of Awesome – Has no apparent defects.
- Seal of Pretty Good – May have minor defects, but nothing too serious or expensive.
- Beware Of The Clunker – Has serious defects, but doesn't deserve the "Avoid Like The Plague" rating since the defects either occur at high mileage, aren't too costly to repair, or aren't widespread.
- Avoid Like The Plague – Has serious and widespread defects that occur at relatively low mileage, are very expensive to repair, and may pose a safety risk.
= Worst Vehicles =
According to CarComplaints.com, the 2002 Ford Explorer is ranked as the "Worst Vehicle on Record", largely due to widespread transmission failure at under 100,000 miles of drive time. The website also ranked the 2004 model #11.
The #2, #3, and #4 ranking on CarComplaints.com's worst vehicles are the 2003 Honda Accord, 2019 Toyota RAV4, and 2013 Nissan Altima respectively, with all three models also suffering from widespread transmission problems.
At #5, #6, and #7 are the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2011 Hyundai Sonata, and 2013 Hyundai Elantra respectively, with all three of these models suffering from widespread engine failure.
The 2014 Jeep Cherokee is ranked #8, the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee is ranked #9, and the 2014 Nissan Altima is ranked #10, due to transmission problems. {{cite web|url=http://www.carcomplaints.com/worst_vehicles/|title=Worst Vehicles|work=CarComplaints.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Explorer/2002/|title=2002 Ford Explorer|work=CarComplaints.com}}
Recognition
CarComplaints.com was featured in a December 2014 Lifehacker article, Five Best Car Comparison Sites,{{cite web |url=http://lifehacker.com/five-best-car-comparison-sites-1670698359 |title=Five Best Car Comparison Sites |author=Henry, Alan |work=LifeHacker |date=2014-12-14 |accessdate=2015-02-06 }} and also mentioned in several New York Times articles from 2013 to 2015: Ford Windstar Minivans Recalled for a Second Time,{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/business/ford-windstar-minivans-recalled-for-a-second-time.html |title=Ford Windstar Minivans Recalled for a Second Time |author=Jensen, Christopher |work=The New York Times: Business Day |date=2015-09-30 |accessdate=2016-04-07 }} Chrysler Owners Sound Off on a Power Defect{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/23/automobiles/chrysler-owners-sound-off-on-defective-power-module.html |title=Chrysler Owners Sound Off on a Power Defect |author=Jensen, Christopher |work=The New York Times: Automobiles |date=2014-08-22 |accessdate=2015-02-18 }} and Ram Dashboards Cracking.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/automobiles/ram-dashboards-cracking.html |title=Ram Dashboards Cracking |author=Jensen, Christopher |work=The New York Times: Motoring |date=2013-03-15 |accessdate=2013-03-19 }}
CarComplaints.com was recommended in a June 2010 report from the Consumer Federation of America titled Consumer Complaint Websites: An Assessment.{{cite web |url=http://www.consumerfed.org/elements/www.consumerfed.org/File/Complaint_Website_Report2010.pdf |title=Consumer Complaint Websites: An Assessment |author=Brobeck, Stephen |publisher=Consumer Federation of America |date=June 7, 2010 |accessdate=July 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704221232/http://www.consumerfed.org/elements/www.consumerfed.org/File/Complaint_Website_Report2010.pdf |archivedate=July 4, 2010 }} The CFA's report compared six generic complaint websites but singled out CarComplaints.com as a specialized resource for "consumers interested in automobiles, who should begin with carcomplaints.com." The CFA's recommendation of CarComplaints.com was repeated in media coverage by The New York Times,{{cite news |url=http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/tips-for-searching-for-complaints-online/?src=busln |title=Tips for Searching for Complaints Online |author=Schultz, Jennifer Saranow |work=The New York Times: Your Money |date=2010-06-07 |accessdate=2010-07-20 }} MSNBC,{{cite web |url=http://redtape.msnbc.com/2010/06/does-web-whining-work-a-flurry-of-private-websites-with-names-like-complaintsboardcom-and-pissedconsumercom-have-developed.html |title=Online whining: Does it really work? |author=Sullivan, Bob |work=Red Tape Chronicles |publisher=MSNBC |date=2010-06-08 |accessdate=2010-07-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722162253/http://redtape.msnbc.com/2010/06/does-web-whining-work-a-flurry-of-private-websites-with-names-like-complaintsboardcom-and-pissedconsumercom-have-developed.html |archivedate=2010-07-22 }} The Early Show{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gripe-about-companies-products-free-web-sites/ |title=Gripe About Companies, Products: Free Web Sites |author=Jarvis, Rebecca |work=CBS News: The Early Show |date=2010-06-22 |access-date=2010-07-20 }} & other news outlets.
CarComplaints.com was also named a "Top 100 Website of 2009" by PC Magazine.{{cite web |url=https://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,2806,7488,00.asp |title=Top 100 Websites of 2009 |work=PC Magazine |date=July 27, 2009 |accessdate=July 20, 2010 }}
See also
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- [http://www.carcomplaints.com Official Website]
Category:Online automotive companies of the United States
Category:American review websites