---
license: cc-by-4.0
language:
- en
pretty_name: "Worst Vehicle Transmissions 2005-2025 (NHTSA Complaints)"
tags:
- automotive
- transmissions
- cvt
- nhtsa
- vehicle-reliability
- automotive-defects
- open-data
- consumer-data
size_categories:
- n<1K
configs:
- config_name: default
  data_files:
  - split: train
    path: worst-transmissions-2005-2025.csv
---

# Worst Transmissions 2005–2025

Curated problematic transmission families (DCT, CVT, and conventional automatics with documented defect patterns), ranked by total NHTSA owner complaints across every vehicle that used the unit.

## Columns
| column | meaning |
|---|---|
| `transmission_family` | Transmission family name |
| `manufacturer` | Manufacturer |
| `type` | Transmission type |
| `years` | Production years |
| `modelyear_entries` | Matching model-year entries in DB |
| `complaints` | Total NHTSA complaints across the family |
| `complaints_per_modelyear` | Complaints ÷ model-year entries |
| `recalls` | Total recalls across the family |
| `alleged_crashes` | Complaints alleging crash (unverified) |
| `url` | Source page on ProblemsByVin |

## Source & methodology
Families are the editorial set powering /transmissions/. NHTSA does not expose a standalone "transmission" complaint category — transmission complaints bucket under "powertrain" — so this dataset aggregates by curated family (matching year/make/model lists), not a category filter. Complaints are unverified consumer reports.

Canonical version, full methodology, and the other datasets: **https://problemsbyvin.com/data/** .

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