NHTSA complaints · recalls · bulletins
Every build has a failure it was engineered to have.
Carfax says what happened. We say what breaks next — the federal failure record for your car's exact engine, priced before you sign.
Pattern, not inspection. We have never touched this car.
The clean report and the failing engine
A clean vehicle history report only means no one reported an accident. It says nothing about what this engine and transmission are documented to do once the factory warranty lapses.
You are standing on the lot with a phone and five minutes, not an appointment. The salesman is not going to tell you what this build breaks — he may not know either.
Federal recall, complaint and bulletin data on that exact failure is public and free. It is also unreadable to someone under pressure in a parking lot.
What a Mechanic's Warning reads like
Sample finding
This engine's block design lets coolant into the cylinders. It does not misfire — it hydro-locks, and the engine stops turning.
$5,500–$7,500
Repair cost range
Walkaround Check
Open the hood. Check the coolant reservoir and the underside of the oil filler cap for milky residue.
Illustrative finding from a documented 1.5L EcoBoost failure pattern. Sources: NHTSA recall campaign 26V011000; Ford TSB 19-2375. Every Mechanic's Warning cites its source by name.
Read a full sample report →A paperwork report is not a mechanic
History reports
Carfax and AutoCheck report who owned the car and whether it was in an accident. Neither says what the engine is built to do at 90,000 miles.
WrenchReport vs CarfaxA shop inspection
A pre-purchase inspection needs an appointment and the seller’s permission. You have five minutes and a phone, not a shop.
Federal data itself
Recall, complaint and bulletin data is public and free. It was never written for a buyer standing on a lot.
Built entirely on public federal data
WrenchReport decodes your VIN through NHTSA's own registry, then clusters recalls, complaints and bulletins for that exact powertrain. A finding is written only where the record supports it.
No claim is ever made about your specific car's condition. Every Mechanic's Warning names its source: the bulletin, the campaign, or the complaint count behind it.
$9.99
One VIN, one verdict
One payment includes the full Mechanic's Warning: every failure pattern, the mileage window where owners hit it, its repair cost range, and the Walkaround Check — plus every open federal recall for the vehicle and the manufacturer bulletins on file. No subscription, no account.
Checking more than one car this week? Five reports for $39.99 — $8 each, redeemed from one permanent link whenever you find the next candidate.
Secure Stripe checkout — card details go to Stripe, never to us. Full refund if your report never unlocks.
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The rest of the shop
Everything on this site, one tap from here. No page is more than one click from the home page.
Read a full sample report
Every tab, unredacted: the verdict, the price check, the warnings, the factory record. This is what $9.99 buys.
/sample
The worst used cars, ranked
The builds with the heaviest documented failure records, straight from the federal complaint file. Rank by system, not by opinion.
/worst-used-cars
WrenchReport vs Carfax
A history report says what happened to this car. We say what breaks on this engine. You will likely want both.
/vs-carfax
Problem guides by model
One documented failure pattern per guide: the tell on a test drive, the mileage window, the repair bill, the recall that covers it.
/problems
Shop notes
How to read the federal data yourself — complaints, bulletins, recalls — written for a buyer, not a lawyer.
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Help and the fine print
What we can and cannot know about your car without touching it, and what happens if your report never unlocks.
/help