Equal-exposure complaint evidence and changes in the reported problem mix

1995 vs 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM

NHTSA Consumer Complaints complaints · snapshot 2026-08-21

Share shifts show how a vehicle's problem mix changed. They do not measure reliability, and complaint counts are not normalized for sales volume.

First 371 months on market for each model year

Exposure window calculated through Aug 22, 2026

Age-matched reports

▲ 9.1% more reports in the equal exposure window

NHTSA Consumer Complaints complaints · snapshot 2026-08-21

Component share shift

Bars start at the neutral midpoint. Left means a smaller share; right means a larger share.

View component share data as a table
Component 1995 share 1996 share Share change
AIR BAGS 9.9% 21.9% ▲ 12.1 pts larger share
SERVICE BRAKES 16.0% 11.7% ▼ 4.3 pts smaller share
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 25.9% 21.9% ▼ 4.0 pts smaller share
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4.9% 2.3% ▼ 2.7 pts smaller share
POWER TRAIN 6.2% 3.6% ▼ 2.6 pts smaller share
SUSPENSION 1.7% 4.1% ▲ 2.3 pts larger share
VISIBILITY 3.2% 5.4% ▲ 2.2 pts larger share
SEAT BELTS 2.0% 0.9% ▼ 1.1 pts smaller share
STEERING 2.7% 2.0% ▼ 0.7 pts smaller share
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2.0% 1.6% ▼ 0.4 pts smaller share
STRUCTURE 3.2% 2.9% ▼ 0.3 pts smaller share
WHEELS 0.3% 0.5% ▲ 0.2 pts larger share
FUEL SYSTEM 3.2% 3.4% ▲ 0.2 pts larger share
ENGINE 11.6% 11.7% ▲ 0.2 pts larger share
TIRES 1.0% 0.9% ▼ 0.1 pts smaller share
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 86.0% 76.1% ▼ 9.9 pts smaller share

NHTSA Safety Recalls recalls · snapshot 2026-08-22

Recall campaigns

1995 1

Campaign components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

1996 6

Campaign components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER, and STEERING

NHTSA Consumer Complaints complaints · snapshot 2026-08-21

Safety signals

◆ Fires
42 → 13
◆ Injuries
63 → 66