Media post: America’s Best-Selling Vehicles and the Problems Owners Report Most

Americans bought about 16.3 million new vehicles in 2025, a gain of 2.2 percent according to this site’s year-end review, and the top of the sales chart looked familiar: full-size pickups, compact crossovers and one stubbornly popular sedan. Strong sales signal trust, but they do not make a vehicle immune to defects. Each of the six best sellers profiled below has been the subject of a significant recall or a federal investigation in the last three years, and California owners have filed safety complaints about every one of them.

This article looks at what the public record shows for each model, where the problems cluster, and what owners can do when a fix does not hold.

About the numbers. Sales figures come from each manufacturer’s 2025 year-end report unless otherwise noted. Recall details come from filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as reported at the time. California complaint counts come from my firm’s analysis of NHTSA complaints filed by California owners, covering 2019 and newer models from January 2021 through early October 2026. Those complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road, so a high count often reflects high sales rather than poor quality.

1. Ford F-Series: 828,832 sold

Ford reports that F-Series sales rose 8.3 percent in 2025, giving the line its 49th straight year as America’s best-selling truck.

What owners report: transmission. In the California data, the F-150 drew 239 complaints and led every model in transmission and powertrain complaints, with 92. That pattern matches the truck’s most significant recent recall. In April 2026, after an NHTSA investigation opened in March 2025 and upgraded in January 2026, Ford recalled nearly 1.4 million 2015 to 2017 F-150 pickups in the United States. Their six-speed automatic could drop from sixth gear to second without warning at highway speed. Ford traced the fault to a lead frame that houses a transmission speed sensor, which can degrade with heat and vibration, and said it knew of one crash and two injuries. Dealers will inspect and replace the part as needed and update the powertrain control module. Owners dealing with recurring transmission defects in newer trucks should keep that history in mind.

2. Chevrolet Silverado: 577,434 sold

The Silverado’s total comes from Carscoops’ compilation of 2025 sales. GM says it was the truck’s best year in five, and that the Silverado and its GMC Sierra twin combined for about 940,000 sales, their best in two decades.

What owners report: engines. In April 2025, GM recalled 597,630 trucks and SUVs with the L87 6.2-liter V8, including the Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 as well as the Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon and Escalade (recall 25V-274). Manufacturing defects in the connecting rods or crankshaft could lead to engine failure, and the remedy was an inspection followed by repair or replacement of the engine. The story did not end there. In January 2026, NHTSA opened a new investigation after at least 36 complaints that L87 engines had failed after the recall repair was completed. The California numbers point the same way: the Silverado 1500 drew 191 complaints, and the GMC Sierra 1500 led every model in engine complaints, with 73.

3. Toyota RAV4: 479,288 sold

Toyota calls 2025 the RAV4’s best year ever. The RAV4 Hybrid accounted for 181,433 of those sales and the plug-in hybrid for 20,272.

What owners report: airbags and electrical faults. The RAV4 drew 265 California complaints and led every model in airbag complaints, with 54. In December 2023, Toyota recalled about 1 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles, including 2020 and 2021 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid models, because a sensor in the front passenger seat could short circuit. If it did, the system might fail to detect a passenger, and the front passenger airbag might not deploy as designed. A month earlier, Toyota recalled about 1.85 million 2013 to 2018 RAV4s because a replacement 12-volt battery could shift during hard cornering if its hold-down clamp was not properly tightened, creating a risk of a short circuit and fire.

4. Honda CR-V: 403,768 sold

The CR-V figure is also from Carscoops. Honda says the CR-V topped 400,000 sales for the second year in a row, with hybrids making up 54 percent of the total.

What owners report: steering and braking. In October 2024, Honda recalled nearly 1.7 million 2022 to 2025 vehicles, including CR-V, Civic and HR-V models, because a steering gearbox built with excessive internal friction could make the vehicle hard to steer. Dealers replace a spring in the gearbox and regrease it. The CR-V drew 305 California complaints, and its Civic stablemate led every model in steering complaints, with 174. Separately, in April 2024, NHTSA upgraded its investigation into unexpected automatic emergency braking to an engineering analysis covering 2,997,604 vehicles, including 2017 to 2022 CR-Vs and 2018 to 2022 Accords. At that point the agency had logged 1,294 complaints, 47 crashes and 93 injury incidents.

5. Ram pickup: 374,059 sold

According to Stellantis, the Ram 1500 accounted for 204,139 sales in 2025 and the Ram Heavy Duty for 169,920.

What owners report: software. In September 2024, Stellantis recalled more than 1.2 million Ram 1500 pickups in the United States because anti-lock brake software could switch off electronic stability control, the system that helps keep a truck from skidding. The brakes themselves still worked, the company said it knew of no crashes or injuries, and dealers installed a software update. In California, the Ram 1500 drew 311 complaints, the sixth-highest total of any model, and led every model in fuel and propulsion complaints, with 38.

6. Toyota Camry: 316,185 sold

The Camry was again America’s best-selling passenger car, as this site reported in its review of the 2025 market. Nearly every Camry Toyota sold last year was a hybrid.

What owners report: displays. In August 2026, Toyota recalled more than 508,000 2025 and 2026 Camry Hybrids in the United States because the 7-inch instrument display could go blank at startup. When that happens, the turn signals, hazard lights and seat belt reminders can stop working. Dealers will install a software update, with owner letters scheduled to begin in late September. Earlier Camrys were part of the December 2023 passenger seat sensor recall described above. The Camry drew 160 California complaints.

The common thread: electronics

Look across these six vehicles and a pattern emerges. Several of the most recent recalls involve sensors, control modules and software rather than worn mechanical parts: a lost signal in the F-150’s transmission, a stability control setting in the Ram, a blank screen in the Camry. The California data reflects the same shift. Across all 19,632 complaints in the study, the electrical system was the problem area named most often, cited 3,485 times.

The trend is sharpest among electric vehicles. The Tesla Model Y, which also cracked the national top ten, drew more California complaints than any other model, with 1,165, a reminder that Tesla owners have lemon law rights like anyone else. Measured against registrations, battery electric vehicles drew 32.8 complaints per 10,000 vehicles, compared with 15.0 for conventional vehicles.

Location matters as well. A companion study of California cities with the most car complaints found that Berkeley had the highest rate among 143 cities, 30.6 complaints per 10,000 registered vehicles, about 1.8 times the average.

When the fix does not hold

The GM engine investigation carries a broader lesson: a recall repair is not always the last word. If a problem returns after a recall remedy, a software update or a dealer visit, it deserves a new warranty complaint. In California, the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act gives owners of defective new vehicles a path forward.

Document every visit. Ask for a repair order each time and check it before you leave. It should show the date, the mileage, your description of the problem and what the technician did. A visit where the dealer could not reproduce the problem still shows that you gave the manufacturer a chance to fix it. This guide covers what to do if a dealer refuses to provide repair orders.

Count the attempts and the days. Under Civil Code section 1793.22, the law presumes the manufacturer has had a reasonable number of repair attempts if, within 18 months or 18,000 miles of delivery, the same defect has gone through four or more repair attempts, a defect likely to cause death or serious bodily injury has gone through two or more, or the vehicle has been out of service for warranty repairs for more than 30 days in total. For the first two tests, an owner may also need to notify the manufacturer directly if its warranty materials clearly require it. Days in the shop waiting for parts generally count, so it helps to understand how California tallies time at the dealer. Missing the presumption does not end a claim, since the question is ultimately whether the manufacturer had a reasonable number of opportunities to fix the defect.

Know the remedy. When a manufacturer cannot conform a vehicle to its warranty, it must replace or repurchase it. A repurchase generally refunds the price paid, along with items such as taxes, registration and finance charges, less a deduction for miles driven before the first repair attempt for the defect. This breakdown explains what a manufacturer owes in a lemon law repurchase.

Choose counsel carefully. Confirm that any lawyer you consider is licensed and in good standing through the State Bar of California. Ask how much of the practice involves lemon law, who will handle your file day to day, and whether the firm will file suit if the manufacturer’s offer falls short. Be wary of anyone who guarantees an outcome. On cost, Civil Code section 1794(d) allows a buyer who prevails to recover attorney’s fees and costs from the manufacturer, as this explainer on who pays attorney fees in a lemon law case describes. A comparison of California lemon law attorneys can be a useful starting point.

Warranty claims carry deadlines, so owners whose vehicle keeps returning to the shop for the same problem should not wait long to get advice. My firm, America’s Lemon Lawyer, represents California drivers in these claims.

This article is general information about California law and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.

About the author

Jacob Shayesteh, Esq. is the founder and managing attorney of Wynn Law Group, APC, doing business as America’s Lemon Lawyer. The Los Angeles firm represents California drivers in lemon law claims under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.