The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reported that in 2012, over 30,000 complaints were registered with the agency concerning several models. Most of the complaints were linked to problems involving powertrains, brakes, and other components that are essential to the proper functioning of a vehicle.

Many auto brands are linked to most of the complaints while other brands are never mentioned in any complaints to the federal agency. Mini is the brand that has been mentioned more often in complaints registered between 2005 and 2012.

According to the federal agency, 646 Mini vehicles per 100,000 cars sold were linked to complaints. This is an awfully high number, experts believe. Some of the vehicles mentioned in complaints often are also some of the most popular brands, however, not so popular vehicles also made the cut.

When experts compared the data registered in 2012 concerning major complaints and data from previous years they noted that the number of complaints has risen considerably. From 2008 to 2011, Ford was mentioned in about 3,395 complaints annually while in 2012, the company was linked to 4,958 complaints. That could be due to the fact that auto sales have been increasing in the past years.

Experts decided to look into the official complaint data to come up with a list of the top ten brands that have been mentioned in complaints more often than others. Experts focused on the sales figures and detailed information submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The number of complaints linked to each brand was then calculated per 100,000 vehicles sold by each brand within the period between 2005 and 2012.

Hyundai was one of the brands mentioned more frequently in complaints, according to experts. The company is mentioned in 27.96 complaints per 100,000 cars sold. In 2012, at least 1,025 complaints linked to Hyundai were registered by the NHTSA. Sonata was the vehicle that was mentioned more often in most complaints.

Ford has been mentioned in 33.95 complaints per 100,000 vehicles sold. The Escape model is the vehicle with most complaints. In 2012 alone, at least 4,958 complaints linked to the automaker were registered.

The German automaker Volkswagen is also one of the top offenders. The brand was listed in 667 complaints in 2012. Out of every 100,000 vehicles sold, 34.52 are linked to complaints sent to the NHTSA. Jetta is the model with most complaints.

BMW has also been linked to multiple complaints. In 2012, 676 complaints linked to the brand were reported. The 3 Series model was linked to most of the complaints. Other brands that also made the list include Mini 427 complaints in 2012, Nissan with 2,485 complaints registered in 2012, Dodge with 2,304 complaints registered in 2012, Chrysler with 1,166 complaints registered in 2012, Jeep with 2,036 complaints, and Smart with 25 complaints in 2012.

For the full list and details on the models mentioned more often in consumer complaints, follow this link to read the full article.