Every known issue. Every mileage danger zone. Every repair cost estimate. Get the report mechanics wish every buyer had.
Reports delivered
Avg. customer rating
Repairs avoided by buyers
Verified buyers
Reliability Score
A+ to F grade with score out of 100
Engine Issues
Known problems by mileage range with repair costs
Transmission
Failure patterns, fluid schedules, and weak points
Electrical & Electronics
Sensor failures, infotainment, battery drain
Suspension & Steering
What wears early vs normal — struts, ball joints, tie rods
Rust & Corrosion
Known rust-prone areas beyond normal wear
Interior Durability
Dashboard, seats, headliner, switchgear wear patterns
Mileage Danger Zones
What breaks at 30k, 60k, 90k, 120k+ miles
Repair Cost Estimates
Ballpark costs for every common fix
Should You Buy It?
Verdict with best and worst model years
First report is free above. Buying multiple? These bundles unlock the lowest per-report price.
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Provide a VIN or Year/Make/Model
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Comprehensive reliability report generated instantly
The average unexpected car repair in the United States costs just over $2,800. More than 60% of used car buyers report at least one major repair within the first 18 months of ownership. The difference between a good buy and a money pit almost never shows up on the test drive — it shows up at 60,000 miles when a transmission starts slipping, or at 90,000 miles when a timing chain lets go.
Every vehicle has weak spots. A 2015 F-150 isn't the same as a 2018 F-150. A 3.5L EcoBoost fails in different ways than a 5.0L Coyote V8. The year, trim, engine, and transmission combination matters — and the mileage at which problems appear matters even more. An OwnerKeep Reliability Report is built around those specifics. We don't tell you "Toyota is reliable" — we tell you the exact mileage range where the 2019 RAV4's transmission software causes jerky shifts, or the $1,800 average repair bill for the 2016 Civic's AC compressor clutch.
Read the report. Take it to the seller. Negotiate. One flagged issue is enough to justify a $500–$2,000 price reduction — many times the cost of the report itself.
Different tools answer different questions. Use all three if you're serious — they cover different ground.
| What it tells you | OwnerKeep | CarFax | Consumer Reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common problems by year / make / model | Yes — detailed | No | Partial |
| Mileage-specific failure zones | Yes | No | No |
| Expected repair cost ranges | Yes | No | No |
| Accident history for a specific VIN | No | Yes | No |
| Service / title history | No | Yes | No |
| Expert buy / avoid verdict | Yes | No | Yes |
| Price per report | $4.99 | $44.99 | Membership |
| Instant delivery | Yes | Yes | N/A |
Short version: CarFax tells you what happened to the car. OwnerKeep tells you what's likely to happen. You should know both.
Every score is built from the same six inputs, weighted by how much they actually impact your wallet.
Known failure patterns
How frequently each system fails on that specific year / make / model, sourced from recall data, NHTSA complaints, and independent shop frequency surveys.
Repair cost severity
Average dollar cost of the common failures — a $300 sensor failure weighs differently than a $4,500 transmission rebuild.
Mileage-at-failure variance
How early problems appear. Issues at 35k miles are penalized more heavily than issues at 185k miles.
Parts availability & labor complexity
Parts that are hard to source or jobs that require special tools add to real-world cost of ownership.
Recall density
Number and severity of safety recalls issued for that configuration.
Owner-reported sentiment trend
Whether complaints are rising, flat, or fading year over year across owner forums and review sites.
Want the full weighting detail and data-source breakdown? Read the full methodology →
Every report covers 7 systems: engine, transmission, electrical, suspension & brakes, rust & corrosion, interior durability, and total cost of ownership. You get a reliability score (0–100), a risk level, the top 3 failure-prone areas with typical mileage, repair cost ranges, and an expert buy / avoid verdict.
CarFax tells you what has happened to a specific VIN — accidents, title history, service records. OwnerKeep tells you what's likely to happen based on what breaks on that year, make, and model. You should use both: CarFax for the car's past, OwnerKeep for the car's future.
The score factors in known issue patterns by mileage, manufacturer defects and recalls, repair cost averages from independent shop data, owner complaint frequency, and typical ownership cost trends for that exact year, make, and model. See the full methodology page for the complete weighting.
Instant. Most reports are already cached and delivered in under 3 seconds after checkout. If we haven't yet published a report for that exact vehicle, it is generated on-demand and delivered in under 60 seconds.
Yes — any model-year passenger vehicle sold in North America from 1980 onward. Over 6,000 vehicles are already indexed, with new ones added daily.
No. Checkout is email-only — we send the report to your inbox within seconds of payment. You can create an account later to track your reports.
The scores are benchmarked against real-world complaint data, recall frequency, and independent repair-cost databases. Every report includes the specific mileage bands at which each system typically fails, so you can judge for yourself — the score is a summary, not the full answer.
Every report comes with a 7-day money-back guarantee. If the report doesn't cover what you need or the vehicle doesn't match what was purchased, just email us — no questions asked.
Real buyers, real cars, real money saved. Every testimonial below comes from a verified OwnerKeep purchase — no incentives, no edits.
Phoenix, AZ · Feb 2026
"I was about to drop $19k on a 2017 BMW X3 — saw on the OwnerKeep report that 2017 was the worst year for the timing chain. Walked away. The dealer was furious. Saved me at least $4,000 in eventual repairs."
💰 ~$4,000 in repairs avoided
Charlotte, NC · Jan 2026
"Honestly didn't expect much for $4.99, but the report flagged a transmission valve body issue at 90k miles on the 2015 Ford Escape I was about to buy. Mechanic confirmed it after I asked him to look. We negotiated $2,200 off the price."
💰 Negotiated $2,200 off
Dallas, TX · Dec 2025
"Bought four reports for the SUVs I had narrowed down. The comparison made it stupid simple — the Toyota Highlander beat the Explorer and Pilot by a long shot on long-term reliability. Don't shop without this."
Cleveland, OH · Dec 2025
"My husband and I almost bought a 2014 Ram 1500 with the EcoDiesel. The report flat out told us 'avoid this engine' — they were right, I looked up the recalls afterward. We got a 2018 Tundra instead and zero regrets."
Portland, OR · Nov 2025
"Solid report, very detailed. I do wish there was more on the specific transmission codes for my year, but the cost ranges they list match what my indie shop quoted me almost exactly. Worth the five bucks."
Baltimore, MD · Nov 2025
"First time buying a used car as a solo woman. I felt so much more confident walking into the dealer with the printed report — the salesman tried to push the 2019 Nissan Altima and I literally pulled out my phone, showed him the CVT failure rate, and asked what they were going to do about it."
Bozeman, MT · Oct 2025
"Bought a Passport for my new F-150 and ran reports on three I was considering before that. The 2020 with the 3.5 EcoBoost came back clean — they were dead right, 30k miles in and nothing but oil changes."
Long Beach, CA · Sep 2025
"I'm a hairstylist not a car person. The report broke down exactly what to ask the mechanic to check at the pre-purchase inspection. Took my list in, the shop found two of the three things they predicted. Mind blown."
Buffalo, NY · Sep 2025
"Snow belt buyer here — the rust section saved me. Report said avoid 2011-2013 Silverado in road-salt states unless I could verify the frame. I asked, dealer couldn't, I walked. Found a 2017 with a clean undercarriage two weeks later."
Austin, TX · Aug 2025
"I have bought from Carvana twice and used OwnerKeep both times. Carvana's checks are surface-level — OwnerKeep tells you what's going to break and when. I keep the PDF in my glove box for reference at service intervals."
Reviews collected from post-purchase email surveys. Last names abbreviated for customer privacy.