From highest-rated to lowest-rated, the badges are:[2] According to CarComplaints.com, the 2002 Ford Explorer is ranked as the "Worst Vehicle on Record", largely due to widespread transmission failure at under 100,000 miles of drive time.

The #2, #3, and #4 ranking on CarComplaints.com's worst vehicles are the 2003 Honda Accord, 2019 Toyota RAV4, and 2013 Nissan Altima respectively, with all three models also suffering from widespread transmission problems.

[3][4] CarComplaints.com was featured in a December 2014 Lifehacker article, Five Best Car Comparison Sites,[5] and also mentioned in several New York Times articles from 2013 to 2015: Ford Windstar Minivans Recalled for a Second Time,[6] Chrysler Owners Sound Off on a Power Defect[7] and Ram Dashboards Cracking.

[9] The CFA's report compared six generic complaint websites but singled out CarComplaints.com as a specialized resource for "consumers interested in automobiles, who should begin with carcomplaints.com."

The CFA's recommendation of CarComplaints.com was repeated in media coverage by The New York Times,[10] MSNBC,[11] The Early Show[12] & other news outlets.