42 SUV maintenance Statistics

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These suv maintenance figures cover the measurement periods and populations identified in the available source material. Estimates, surveys and forecasts retain their reported scope.

Key SUV maintenance Statistics

The main findings are:

  • SUVs accounted for 60% of U.S. vehicle production in model year 2024, combining car-SUV and truck-SUV categories.
  • Average real-world fuel economy for U.S. truck SUVs reached 25.7 mpg in model year 2024 (United States new truck SUVs).
  • U.S. consumer units spent an average of $4,206 on other vehicle expenses in 2024, up 9.4% from 2023 (2024 vs 2023; United States consumer units).
  • Estimated scheduled maintenance cost was 6.1 cents per mile for a light-duty BEV versus 10.1 cents for a conventional ICE vehicle (2021 estimate; United States light-duty vehicles).
  • 1,073 vehicle recalls affecting 35,000,618 vehicles in calendar year 2024.
  • SUV occupants accounted for 6,648 U.S. occupant deaths in 2024, including 4,875 drivers and 1,760 passengers (calendar year 2024).
  • Truck SUVs represented almost 50% of all U.S. new-vehicle production in model year 2024.
  • Average real-world fuel economy for U.S. car SUVs was 31.7 mpg in model year 2024 (United States new car SUVs).
  • Average other vehicle expenses rose from $3,534 in 2021 to $4,206 in 2024 (2021–2024; United States consumer units).
  • Of the 2024 vehicle recalls, 1,029 were defect recalls affecting 27,682,450 vehicles (calendar year 2024).
  • From 1975 to 2024, SUV occupant deaths increased nearly 15-fold while total passenger-vehicle occupant deaths fell 26% (1975–2024).
  • The truck regulatory class reached 66% of U.S. new-vehicle production in model year 2024.
  • Truck-SUV fuel economy increased 1.0 mpg from model year 2023 to 25.7 mpg in model year 2024 (2023–2024; United States new truck SUVs).
  • Transportation spending was $13,318 per U.S. consumer unit in 2024, up 1.1% from 2023 (2024 vs 2023; United States consumer units).
  • Of the 2024 vehicle recalls, 44 were compliance recalls affecting 7,318,168 vehicles (calendar year 2024).

Contents

SUV market scale and maintenance-relevant classification

EPA production measure; not the registered SUV fleet.

EPA regulatory truck-SUV category.

Broader than SUVs; includes pickups and minivans/vans.

EPA production categories, not household ownership.

Heavier SUVs excluded; inertia weight is empty weight plus 300 pounds.

Only SUVs at or below 4,000 pounds inertia weight.

Manufacturer mix, not reliability.

EPA estimated real-world fuel economy.

Production shares, not sales or registrations.

Association, not causal maintenance evidence.

Production shares, not sales.

All-vehicle comparator is not SUV-specific.

Vehicle maintenance spending and cost pressures

  • U.S. consumer units spent an average of $4,206 on other vehicle expenses in 2024, up 9.4% from 2023 (2024 vs 2023; United States consumer units). (Consumer expenditures in 2024)
  • Average other vehicle expenses rose from $3,534 in 2021 to $4,206 in 2024 (2021–2024; United States consumer units). (Consumer expenditures in 2024)
  • Transportation spending was $13,318 per U.S. consumer unit in 2024, up 1.1% from 2023 (2024 vs 2023; United States consumer units). (Consumer expenditures in 2024)
  • Other vehicle expenses represented 5.4% of total U.S. consumer-unit spending in 2024, up from 5.0% in 2023 (2023–2024; United States consumer units). (Consumer expenditures in 2024)
  • Average gasoline and other-fuel spending was $2,645 per U.S. consumer unit in 2024, down 1.8% from 2023 (2024 vs 2023; United States consumer units). (Consumer expenditures in 2024)

BLS category broader than maintenance and not SUV-specific.

BLS category broader than maintenance.

Includes purchases, fuel, insurance and other vehicle expenses.

Broader than maintenance.

Operating-cost benchmark, not repair spending.

Powertrain differences in scheduled maintenance

Estimated scheduled maintenance cost was 6.1 cents per mile for a light-duty BEV versus 10.1 cents for a conventional ICE vehicle (2021 estimate; United States light-duty vehicles). (FOTW #1190: Battery-Electric Vehicles Have Lower Scheduled Maintenance Costs than Other Light-Duty Vehicles)

Modeled scheduled maintenance; excludes unscheduled repairs and is not SUV-only.

SUV recalls, remedies and maintenance workload

  • NHTSA recorded 1,073 vehicle recalls affecting 35,000,618 vehicles in calendar year 2024. (2024 Annual Recall Report)
  • Of the 2024 vehicle recalls, 1,029 were defect recalls affecting 27,682,450 vehicles (calendar year 2024). (2024 Annual Recall Report)
  • Of the 2024 vehicle recalls, 44 were compliance recalls affecting 7,318,168 vehicles (calendar year 2024). (2024 Annual Recall Report)
  • Vehicle-only recalls numbered 950 and affected 29,346,478 vehicles in calendar year 2024. (2024 Annual Recall Report)
  • NHTSA recorded 1,000 vehicle recalls affecting 39,783,137 vehicles in 2023, compared with 1,073 affecting 35,000,618 in 2024 (2023–2024). (2024 Annual Recall Report)
  • NHTSA recorded 12 recalls involving EV-specific components and 365,183 affected pure-electric or hybrid vehicles in 2024 (calendar year 2024). (2024 Annual Recall Report)
  • Nearly 80% of vehicle recalls in the 2020–2024 cohort had a final remedy within 60 days, covering 51% of affected vehicles (recalls filed 2020–2024). (2024 Annual Recall Report)
  • The average completion rate for qualifying vehicle recalls was 69.2% for recall year 2023 (United States all vehicle types). (2024 Annual Recall Report)
  • NHTSA reported 6,769,773 vehicles remedied through over-the-air updates across 2020–2024 recall years (United States light-vehicle manufacturers). (2024 Annual Recall Report)

All vehicle recalls, not SUVs alone.

All vehicle types.

SUVs are not separated.

Not SUVs alone.

Remedy availability is not owner completion.

Only recalls with sufficient reporting or earlier 100% completion.

OTA-eligible remedies, not all SUV maintenance.

  • SUV occupants accounted for 6,648 U.S. occupant deaths in 2024, including 4,875 drivers and 1,760 passengers (calendar year 2024). (Passenger vehicle occupants)
  • From 1975 to 2024, SUV occupant deaths increased nearly 15-fold while total passenger-vehicle occupant deaths fell 26% (1975–2024). (Passenger vehicle occupants)
  • Frontal impacts accounted for 60% of SUV occupant deaths in 2024, while side impacts accounted for 19% (calendar year 2024). (Passenger vehicle occupants)
  • Single-vehicle crashes accounted for 44% of SUV occupant deaths in 2024, versus 56% in multiple-vehicle crashes (calendar year 2024). (Passenger vehicle occupants)
  • For 1–3-year-old registered SUVs in 2024, the all-crash driver death rate was 27 per million vehicle-years (calendar year 2024; United States 1–3-year-old SUVs). (Passenger vehicle occupants)
  • For 1–3-year-old registered SUVs in 2024, driver death rates were 17 per million vehicle-years in multiple-vehicle crashes and 10 in single-vehicle crashes (calendar year 2024; United States 1–3-year-old SUVs). (Passenger vehicle occupants)
  • Among 1–3-year-old SUVs in 2024, all-crash driver death rates were 39 per million vehicle-years for 2WD and 22 for 4WD (calendar year 2024; United States 1–3-year-old SUVs). (Passenger vehicle occupants)
  • SUV occupant deaths in rollover crashes totaled 2,200 in 2024, with 25% after no recorded initial impact (calendar year 2024). (Passenger vehicle occupants)
  • Rollover crashes accounted for 28% of all U.S. passenger-vehicle occupant deaths in 2024 (calendar year 2024). (Passenger vehicle occupants)
  • In multiple-vehicle crashes involving 1–3-year-old SUVs in 2024, frontal impacts produced 10 driver deaths per million vehicle-years, side impacts 4 and rear impacts 2 (calendar year 2024; United States 1–3-year-old SUVs). (Passenger vehicle occupants)
  • In single-vehicle crashes involving 1–3-year-old SUVs in 2024, frontal impacts produced 7 driver deaths per million vehicle-years, while side impacts were below 1 (calendar year 2024; United States 1–3-year-old SUVs). (Passenger vehicle occupants)

Crash outcomes, not maintenance causation.

Popularity and exposure changes are not maintenance effects.

Crash distribution, not defect rate.

Crash type is not evidence maintenance caused the crash.

Reflects design, use and demographics; not reliability.

Crash outcomes, not maintenance incidence.

IIHS says rates reflect design, use and demographics.

No maintenance causation established.

All passenger vehicles, not SUVs alone.

Descriptive outcomes; no maintenance cause.

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