What breaks most · 1991 to 2013 model years
Utility Trailer problems by year
Owners have filed 78 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Utility Trailer across model years 1991 to 2013. Three years stand out: 1995 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1998 for tires complaints and 1997 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 2003, 1991 and 2001.
- Years to check closely: 1995, 1998, 1997
- Fewest complaints: 2003, 1991, 2001
- Complaints on file
- 781991 to 2013, all trims
- Worst year
- 199512 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 35 fires · 0 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 10kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 14Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (1) | |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (2) | |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (5) | |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (6) | |
| 12 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (5) | |
| 7 | 0 | 1 | Tires (3) | |
| 10 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (6) | |
| 12 | 1 | 2 | Tires (4) | |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | Trailer Hitches (3) | |
| 4 | 1 | 2 | Tires (4) | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Wheels (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Tires (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Tires (1) |
What fails on the 1995 Utility Trailer
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 42% |
5 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 17% |
2 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Service Brakes, AIR | 8% |
1 | 0 | — |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 8% |
1 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 8% |
1 | 0 | — |
| Trailer Hitches | 8% |
1 | 0 | — |
| Wheels | 8% |
1 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Karavan trailer model no.ku-3000-76-10, when assembled one leaf spring was initially put on backwards resulting in the axel locking up.
-
(make: cole model: grandview tent trailer) trailer sways badly at highway speed, axle moved back by dealer, improved conditions however still sways. Mjs
-
Brakes continually lock up, once resulting in jack knife into ditch causing damage to unit, repairs to brake system on several occasions, however continues to experience problems. Mjs
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Utility Trailer years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1995, 1998, 1997 carry the most filings on the Utility Trailer. The 1995 alone has 12 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Utility Trailer problem?
On the 1995 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 5 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Utility Trailer problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Utility Trailer complaints that include mileage is about 10,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.