PULSCAR ANALYSIS — P0299 (TURBO/SUPERCHARGER UNDERBOOST) IN NHTSA'S PUBLIC FILES PulsCar analysis of NHTSA public data, September 2026. License: CC BY 4.0. Attribution: "PulsCar analysis of NHTSA public data, September 2026." Published alongside https://www.pulscar.io/blog/p0299-code ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 0. WHAT THIS FILE ADDS, AND WHAT IT DOES NOT REPEAT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Two PulsCar pages already cover neighboring ground and are cited, not recomputed: * The Check Engine Code Index counts the bulletins naming P0299 (115, 8 manufacturer groups, at least 36% software, 3 coverage or emissions campaigns; Stellantis 44, GM 31, Ford 20, VW Group 6; 137 complaints, median 65,000 miles). https://www.pulscar.io/blog/check-engine-code-index * The turbocharger replacement cost guide analyzes turbo failures and prices the turbo itself. https://www.pulscar.io/blog/turbocharger-replacement-cost This file answers a narrower question: what the owners who wrote P0299 to NHTSA say it turned out to be, and which documents pay. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. SOURCE FILES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NHTSA's published flat files loaded into SQLite without modification (complaints 777,040, received 1 Jan 2015 - 8 Sep 2026; recalls; manufacturer communications). GM Special Coverage N232395330 (both versions) and GM N192266090 were downloaded from static.nhtsa.gov and read in full on 22 September 2026. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. THE COMPLAINT SET ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Narratives containing "p0299" or "p 0299", case-insensitive: 141 complaints. The Code Index reports 137 by its stricter method (trailing "00" variants and spacing account for the difference). GM brands (Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac): 62 of 141, 44.0% crash flag 0 of 141; tow flag 0 of 141 (all complaints: 4.37% and 5.11%) median mileage 63,791, from only 38 complaints that give one ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. SAMPLE READING (p0299-40-complaints-read.csv) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 40 random complaints (Python random.seed(2026)) read in full and classified by what the narrative says the cause turned out to be. Grouped: cause never found, code only, or unresolved limp mode 16 turbocharger named (by a shop, the owner, or under the GM special coverage) 9 engine damage or compression loss 3 wastegate or its control 3 (+1 with engine) charge air cooler freezing or moisture 2 vacuum or coolant in the boost-control vacuum lines 2 timing, multiple or electrical codes alongside 3 boost leak (cracked hoses) 1 other part 1 One complaint is a 2008 Civic, which has no turbocharger; the code was presumably misreported and it is counted as "code only". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. OWNER-REPORTED AMOUNTS (p0299-owner-reported-amounts.csv) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Every dollar figure $100-$20,000 in the 141 complaints, excluding loans, purchases, trade values, deductibles and rentals, read by hand: 12 published. Note the boundary they reveal: two owners of 2016 Encore and Trax, and two of 2014 Cruze, paid $1,480 to $3,010 for turbo repairs that GM's special coverage does not reach, because it lists only 2017-2018 Encore, Sonic and Trax with the 1.4L (RPO LUV). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. DOCUMENTS (p0299-programs-and-bulletins.csv, p0299-documents-by-manufacturer-raw.csv) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A raw search for P0299 in manufacturer communications returns 294 documents (Ram 93, Chevrolet 67, Audi 27, GMC 22, Ford 18, Buick 11, Cadillac 6, ...), because the file stores owner letters, dealer emails and each revision as separate records. The programs and bulletins file lists 18 items that pay for or direct the repair; "—" in the id column means we did not record the NHTSA document id, not that the document is unverified. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CASE SENSITIVITY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NHTSA narratives are ALL CAPS through roughly 2020 and mixed case from 2021. Every text query here is case-insensitive (SQLite LIKE, Python re.IGNORECASE). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. ADDED 22 SEPTEMBER 2026: GM'S OTHER TURBO COVERAGES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Four further GM special coverages were downloaded from static.nhtsa.gov and read on 22 September 2026: N232407740 (2020 Encore GX 1.2L), N242450640 (2021 Encore GX and Trailblazer 1.2L), N242484750 (2022 Encore GX and Trailblazer 1.2L), all RPO LIH, and N252508360 (2022 Malibu). Each: 15 years or 150,000 miles, regardless of ownership, with reimbursement. None lists a 2014-2016 Cruze or a 2016 Encore or Trax, which is why the owner-reported turbo payments on those cars in section 4 stand as "outside the coverage".