PULSCAR ANALYSIS — THE THROTTLE BODY 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/throttle-body-replacement-cost ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. SOURCE FILES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NHTSA's published flat files, loaded into SQLite without modification: complaints (777,040 received 1 Jan 2015 - 8 Sep 2026), recalls (campaigns reported 1 Jan 2010 - 9 Sep 2026; earlier recalls are not in this file), manufacturer communications, investigations. Primary documents downloaded from static.nhtsa.gov and read in full on 23 September 2026: Ford programs 16B23 (10109086), 16B32 (10109085), 17B28 (10119686), 18B34 supplement (10153983); Ford SSM 46085 (10109070); GM special coverage N242445290 (11006323); GM N192271200 (10171241) and 22-NA-224 (10226122); Stellantis 09-003-20 Rev. C (10176584) and parts note 9004268 (10177457); Nissan NTB21-049 (10199172) and NTB16-027d (10141436). Investigation closing reports (PE13-003, DP12-006, PE11-018, EA02-015, PE07-051) and recall records (26V-081, 14V-583, 12V-353, 12V-357) were read in NHTSA's published text. GM 11273A, 14582 and 14582A and Mazda SSP95 were read as NHTSA's published summaries; their PDFs could not be retrieved. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. THE COMPLAINT SET ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ FTS5 candidates for "throttle body" OR "throttle bodies" OR "electronic throttle" OR etb, kept only if the narrative matches \b(throttle bod(y|ies)|electronic throttle|ETB)\b, case-insensitive: 4,544. throttle-body-complaints-by-model.csv, throttle-body-complaint-set-summary.csv. Ford 2,019 + Lincoln + Mercury = 2,173 (47.8%); Chevrolet 483; Jeep 438; Dodge 287; Ram 166; Chrysler 146. Top models: F-150 340, Fusion 317, Escape 262, Edge 248, Explorer 212, Patriot 184, Ram 1500 144, Malibu 128. Flags against all 777,040 complaints: crash 1.80% (all 4.37%) fire 0.73% (all 1.82%) towed 3.87% (all 5.11%) Language (regular expressions, not hand-checked one by one): power loss (limp, reduced power, power reduced, wrench, fail-safe, slowed to a crawl, lost/loss of/losing power) 1,817 (40.0%) "stall" 932 (20.5%) surge or acceleration on its own 202 (4.4%) Codes named (distinct per complaint): P2112 96, P2111 72, P2135 30, P2138 21, P2119 20, P2101 12, P0101 11. Mileage reported in 3,479: median 70,180; quartiles 43,000 / 70,180 / 105,585; at or under 36,000 miles: 689 (19.8%). Medians: Ford group 64,861; F-150 55,000; Patriot and Compass 62,000; GM 82,517. Received by year: 2015 766, 2016 878, 2017 496, 2018 481, 2019 502, 2020 264, 2021 212, 2022 228, 2023 206, 2024 191, 2025 161, 2026 (to 8 Sep) 159. 30 random complaints (Python random.seed(2026)) read in full (throttle-body-30-complaints-read.csv): 21 throttle body failure diagnosed or replaced (3 of them replaced without curing the problem), 1 cleaning for rough idle, 2 intake pipe or duct at the throttle body, 1 broken mechanical throttle cable, 1 motorcycle, 4 throttle body mentioned only in a list of other work. Jeep Patriot and Compass: 281 complaints; 74 mention the word "recall". No recall in the 2010-2026 recall file for Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler or Ram has a defect text that mentions a throttle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. RECALLS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Passenger-vehicle makes, recall defect text containing THROTTLE BODY, ELECTRONIC THROTTLE, THROTTLE PLATE, THROTTLE VALVE or THROTTLE ACTUATOR, 2010-2026: 26V-081 (Nissan Rogue 2024-2025, throttle body gears, 318,782) is the only one in which the throttle body itself is the failing part. 11V-126 (Ford Ranger) concerns a fuel line near the throttle body shield. Broader "throttle" recalls: 12V-353 and 12V-357 (Escape and Tribute speed control cable), 14V-583 (Infiniti hybrid throttle software), 14V-032 (Ram ProMaster accelerator pedal). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. OWNER-REPORTED AMOUNTS (throttle-body-owner-reported-amounts.csv) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Every dollar figure in the same sentence as, or within about 180 characters of, a throttle body word, and near a repair or payment word, was read by hand. 98 published: replacement paid 44 $248.12-$1,400 median $555.57 replacement quoted 44 $300-$2,000 median $700 shop cleaning 5 $120-$250 median $150 DIY spray cleaner 1 $10 part only 4 $100.84-$320 Replacement medians by group, paid and quoted together: Ford/Lincoln/Mercury 48 figures, $678; GM 21, $560; Stellantis 11, $716; Toyota 4, $1,300. Excluded: bundled repairs where the throttle body share cannot be separated (transmission, catalytic converter, spark plugs, fuel pump), towing, loans, deductibles. Not invoices; complaints over-represent bad outcomes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. PROGRAMS, COVERAGES AND INVESTIGATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ throttle-body-programs-recalls-investigations.csv: 18 documents with their status in September 2026. Open: recall 26V-081; GM coverage N242445290 (15 years or 150,000 miles from in-service). Expired: Ford 12N03, 13N03, 16B23, 16B32, 17B28, 18B34; Mazda SSP95. Warranty times read in documents: Ford 16B32 0.5 h (2016 F-150), 0.6 h (Transit, MKT, Police Interceptor), 0.3 h reprogram; GM N242445290 0.6 h; Nissan NTB16-027d throttle cleaning 0.5 h; Nissan NTB21-049 battery test, code erase and relearn 0.6 h. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. WHAT THIS IS NOT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Complaint counts are not failure rates. The Ford share reflects sales volume, age and documented defects together; it does not rank reliability. Prices marked in the article as estimates are carried from PulsCar repair guides and were not re-checked in this pass.