Do control arm replacement problems track share of commuters travelling 45 minutes or more each way across states?

Across U.S. states, NHTSA owner complaints about control arm replacement run higher where share of commuters travelling 45 minutes or more each way is higher, after adjusting for the makes sold in each state. This is an association across states, not proof that share of commuters travelling 45 minutes or more each way causes this repair.

How to read it: Each dot is a state. Further right means more share of commuters travelling 45 minutes or more each way; higher up means more complaints for this repair than expected (1.0 is average). If the dots climb to the right, reports of this repair rise with share of commuters travelling 45 minutes or more each way.

What it shows: States with more share of commuters travelling 45 minutes or more each way tend to sit higher on the chart across 24 states: a pattern in the data, not proof of cause.

• The 8 states with the most share of commuters travelling 45 minutes or more each way (New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, California, Georgia, Virginia): reports of this repair run 21% above what the makes sold there would predict, and 6 of 8 are above expected. The 8 with the least (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona): 11% below, and 2 of 8 are above expected.
• Exceptions: New Jersey and Virginia are among the highest in share of commuters travelling 45 minutes or more each way but report below expected.
• Split the states into thirds: the third with the least share of commuters travelling 45 minutes or more each way runs 11% below what the makes sold there would predict, the middle third 2% above, and the third with the most 21% above. It steps up steadily.
• For share of commuters travelling 45 minutes or more each way, after allowing for the 1562 comparisons we ran, luck alone would produce a pattern this strong about 1 time in 29. Take out any single state and the share of commuters travelling 45 minutes or more each way pattern still holds.
• Weak spot: compare only states with similar registered cars and trucks per resident and the pattern keeps about 43% of its strength, so part of it may come from registered cars and trucks per resident instead of share of commuters travelling 45 minutes or more each way.

Long daily commutes put more highway and stop-and-go miles on brakes, tires, suspension and the drivetrain.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year 2019-2023, counties summed to states (B08303), joined to NHTSA owner complaints · file downloaded 2026-10-06