Do transmission fluid change problems track share of workers who drive to work alone across states?

A weak hint, not a firm finding: across U.S. states, NHTSA owner complaints about transmission fluid change run higher where share of workers who drive to work alone is higher, after adjusting for the makes sold in each state. This is an association across states, not proof that share of workers who drive to work alone causes this repair.

How to read it: Each dot is a state. Further right means more share of workers who drive to work alone; 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 workers who drive to work alone.

What it shows: States with more share of workers who drive to work alone tend to sit higher on the chart across 36 states: a pattern in the data, not proof of cause.

• The 10 states with the most share of workers who drive to work alone (Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, West Virginia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, Nebraska, Tennessee): reports of this repair run 15% above what the makes sold there would predict, and 6 of 10 are above expected. The 10 with the least (New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington, Maryland, Colorado, California, Illinois, Arizona, Utah): 6% below, and 3 of 10 are above expected.
• Exceptions: Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana are among the highest in share of workers who drive to work alone but report below expected; Utah (40% above expected) is among the lowest but above expected.
• Split the states into thirds: the third with the least share of workers who drive to work alone runs 0% above what the makes sold there would predict, the middle third 6% above, and the third with the most 20% above. It steps up steadily.
• For share of workers who drive to work alone, after allowing for the 1562 comparisons we ran, luck alone would produce a pattern this strong about 1 time in 4. The share of workers who drive to work alone pattern leans on Washington: without it, it weakens.
• Weak spot: compare only states with similar workers who drive alone to work and the pattern keeps about 0% of its strength, so part of it may come from workers who drive alone to work instead of share of workers who drive to work alone.
• For share of workers who drive to work alone, of the 5 exception states, 3 read the same way for the other parts of the system (so that is the system there, not this repair) and 2 are specific to this repair.

Where most workers drive alone, each worker puts every commute mile on one car instead of sharing the wear with carpools or transit.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year 2019-2023, counties summed to states (B08301), joined to NHTSA owner complaints · file downloaded 2026-10-06