Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 129,250 complaints - component: AIR BAGS
Incident date: Oct 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated when the vehicle was started, the air bag sensor warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the passenger occupant sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related... Read more
Incident date: Nov 9, 2024
This was such a strange occurance. After pulling off from a stop sign attempting a right turn, my vehicle stalled, readjusted, then stalled again. I was driving on a cobblestone road while it was raining, but did not find any issues with vision or traction. However, during this process, my passenger airbag deployed out of nowhere causing me to immediately stop the car to see if I had hit something... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
I was in an accident on 7/25/2024, my vehicle was completely stopped and pulled over. The impact occurred when another vehicle, traveling at around 35 mph or less (the posted speed limit), struck my vehicle with significant force, the rear suspension of my structural frame of my vehicle was severely damaged. Given the intensity of the collision and the resulting damage, I’m concerned that none o... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 7, 2024
I was involved in a head on collision when a motorist driving in the wrong lane hit the front of my car in the evening of 10/2/24. The impact was huge and my car was totaled. However, my airbag did not deploy and I hit my chest and knees very hard against the steering wheel and dashboard. Airbag deployment is a basic safety feature during an accident particularly in a luxury vehicle like Mercedes ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 10, 2024
My vehicle started showing the airbag light on and it ended up being the clock spring, many jeep wranglers have being recalled because the same issue. The clock spring is the one that controls cruise, airbag, horn, traction, etc. i took it to the dealership and they said the vehicle was showing the B1B02 code, witch the the same why all the other jeeps were recalled but there is not a recall yet f... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2024
This is a 2018 Jeep Wrangler 2018 JKU RHD and this vehicle starting to get the airbag light on and off in the dash! I brought it to a dealer to read it and they said the code is the B1B02 that means the clock spring is going out and it wasnt safe to drive it because the air bag will not deploy. Looking for all the info about it, i found out they have a recall is some Specific years but why it is n... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2014) - AIR BAGS
Nov 10, 2024
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
An important Safety recall was issued on December 20th 2023 dealing with OCS sensors in the front passenger seat. This was 11 months ago. We are taking a cross country trip with my family and am concerned that this problem has yet to be addressed. Again the recall notice was issued on December 20th 2023.your website said to contact you if the manufacturer has not acted on this recall as of yet.... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2024
The airbag indicator red light has turned on without any collision or accident.
MERCEDES-BENZ
E 300
(2018) - AIR BAGS
Nov 10, 2024
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
My transmission oil cooler failed causing issues with the coolant system P2797-00 Auxiliary Transmission Fluid Pump & U0155-00 lost communication with cluster/cabin compartment node B0020-13 Left side seat Airbag deployment squib 1- circuit open Body Control Module front left turn lamp control-Circuit short to Battery B163A-15 & U0155-00 lost communication with cluster/cabin compartment node ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2024
There is a risk in driving this vehicle as there is a safety recall open on this vehicle. As per the status on nhtsa website it says that remedy will be available in Q3 2024 and that is already passed but there is no fix. When reached to the manufacturer they are unable to provide more info. Also this vehicle was sold to me by Toyota dealership as a used car without disclosing this safety issue. ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2024
There is a current recall for the RHD version of my Jeep for the clockspring. The bad clockspring causes many issues including air bag deployment issues. This issue does also affect the LHD. I’m currently dealing with it myself.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
Cruise control suddenly turns off. Clock spring issue with steering wheel. Buttons on steering wheel occasionally don’t work
FORD
F-150 HYBRID
(2021) - AIR BAGS
Nov 9, 2024
Incident date: Nov 7, 2024
Airbags and passenger seatbelt lights are on. Possibly Recalls
Incident date: Sep 14, 2024
A deer ran into my vehicle while I’m traveling at 55MPH and my airbags did not deploy. My vehicle is leaking fluids and smoking.
Crash
Incident date: Nov 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Avenger. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the warning lights on the instrument panel flashed on and off. The contact stated that the horn was inadvertently honked while the vehicle was losing motive power. The vehicle was restarted; however, the fa... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2014) - AIR BAGS
Nov 8, 2024
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
My Toyota Dealer, Toyota Corporate Customer Service, Toyota Recall Web site, and NHTSA web site have no remedy, no scheduled remedy, and have sent no status reports since recall 23TA15 was issued 12/20/2023. The only data that I can find states an estimated fix by October 2024. Almost 1M vehicles are impacted by OCS defective part that may cause the passenger air bag to fail causing serious inju... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2005 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that failure was intermittent at first but became persistent. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed passenger occupant sensor. The contact was informed that the passenger occupant sensor needed to b... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Nov 8, 2024
Incident date: Nov 6, 2024
BOTH FRONT HEADRESTS ACTIVATED WITHOUT REAR COLLESION WHICH POSED A DANGER TO THOSE OCCUPANTS LOACATED IN EITHER FRONT SEAT. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE HEADRESTS RESET, WAS NOT ABLE TO DO A RESET, WILL HAVE TO PURCHASE NEW HEADRESTS AND HAVE THEM INSTALLED AT A GREAT COST TO THE CUSTOMER.
Incident date: Sep 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2025 Mercedes Benz AMG GLA 35. The contact stated while driving at 35 MPH on a green light, the contact noticed another driver speeding over the limit on her left side which caused the other driver to collide with the contact's vehicle. The contact stated the other vehicle collided with the contact on the driver's side of the vehicle. The contact lost control of the vehicle a... Read more
Crash
1 injured
HONDA
ACCORD HYBRID
(2019) - AIR BAGS
Nov 8, 2024
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
The contact owned a 2006 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a no-fault head-on collision. The vehicle was damaged to the front of the vehicle and the driver's side of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The local police and paramedics were at ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a... Read more
Incident date: Nov 6, 2024
The OCS filter (occupant classification sensor) failed causing a “passenger restraint system fault”. This is simply a poorly designed component that fails. It is extremely common. The repair was quoted at nearly $2000 because the airbag and module have to be upgraded alongside it. Tesla sold a bunch of cars with a faulty $15 sensor, and is forcing $2000 worth of repairs just to get the pas... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
The contact owned a 2006 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that her son was driving at an unknown speed when another vehicle pulled in front of them to change lanes without warning causing her son to t-bone the vehicle and sending the other driver's vehicle to spin crashing into other vehicles nearby. The air bags deployed however their son received 2nd-degree burns on their right and 1st-degree ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 21, 2024
I have not been able to use my front seat for over 6 months now due to a recall that has no remedy. I am a family of 5 that is not able to take the complete family ina car ride due to airbag recall.
GRAND DESIGN
SOLITUDE
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Nov 7, 2024
Incident date: May 30, 2024
Problem 1. Service airbag light. We bought our brand new 2017 Pacifica the summer of 2017. Within a month, we took the van in to the dealership due to the service airbag light. They told us they couldn’t replicate the issue so they couldn’t fix the issue. The van has been having the same issue for the past 7 years, the service airbag light randomly popped on especially in the summer/winter whe... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
The contact owned a 2007 Dodge Caliber. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact's vehicle was involved in a head-on collision, which was no fault of the contact. The contact's vehicle was damaged to the front of the vehicle and on the passenger's front side of the vehicle. The contact stated that the other driver's vehicle crashed into the contact's vehicle at a hi... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Outlook. The contact stated that the air bag, the traction control, and the electronic stability control warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that after opening the liftgate with the power liftgate button, the liftgate unexpectedly lowered, and struck her on the head. The contact stated that the failure had occurred twice. The contact had head pain, bu... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 7, 2024
I KEEP GETTING RECALL NOTICES FOR THIS VEHICLE WHICH I RETURNED TO THE DEALER BECAUSE IT WAS A LEMON. THE CAR DEALERSHIP IS ATKINS KROLL, GUAM. THEY SWITCHED OUT THIS VEHICLE WITH A 2016 MODEL.
Incident date: Jul 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2008 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 253,000.
Incident date: Nov 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Buick Enclave. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experie... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC300. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the air bag warning light remained illuminated, indicating that the front passenger’s side seat air bag was inoperable. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was approximate... Read more
OUTLAW
SLIM-G SERIES
(9999) - AIR BAGS
Nov 7, 2024
Incident date: Nov 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Acura RDX. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, a deer unexpectedly crashed into the middle of the front end of the vehicle. The contact stated that after the impact, the front driver's side knee bolster air bag gradually deployed and exploded, causing a 5-inch opened wound on the contact's right leg. The contact stated that her leg was bleeding significan... Read more
Crash
1 injured
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Nov 7, 2024
Incident date: Sep 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota Venza. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH the vehicle suddenly hydroplaned causing the driver to loose control of the steering and the vehicle crashed into a concrete median. The contact stated that during the crash the frontend of the vehicle was damaged but no air bags deployed. No injuries were reported. Police were called to the scene but ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 7, 2024
I was sold a vehicle from a dealership in Green Bay Wisconsin under the impression all safety regulations were met. The day I drove it off the lot, I had issues with the back drivers' door, making wind noise. I had messaged the salesman, he stated it may have been the door seal. Days went by, it wasn't sitting well with me, I made an appointment with a local body shop in. regard's to the door and ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Passport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer and two other dealers, Buena Park Honda (6411 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90621) and Norm Re... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer w... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
My airbag light goes on intermittently. I have no idea why. I took it to an independent repair shop and they said that they could not help me, I needed to check with the dealer to see if there was a recall. I checked for recalls, and there was no recall. Additionally, the tire pressure sensors also turn on intermittently even when tire pressure is correct.
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Honda Civic. The contact stated that when attempting to make a left turn into a parking lot, after being idle, the steering wheel seized while still turned to the left. This caused the vehicle to continue turning to the left. The vehicle resulted in crashing into another vehicle nearby ultimately coming to a complete stop. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact's left ... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Nov 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Acadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000(Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
My car was purchased on Sept 5th, only to be told there was a recall and could not legally be released to me. Its been months and still no answers.
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
I had this car for seven months and in June 13,2024 car failed and caused accident.Prior to the accident the car was shutting off in traffic .Then June 13,2024 caused accident when going to work Car lost control due to computer issues.My vehicle camera and reporter recorded the whole thing and my foot was on break all way to accident.State farm insurance has a recorder and was shown. I'm reporting... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
As I have owned several GMC Yukons in the past, I was familiar with their dashboards cracking even when still under warranty. However, when my 2014 Yukon dashboard cracked, just out of warranty, I was shocked at the cost to replace and install a new dashboard. Thus, the replacement dashboard and labor charge to install it was simply unfeasable. As the dashboard continued to crack during the sum... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Acadia. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000(Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An unknown local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2022
The vehicle airbag is not fixed yet it is almost on year now. Either had to fix or issue new car. even the price come down now lost money due to bad name. when driving suddenly the safety fails and shows error the blind spot. And there is another recall also electrical one they ask us to come fix. How come a car be safe if airbags do not deploy you have to force them fix it please one year is too ... Read more
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Nov 5, 2024
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
The contact owned a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH when a medical emergency was experienced causing him to lose consciousness, as a result, the vehicle drifted off the roadway and crashed into a tree head-on where the vehicle came to a stop. During the impact, the front driver side, front passenger side, and passenger side curtain air bags were deployed however the dri... Read more
Crash
1 injured
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE 4XE
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Nov 5, 2024
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
My tire went flat, went to pull over and when my tire went blow , the driver seat airbag came out that’s not right because it’s no wreck no accident no nothing. I just don’t understand what could’ve went wrong with just a tire going flat on the passenger sideand then the driver seat airbag went off no collision no damage no nothing to vehicle my screen go out in the car I lose power whe... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2024
I was driving in a parking lot and suddenly my air bag deployed for no reason I did not hit anyone or get hit for the airbag to deploy. Suffered some bruising on my right forearm and in my left ear I still hear ringing from the airbag deploying.
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 2, 2024
Honda has sent me numerous mailers advertising a gift card and loaner vehicle as incentives for participating in their Takata recall. Honda also cites the promise of a loaner vehicle in every press release trumpeting their so-called commitment to this recall. My local Honda dealership refuses to provide a loaner vehicle. I reported this problem to Honda expecting them to intervene, but I receiv... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Acura RDX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a f... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX450H. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not... Read more