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: Dec 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (Air Bags). The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle struck a deer that jumped in the middle of the roadway impacting the vehicle on the front driver's side. The contact was attempting to pull over when another vehicle rear-ended her vehicle while driving at an unknown s... Read more
Crash
3 injured
HONDA
ACCORD HYBRID
(2019) - AIR BAGS
Oct 30, 2024
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Corolla. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not 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: Oct 19, 2024
Good morning I am sure you are well aware of the cvt transmission problems with the Nissan pathfinder 2014. . Well I just join the group of Nissan [XXX] drivers . I had my cvt transmission replaced and I am still getting the judder as they call it each time I accelerate. Mileage was roughly 143K when I had notice these judder problems . Went to AAMCO had a new cvt transmission put in drive roughly... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2024
Leather dash defective and is shrinking potentially interfering with airbag deployment on the front passenger side
Incident date: Sep 18, 2024
Dec 20,2023 Manufacturer Recall Number23TB15 NHTSA Recall Number23V865 Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet available When will this be resolved? Can Toyota inspect my vehicle now?
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Mustang. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 15V319000 (Air Bags) and 19V001000 (Air Bags); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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 ava... Read more
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Challenger. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the instrument panel was damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated that the battery was rep... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. The contact stated that after his wife had driven the vehicle, upon restarting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. Additionally, the traction control and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the warning lights were illuminated due to an unknown sensor failure. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2024
The contact's friend owned a 2020 Chevrolet Impala E. The contact stated that while her friend was driving at 25 MPH and approaching a curve, he inadvertently lost control of the vehicle. As a result, the vehicle left the roadway, rolled, and came to a complete stop with all four wheels facing upwards after colliding with a tree. Though the vehicle rolled on its back no air bags were deployed. N... Read more
Crash
1 injured
MERCEDES-BENZ
SPRINTER 3500
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Oct 29, 2024
Incident date: Sep 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 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 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 experience... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2022) - AIR BAGS
Oct 29, 2024
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the daytime running lights failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the lights were not operating as designed. The contact was informed that the front driver’s side headlight unit needed to be replaced. The headlight unit was replaced. The manufac... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 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 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: May 2, 2024
I got a recall about the airbag but the dealership said remedy is not available yet and im trying to ship out my car overseas
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Honda HR-V. The contact stated while her daughter was driving 30 MPH, the driver attempted to switch lanes to prevent another vehicle from crashing into her vehicle. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized inadvertently, causing the vehicle to drive off the road. The vehicle hit the sidewalk and drove into the ditch, where the vehicle hit a small hill. The air bag... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 27, 2024
SERVICE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT on and car has not been in any major accidents requiring an airbag. Also, causes the car horn to not work. Dangerous because if I should happen to get in a major accident the airbag may not deploy, I can not warn cars about to back into me because the horn doesn't work.
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
SERVICE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT on and car has not been in any major accidents requiring an airbag. Also, causes the car horn to not work. Dangerous because if I should happen to get in a major accident the airbag may not deploy, I can not warn cars about to back into me because the horn doesn't work.
Incident date: Oct 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Mazda CX-3. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that occasionally the air bag warning light flashed off and on. Additionally, the rear hatch door failed to open as needed. The cause of the failures has not yet been determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, b... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
Drivers airbag cover is cracked/splitting, seems to be following the release seam of airbag. I am worried that it will continue, or the airbag will malfunction. Took truck to local FORD dealer and was told that this issue was not covered under my warranty nor restraint system warranty. No warnings, no messages prior.
Incident date: Oct 28, 2024
I have owned this vehicle for not even a year and bought it as a family car. It only has 24k miles. I have had consistent problems with it since the purchase. The vehicle has shut off SIX times while I've been driving. The first time I was stopped at a stop light when my car shut off. I took it in for service and VW said they couldn't "replicate the issue" so they wouldn't do anything. It has shut... Read more
HONDA
ACCORD HYBRID
(2019) - AIR BAGS
Oct 28, 2024
Incident date: Oct 21, 2024
I have contacted multiple dealers to repair the recall. However, none of the dealers have the parts to repair it and does not know when they will have parts. They asked me to keep checking because they will not be contacting me when the parts are available. I am using my vehicle everyday and I have a passenger present at all times. I do not want to get in an accident and have my passengers in dang... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota RAV4. 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
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while his mother was driving at 20 MPH and attempting to complete a left turn. another driver failed to stop at a red light, as a result, the contact's mother was struck by the other vehicle on the passenger's side; however, the air bags did not deploy. In addition, the seat belt failed to retract. No warning lights were illuminated. The v... Read more
Crash
1 injured
ARROYO
GRAND SPORT A/S
(9999) - AIR BAGS
Oct 28, 2024
Incident date: Oct 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while the wife was driving approximately 25 MPH and pressing the brake pedal to stop, the braking system malfunctioned causing the brake pedal to extend to the floorboard and the vehicle crashed into the rear end of a second vehicle. During the crash, no air bags deployed, and no injuries were reported. A police report was taken at the... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
I own a 2019 VW Atlas SE, purchased it new. The car has never been in an accident of any sort. While away from town this weekend, on Saturday an "airbag error" popped up on the car when starting the car Saturday morning. Had no idea, texted my VW dealership and brought the car in Monday morning. Note: I had to drive home ~80 miles on Sunday. Apparently the drivers side from seat belt assembly... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2024
Recall has been since June and still no remedy. Lexus needs to offer buy backs to customers.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
I own a 2019 Dodge Charger, and it has an open recall for the airbag inflator, which poses a serious safety risk. Despite the recall being issued over six months ago, replacement parts are still unavailable. Due to this safety concern, I am unable to drive my vehicle far from home, significantly impacting my usage. Additionally, I used to rent this vehicle on Turo to generate income, but it has be... Read more
FREIGHTLINER
CASCADIA
(2022) - AIR BAGS
Oct 27, 2024
Incident date: Oct 27, 2024
When outside temperature drops, car starts in morning with several warning lights illuminated, indicating fault with several safety systems including airbags, brake, power steering, front camera, blind-spot collision warning system, traction control and smart cruise control. Car key fobs have consistently failed, disabling access to the vehicle. The vehicles 12V reset recently failed which require... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2024
I was 3 hrs away from home and I started my vehicle and the air bag light began flashing and beeping. The light was on the message board that indicates my speed, clock, fuel, etc. it basically is the information center for the car. I pushed the information button on the steering wheel to clear it but it kept blinking and flashing the entire way home. I also turned off the engine and restarted it b... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2024
On [XXX] I was involved in a collision with another vehicle on [XXX] , while driving my 2023 Toyota bZ4X. Despite the impact's severity, the airbags in my vehicle did not deploy, even though the other vehicle’s airbags did, suggesting that the impact was sufficient to trigger airbag deployment in similar conditions. After the accident, the Toyota app displayed a warning message indicating that t... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Feb 29, 2024
Passenger restrained seatbelt signal. There is bulletin in google: SIB 72 04 17. There are recalls for this vehicle but dealer want accept it.
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Odyssey. The contact received recall notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V501000(Air Bags) and 15V320000(Air Bags) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list because he no longer owns the vehicle. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted from fourth to first gear, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The air bag and power train warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the PCM needed to be reprogra... Read more
LAND ROVER
DISCOVERY
(2017) - AIR BAGS
Oct 25, 2024
Incident date: Sep 10, 2024
The contact owned a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would lose automotive power. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the negative battery was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at approximately 45 MPH, a deer ran into the middle of the roadway and impacted the front grill and bumpe... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Buick LaCrosse. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s and driver’s seat air bags and the front passenger’s and driver’s door air bags deployed without an impact to the vehicle. The vehicle as taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle had not been diagnosed yet. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mec... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C250. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH, the front passenger's side air bag unexpectedly deployed with no impact on the vehicle. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact parked and then restarted the vehicle before driving to the residence. The contact sustained bruises and scratches on his forearm, but medical attention was not receiv... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 35-45 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle was slow to respond. The check brakes system message was displayed. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and 21V158000 (Air Bags); however, the parts to do the recal... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V444000 (Power Train), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the recall repair was performed. The contact stated while at 60-65 MPH, the transmission downshifted unexpectedly. The contact stated that upon depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond while the engine was rev... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2024) - AIR BAGS
Oct 25, 2024
Incident date: Oct 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Chrysler 300. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V198000 (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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts... Read more
CHEVROLET
EQUINOX EV
(2024) - AIR BAGS
Oct 25, 2024
Incident date: Oct 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Charger. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V198000 (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... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 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 several times. 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 n... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2024
The contact owned a 2020 Jeep Renegade. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped on the expressway for roadway construction, another vehicle rear-ended the rear driver's side. The contact's head and face struck the steering wheel, causing a nosebleed. The vehicle spun and collided with two to three other occupied vehicles; however, the contact did not know if anyone was injured. The a... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 24, 2024
The airbag light turns on whenever someone else drives the car and moves the driver seat. The light stays on until we clear the code and then starts over again when someone moves the seat. The airbag code said that there was a problem with the sensor in the driver seat and the airbag may not deploy. The dealer wants more than $3,000 to fix this problem but I believe it is a manufacturer defect ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2024
MY [XXX] ’S) SUDDEN ACCELERATION INCIDENT [XXX] - TOYOTA RAV4 2021: I was gliding into a parking space with my foot on the brake and as I went to straighten out the wheel to come to a full stop the car lurched forward full speed and smashed into the car parked in the row that was facing me. Good thing there was no one in that car, it had been backed in so I hit the rear end of it. The damage ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
Recently, the front right airbag impact sensor (part 68284052AA) went bad. So I went ahead and bought a new one (68606357AA) off of Faulkner Ram dealership out of Mechanicsburg, PA. But the new sensor did not work. The old sensor which is part 68284052AA was superseded by 68606357AA. But 68606357AA is not compatible with the ORC module in my truck. I tried 3 different new 68606357AA sensors. None ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
On 20/14/2024 I was traveling down a highway at approximately 40 mph when a vehicle pulled out in front of me with virtually no warning. The front of my vehicle struck the driver's side of the other vehicle, causing significant damage to both; my vehicle was subsequently "totaled". My primary concern is the failure of the airbags to deploy; none did so. Airbag malfunction. I suffered multiple inj... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Mustang. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V001000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that several local dealers declined to perform the recall repair on the vehicle. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer... Read more
KIA
SPORTAGE HYBRID
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Oct 24, 2024
Incident date: Oct 16, 2024
The recall has been an ongoing issue; since I am from a smaller valley, Imperial Valley, my dealership has not been able to provide the parts for the repair, this is a major recall seeing as the passenger seat airbag may not deploy. I see no urgency to repair and no customer care. I personally have had to call the dealership asking for updates multiple times and no one is able to assist with the r... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
Passenger occupancy sensor malfunctions all the time and there are hundreds of claims regarding this issue but was never addressed by the manufacturer The same issue prompted a recall in older models but has not been corrected in newer ones
Incident date: Sep 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V001000 (Air Bags). The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact was able to drive to the residence by using manual strength to steer the vehicle.... Read more