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
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2017) - AIR BAGS
Jun 29, 2024
Incident date: Jun 22, 2024
Passenger Air bag recall
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
The dashboard has a crack around the edge of the passenger airbag. I am trying to find out if this is a safety issue for airbag deployment.
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
Vehicle reported a Passenger Restraint Failure intermittently and upon getting diagnosed is related to a faulty seat occupancy sensor. If this sensor can fail ~4yrs of ownership with < 30k miles driven and it is critical to passenger restraint, it would seem that this should be fixed by BMW. With quick search, the problem doesn't seem isolated: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
GM (Buick) issued this recall over a year ago In spite of numerous phone calls, e-mails, there is no remedy in sight and I have to wonder if GM intends to follow through with a remedy for this issue or just ignore it and run out the clock with no fear of any repercussions for them. Do Fed regulations really have any teeth in them to provide incentive for GM to care about their customers. The d... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2024
Airbag malfunction. The warning on the car is PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION
Incident date: Jun 2, 2024
Truck was exiting highway driver tried to disengage cruise control, would not disengage. Driver put truck in neutral to slow down truck but didnt slow down enough to avoid accident. Driver and passenger are in hospital with several injuries. The air bags did not deploy during accident. Insurance is inspecting vehicle.
Crash
1 injured
HYUNDAI
SONATA HYBRID
(2014) - AIR BAGS
Jun 28, 2024
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
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 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Traverse. 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 experi... Read more
BRIDGESTONE
ECOPIA EP422 PLUS
(9999) - AIR BAGS
Jun 28, 2024
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
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 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 was made... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2024) - AIR BAGS
Jun 28, 2024
Incident date: Jun 25, 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
I been trying to get the recalls to be fix but both the dealers and GM haven’t been able to help due to parts discontinued, I been trying to get this issued resolve for a year or so. I need help please, they just keep saying that all recalls on this vehicle don’t have the parts for it and don’t know what else to do.
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
On 6/22/24 I made a left turn, stopped to park. I shifted the gear into reverse and heard a loud pop sound then smoke start coming from underneath the driver side of the hood. I put the car into park and lifted the hood, there were flames on the driver side of the car. The fire department was contacted and put the fire out. The car is totaled.
Fire
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
The vehicle airbag light malfunctions and stays on. It can cause the airbag to deploy or on deploy in a crash. This is an issue with many 2017 Nissan Altimas.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2014) - AIR BAGS
Jun 27, 2024
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
I placed my laptop bag, which weighs less than 15 lbs., on the passenger seat. Despite this, the seatbelt warning system continues to alert me about the seatbelt not being worn. The passenger seat should be able to detect when a human passenger is present. Unfortunately, I have to buckle the seatbelt to turn off the warning light and chime, even though there is no human passenger or item weighing ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Lexus TX350. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V461000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not ma... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
Every light is on in the dash compartment. Power steering goes in and out. Brake lights not working even after being replaced. Car stuck in park unable to put into reverse. ABS/ Airbag light showing- ABS Sensor replaced and still not working Recall in 2022. Kia repaired vehicle and now that same issues are occurring Kia refuses to even look at vehicle without payment of 180.00 to just LOOK!
Incident date: Jun 21, 2024
Air bag light is on telling that is mulfunctioning
Incident date: Jun 27, 2021
I was hit by another car who ran the red light. No airbag deployment at all, in serious crash. Whole front end hit without airbags going off. The engine was smoking and the brake would not work after inpact to keep it from rolling
Crash
1 injured
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Jun 27, 2024
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 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 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 was ... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2024
The components or systems that have failed are (Catalytic Converter, Exhaust Manifold, Air Bag Control Module, Engine including head gasket) My safety is at risk due to catalytic converter not functioning properly producing harmful carbon monoxide that can be smelled through air vents, Air bag control module not functioning which will not able to initiate the deployment of airbag in the event of ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 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 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 was mad... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2024
The contact owned a 2024 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH a second vehicle traveling at speeds above 80 MPH crashed into the rear end of the vehicle. During the crash no air bags inside the vehicle deployed. The front driver sustained injuries to the back, neck, and right wrist and the front passenger sustained injuries to the back, neck, and left wrist. Bo... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s and rear passenger’s side air bags deployed without a crash or an impact. The contact stated that the front passenger’s seat and rear passenger’s seat were damaged due to the air bags deploying. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
The dash screen is blank and dead since 2 days. Also i am getting the airbag disabled notification. There is no way to see the odometer and speedometer. Also the dash screens keeps rebooting while driving.
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
Driving NB when a Toyota Corolla drove into my lane of traffic hitting me head on. No air bag deployed in my RAV but all air bags deployed in the Corolla. No air bag light was on prior to the accident. My vehicle data recorder was copied by a Bosch technician and forwarded to Toyota Corp. The body shop manager stated that my vehicle was the first he had encountered with the extent of front damag... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 23, 2024
Air bag error message comes on and off while driving
Incident date: Jun 23, 2024
No matter what speed I am driving at or whether or not there is a passenger my service safety restraint system light comes on randomly and shuts off randomly. I called the dealership and they brushed it off saying it just means the airbag wont deploy if I were to get into an accident. Great thanks that makes me feel real safe! I see several people complaining about this as well and think it might ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
Started receiving Error RCM_a056 Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault. The vehicle shows that the passenger airbags are DISABLED after the alert is issued. I am working under the assumption that all passenger airbags (front, side, overhead) are currently disabled at all times. This puts my family at risk if there were to be a collision. Tesla seems to know exactly what the problem is ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
My car has been brought into the shop over two times due to a recall that has no yet been resolved and has no time frame as to when there will be available parts created to fix this issue. The passenger air bag is in for a recall as in case of anything, the air bag will not deploy correctly or at all. This is a major safety issue as it can cause the death of the person rising in the passenger seat... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
I was driving straight on the freeway maintaining the speed limit when the driver side side curtain airbag and driver side seat airbag spontaneously deployed. Due to the loud noise and not expecting this to happen I was in complete shock but was able to safely move the car off the freeway with very obstructed vision due to the airbag being deployed. I lost temporary hearing in my left ear due to t... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2011) - AIR BAGS
Jun 26, 2024
Incident date: Apr 25, 2023
I have a recall on my vehicle due to unsafe airbags. It has been over a year and Buick is still not making replacements. Not only am I driving an unsafe vehicle but I am currently unable to sell my vehicle. This is a very bad situation and I wish to complain to NHTSA about the danger to me and my passengers.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Traverse. 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 experie... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2023
My Porsche Service Center advised that the front passenger airbag sensor of my 2016 Porsche Macan Turbo is not functioning properly. The identified fault was: Airbag (variant 002) B12251B "Seat occupancy sensor on passenger side (BOSE) - resistance too high" I have been advised that NHTSA has issued two recalls on this problem. My Porsche Service Center has advised that the originally installed ... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2024
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. 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
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2024) - AIR BAGS
Jun 26, 2024
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Audi A3 Cabriolet. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was previously taken to the local dealer, where it was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, Audi Richmond (12592 Broad St., Richmond, VA 23233), where it was determined that the module conn... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Jun 26, 2024
Incident date: Mar 20, 2024
VW CarNet module 75 emergency call module and communication unit is "faulty needs replaced". DTC is B20004B and DTC B14D796 "internal malfunction of the module. Needs replaced." I own 3 VWs and this Module keep failing in our VWs this is major Safty concern for me and my Family this service calls 911 and give gps location in an event of an accident and VW is refusing to do a recall on this all th... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V945000 (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 ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse. 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 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... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2023
Airbag did not deploy when in accident that resulted in total loss. Car stuck pole head on, then reversed into another pole before landing in a body of water. Driver was unconscious during accident.
Crash
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the check engine, ABS, air bags, PCM, and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The "Engine Coolant Over Temperature" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak, but the contact was unaware of what needed to be ... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2024
Hi, I had all my side curtain airbags deploy in my truck without any accident and under normal driving conditions. The fronts did not deploy. I had no warning lights or airbag light prior to this event. I spoke with my insurance and they wanted to have my truck inspected. I took it to my local GM dealer. They inspected my truck and looked at the data from the airbag system and determined that they... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (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 ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2022
In January 2024 my airbag light came on, I had purchased an extended warranty and the dealer replaced the Drivers Seat back assembly. April 2024, same airbag light came on, dealer diagnose it being the passenger seat back needing replaced this time. No longer covered by my extended warranty, wanted over $1000 to repair. This is obviously an ongoing issue and should not be a responsibility of the ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2023
The contact owned a 2018 Toyota Sienna The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the contact was rear-ended and the vehicle lost control and the vehicle rolled over multiple times and fell into a ditch. The contact stated that the side air bags did deploy but the front air bags did not deploy vduring the accident. Medical attention was given to the contact and her family in which they were transpor... Read more
Crash
4 injured
Incident date: May 1, 2024
I was getting on the freeway and was hit by another driver (who fled the scene and didn’t get caught) and my truck spun around 180 before catching bushes and rolling three times smashing my front end and almost collapsing my roof and my airbags failed to deploy as well as my seatbelt tensioner not tightening resulting in me breaking my back in three spots. I was going approximately 35-45 mph and... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
Air bag is showing not working and seat belt shows not secure along with warning light on dash. Not feeling secure in driving vehicle with kids or myself, dealer was advised and would not replace it unless i paid for it $1000.00 and they charged $200.00 to diagnose the issue that is considered a safety problem. Warning lights all over the dash, not safe driving. They are telling me its the occupan... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
I tried to get the service done Iam a one vehicle owner the dealership told me I had to pay out of pocket for the rental car with no set day of service The dealership didn’t care whether I got the recall done cause of the year of the vehicle they provided no transportation solution
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2013) - AIR BAGS
Jun 25, 2024
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN ON A RECALL FOR AIR BAG SAFETY CONCERN FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. I HAVE CALLED NUMEROUS TIMES GM CUSTOMER SERVICE AND COMPLAINED THAT MY LOCAL DEALERS REFUSES TO REPLACE THIS ITEM. EVERY TIME I HAVE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, I HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE RUNAROUND REGARDING THIS SAFETY ISSUE. I KEEP GETTING NOTICES OF THE RECALL BUT WHAT GOOD IS IT WHEN GM AND THE DEALERSHIPS REFUSE TO REP... Read more
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
The contact owned a 2009 Volkswagen Routan. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the contact suffered a medical emergency and lost control of the vehicle. The contact's vehicle crashed into the rear of a semi-truck. In addition, the contact's vehicle crashed into a ditch. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The paramedics and the Police arrived on the scene. A Poli... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure... Read more