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: Jun 19, 2026
I had a recall for my ODS sensor which controls the passenger airbag. I went and had it "taken care" of due to a recall. They did not fix it. My passenger airbag will still randomly shut off while I am driving down the road. I tried talking tk the dealership and they only say "we fixed the part we needed to replace". This is a huge safety issue. If I were tk wreck and my passenger airbag was turne... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2023
B1760 code for ODS AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON AND THE LIGHT FOR PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF is On. There is a recall open for many other Subarus, same make, model & year. Safety concern for my daughter as she rides passenger. I had the problem diagnosed and documented receipt from ACS in Roseville California. I contacted Maita Subaru of Sacramento and they said there is not and wasn’t a recall for my S... Read more
DODGE
CHALLENGER
(2019) - AIR BAGS
Jun 21, 2026
Incident date: Jun 21, 2026
I feel asleep at the wheel somehow ended up hitting the car in front of me i know adaptive cruisae was on. After i hit the car i woke up and then ended up in a ditchg no airbags deployed or anything. I don't remember what happenedf up until i woke up. which was after i hit the car in front of me.
Crash
Incident date: Jun 20, 2026
I purchased this truck from Don’s Ford, Rt12,Utica,NY in February 2025 didn’t even leave the dealership every light in the dash came on turned around they had my truck for 5 months while I made 6 months of payments, there has been numerous problems since, I took the extended warranty out and was still being charged, I had to change dealer ships because they refused to fix my truck, now there i... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
This is a follow-up to NHTSA Complaint #11744977 regarding the Occupant Detection System on a 2024 Subaru Outback. The passenger airbag indicator showed "off" twice, on separate drives, with two different adult passengers seated normally during regular highway driving. Shifting the seat made the light come back on both times. Since filing the original complaint, the dealer kept the vehicle for mul... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
I bought a 2014 Honda Civic LX at a used car dealership. The day after I bought it, the passenger-side occupant position sensor came on. I returned the car, and they reset it. It came on again, was reset, and when it came on again, it was replaced. The new one came on again. This time I took it to my Honda dealer, and they reset it. It came on again, and I've been living with it since.I am concern... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2026
The clock spring went bad causing failure of horn and all buttons on the steering wheel including cruise control. It also caused the airbag light to illuminate.
Incident date: Sep 19, 2022
My wife was driving the vehicle after dropping off my kid at a swim meet in Dearborn heights MI, the Side curtain and all the passenger side airbags deployed after what she thinks is hitting a pothole. She heard big sound, she initially thought that the window glasses were broken but later realized that all the passenger side airbags deployed. She immediately slowed and took a right on the neighb... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2026
Only when lighter weight adults are in the front seat - if they move around at all the airbag sensor goes off. Meaning the airbags won’t deploy if we get into an accident. Seems like a major flaw! Even if while they are moving around an alarm went off why would it not reset once the person stopped moving around? It stays off for sometime afterward and beeps constantly. This has happened repeated... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
My wife was driving the car to go get food. While she was out she called me and asked me to look at the car when she gets home because she smelled a strange smell in the care. Approximately five minutes after that call she called me again panicking that the side curtain airbags had deployed while she was driving home. She said she was not in an accident and just driving straight down the road. She... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2026
My car was hit from the rear by another vehicle while I was traveling with my [XXX] daughter. The impact was very strong, and one of the tires came off. None of the airbags deployed, and I feel there may have been an issue with the airbag system. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash
1 injured
TOYOTA
RAV4 PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2026) - AIR BAGS
Jun 19, 2026
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
Side airbags deployed while driving for no reason/ no collision. Yes the car is available for inspection. The car was towed to a mechanic shop, while I was picked up by an ambulance. Yes my safety was put at risk as the airbags were deployed while car was in motion, knocking me out unconscious, leaving the car in motion possibly putting others at risk as well. I finally came to and was able to pre... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 7, 2026
Airbag light for driver turned on and took it to the dealership to get it fixed. They fixed it but it came back on and they reset it. A few months later it turned back on and they said they couldn't fix it because that part was not available anymore.
Incident date: Jun 5, 2026
No crash or incident occurred. While starting the vehicle normally, the airbag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed fault code P0588 — driver side airbag igniter at resistance limit. The mechanic confirmed that all airbags are non-functional as a result of this fault. No accident, collision, or unusual event preceded this failure. The part fai... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
On 06/18/2026, the vehicle displayed multiple safety warnings, including ABS malfunction, dynamic stability control/traction control malfunction, Smart Brake Support and Forward Obstruction Warning disabled, possible forward sensing camera malfunction, and airbag/seat belt pre-tensioner malfunction. These warnings involve braking, stability control, collision avoidance, airbag, and seat belt safet... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2026
1. Sometimes when my wife get in the passenger seat the airbag sensor light stays on indicating the the airbag is off. 2. Often when driving with adaptive cruise control on, the car suddenly brakes hard without cause . Sometime when a car in front of me turns right and sometimes if I pass a car parked on the street it will also brake hard for no reason.
Incident date: Apr 28, 2026
THERE is a recall for the year, make and model for driver side airbag, also to do with transmission slipping and both of those I'm currently having issues with on my vehicle but with my vin its not coming up for any of the recalls but I want to request a Investigation on if my vehicle or any other of the same year be added to the recall.
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER SPORT
(2024) - AIR BAGS
Jun 19, 2026
Incident date: Feb 25, 2026
Front passenger airbag light is on and I have been told it is the sensor. This has been recalled on other 2016 CRVs. I think more cars may be affected than those that are recalled.
Incident date: Jun 18, 2026
I hit a deer. The driver’s side roof rail air bag attempted to deploy. The wiring shorted out and electrical smoke filled the cabin.
Incident date: Jun 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Rogue Sport. The contact stated while driving at 65 MPH, the contact noticed an abnormal loud sound. The contact stated that all the air bags independently deployed. The contact stated that the deployed air bags impaired the contact vision. The contact held the steering wheel tightly. The contact stated that the vehicle veered off the road and into a desert. The cont... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 17, 2026
The wipers component failed, wipers would not shut off. When replacing the module for wipers, turn signal and cruise control, it's one big unit, the repair shop noticed that there seems to be some concern with some scorching of the electronics behind the airbag.
Incident date: Jun 16, 2026
It was raining and my passenger got in the car (slightly damp). When he sat down, I reveived an error message on the screen saying "Front passenger safety restraint system issue". The airbag light is red indicating that it won't work for my passenger. You should be able to get into a car wet without your airbag no longer working. My understanding is that this is a common problem. Tesla wants > $1... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
This vehicle recently started experiencing a peeling dashboard on the passenger side immediately near/on the airbag region. This peeling has caused the upholstered leather to come apart from the underpinning of the dashboard and is now a safety issue. There is concern that the passenger side airbag system will not work as intended given the delamination on the dashboard. After some Googling, this ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Palisade. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V607000 (Seat Belts) and 26V034000 (Air Bags); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was not contacted. The parts remained unavailable, however, the contact constantly received emails and letters about the recall campaigns. The vehicle was not diagnosed... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Ridgeline. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 26V365000 (STRUCTURE, SUSPENSION) and 26V332000 (AIR BAGS); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the bolt set needed to perform the suspension recall repair, and the parts needed to perform the a... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2026
Driver and adult passenger were traveling at highway speed on the NJ Turnpike. The passenger noticed that the airbag light on the display showed "Passenger Airbag OFF" We stopped at the next rest area and found guidance online that the Occupant Detection System sometimes doesn't properly register the weight in the seat so shifting the seat could turn the airbag back on. We did this and the light ... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2026
The contact's husband owned a 2005 Audi A4. The contact received several recall letters and cards from the NHTSA and Audi manufacturer for a Takata Air Bag recall. The contact stated that the last notification received stated that the owner could die if the recall was not completed. The contact was adamant and would like the mailing address to be removed from the recall distribution list because t... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2026
We were in a severe car accident and our airbags did not deploy in our vehicle. We were going about 45 miles an hour and had windshield cracking and severe, severe damage to our vehicle. This was a front side, head on impact.
Crash
3 injured
Incident date: Jan 24, 2024
Part 573 Safety Recall Report for the Seat Weight Sensor recall for Honda includes 2017-2021 and certain cars in 2023. Mine Ridgeline is a 2022. My curtain airbags on the drivers side spontaneously deployed while I was driving along a 4-lane highway. I was stunned, but I was able to pull of the road safely, but I am bruised on my shoulder, hip, and thigh due to the impact of the airbags. The 2... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: May 9, 2026
The passenger airbag in my 2019 RAM 1500 (VIN: [XXX] LP: [XXX]) is completely missing. The dashboard was cosmetically repaired to hide the absence, and the warning light was tampered with so no airbag/SRS alert appears. This was only discovered during a recent inspection; I had no prior warning. Inspection by an independent service center is scheduled and I can provide the vehicle for examination ... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Scion XA. The contact stated that while driving through a green light in second gear, another vehicle ran a light from the left and crashed into the driver's side of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact's head struck the side window, and the vehicle spun and was able to come to a stop. The Police arrived on the scene; however, a Police report was not... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
The contact owned a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the driver's side curtain air bag erroneously deployed and struck the left side of the contact's head. The contact immediately pulled over to the side of the road. No warning light was illuminated before or after the failure. Police Officers arrived at the scene, but no police report was filed. T... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
Dealership Lead car GMC Utica, verified code B0074 passenger presence sensor/module, found module internally faulty verified power and ground. This puts safety at risk because the passenger side air bags are off because of the faulty sensor. There is TBS on this issue. Dealership confirmed problem. there were no warning messages before failure, it just failed and now service air bags light is on, ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver stopped to make a turn and another vehicle crashed into the rear of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. No warning light was illuminated. The rear-ended collision caused the front driver's side headrest to detach and fly off into the trunk of the vehicle. The conta... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2007 Pontiac Solstice. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 14V047000 (AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM), 14V171000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) and 17V061000 (AIR BAGS); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact verified that the key could be removed while the ignition was not in the "OFF" position. The vehicle was taken to the d... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2026
Service Safety Restraint System warning light keeps coming on. I have taken it to Classic Chevrolet in Oklahoma City 6 times now for the same issue. I have opened a case with GM(XXX). I have been told that GM engineers have been on the phone with the dealership to get this repaired yet it is back in the shop at the dealership again. It has been explained to me that this warning light indicates tha... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2026
A deer rammed my passager side . airbag light was always on saying passenger airbag off . but when it explodes it injured my passenger . all the airbags didn't activate my car shut down after the incident but a few moments after it regenerated there were all types of debris after the extreme loudness of the air bags explosion. I'm still traumatized.
2 injured
2 deaths
Incident date: Jun 12, 2026
A deer rammed my passager side . airbag light was always on saying passenger airbag off . but when it explodes it injured my passenger . all the airbags didn't activate my car shut down after the incident but a few moments after it regenerated there were all types of debris after the extreme loudness of the air bags explosion. I'm still traumatized.
2 injured
2 deaths
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2018) - AIR BAGS
Jun 17, 2026
Incident date: Feb 21, 2026
Air bag dashboard light is on
Incident date: May 24, 2026
The front passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) sensor wiring has failed in my 2024 Volkswagen Atlas. This failure has disabled the passenger airbag, significantly increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash. VW has advised not to allow any passengers to ride in the front passenger seat until vehicles with this error are repaired. Despite this being the same defect addressed in an ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
The air bags did not deploy on the front passenger side after a two car accident. There was an injury to the passenger of the car. Vehicle was inspected by police and there were no warning signs
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Apr 8, 2025
Airbag service light has come on and upon reading appears to be a major issue among any 2014 dodge durango with the vin starting with 1C4RD…. But not on a recall. Appears to be a bad OCR. Unsure why other Chrysler made vehicles known with this issue were recalled but not the 2014 dodge durangos Very concerning that the airbags won’t deploy if in an accident
GMC
SIERRA 3500
(2026) - AIR BAGS
Jun 16, 2026
Incident date: Jun 10, 2026
Vehicle: 2019 Tesla Model X VIN: [XXX] My horn stopped working, and Tesla Service diagnosed the issue as a “known issue” with the driver airbag module, stating the entire airbag assembly must be replaced. They quoted me several thousand dollars for the repair. A horn failure caused by the airbag assembly is a safety defect, and Tesla has an active NHTSA recall (25V‑172) for Model X vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2026
On XXX at approximately 6:04 PM, the vehicle was being driven on a highway in [XXX] — after dark, during an active snowstorm, on slick roads, at approximately 40 MPH — when the front passenger-side airbag deployed spontaneously with no collision, no impact, and no warning of any kind. There were no prior warning lamps or symptoms. The deployment cracked the windshield and caused interior damag... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
Black Nissan exterior driving recklessly, weaving in and out of traffic brake, checking several cars cut me off. Break check the FedEx truck in front of me twice. Was able to Veer to the right, avoiding directful impact with the FedEx truck in front of me. Airbags did not deploy, and my head cracked. The windshield seat belt was on as I had bruising on my ribs and across my chest from the seat bel... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
Dashboard separation concerned with airbag. Every day driving you run the risk of more damage. Have spoken to Koons Ford who states cannot help due to warranty. No one has looked at it except for pictures. This should not be the owners responsibility since I am not alone with issues of this problem
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) - AIR BAGS
Jun 16, 2026
Incident date: Jun 14, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50-60 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering abnormally. The message "Restraint Safety System" was displayed, and the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a co... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER
(2021) - AIR BAGS
Jun 16, 2026
Incident date: Mar 3, 2026
1. Component / System Failed: The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) / Driver’s Inboard Seat Airbag circuit has chronically failed, leaving the vehicle's primary safety restraint systems disabled. The faulty components and the physical service records documenting the failure are fully available for inspection upon request. 2. Safety Risk: The driver's safety and the safety of passengers are pu... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2025
SRS weight sensor failure-- triggers the dashboard warning light and disables my passenger airbag. My SRS light is on continuously. There is a current Honda recall for this issue for my make and model; however, do to my VIN not being listed, the Honda dealership wants to charge me a diagnostic fee plus the repair costs for the exact issue that the current recall is listed for. My VIN needs to b... Read more