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: May 24, 2024
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? >>> The passenger detection hardware underneath the front passenger seat had faulty wiring. The repaired hardware completed by Tesla this week is available for inspection upon request. I did take amateur photos of my seat hardware before-and-after repair. How was your safety or the safety of other... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Chrysler 200. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver’s side rear headrest air bags exploded causing the driver to get whiplash. The vehicle was taken to the mechanic where it was diagnosed with having a manufacturer defect; however, the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the co... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2024
There is an open recall for curtain side airbag with no remedy available. In April 2024, vehicle displayed service airbag system. vehicle was taken to dealership and the issue was the passenger seat harness airbag. Dealership states it is a warranty issue and I had to pay a deductible. With the no remedy on the recall and the other issue I had, Dodge Chargers are having issues with the airbags.
Incident date: May 9, 2024
The contact owned a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while stopped in congested traffic, the vehicle was rear-ended by another vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. As a result, the vehicle was sent careening head-on into the vehicle ahead before coming to a complete stop. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and d... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, and while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. 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 excee... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2020) - AIR BAGS
May 24, 2024
Incident date: May 24, 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 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 exp... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2024
Air bag light continues to stay on even after having the recall of the wiring harness replaced. Went to the dealership and had the air bag inflater recall fixed on April 1,2021 the light came on and continued to stay on. On 5/24/2024 I serviced my vehicle at Honda of Cleveland and they stated I had an air bag code stating that my driver side airbag sensor is bad but because they fixed the recall... Read more
Incident date: May 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at 45–50 MPH, he was blinded by the sun and crashed into the rear of a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta. The air bags did not deploy. The contact noticed that the service air bag message was displayed on his app after the crash. The contact sustained injuries to his head and cervical spine, and medical attention was provided. A polic... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH and attempting to avoid a second vehicle the husband lost control of the steering and crashed into a tree. During the crash the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged but the front driver's side air bag did not deploy. The front passenger side curtain air bag did deploy although no passenger was se... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 1, 2024
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: Jan 8, 2024
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 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
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2020) - AIR BAGS
May 23, 2024
Incident date: May 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 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 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: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 1998 Chevrolet GMT-400. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the driver’s and passenger’s side air bags deployed independently. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2023) - AIR BAGS
May 23, 2024
Incident date: May 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Mustang. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the onboard App diagnosed the vehicle and related the failure with the air bags knee bolster. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V083000 (Air B... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 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 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 16, 2024
When the driver's side window on my 2008 Chevy Cobalt is fully open/down, the "Service air bag" warning light comes on. This seems to be the exact same issue that resulted in a recall on the 2010 model (NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V500000). When I called Chevrolet corporate customer service regarding this, they explained the model years were manufactured the same, and the reason my year did not hav... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2024
Air bag error displayed on dashboard Dealer diagnostic done 5/20 Dealer stated airbag mat and wiring issue in seat
Incident date: May 20, 2024
There has been a recall on the driver's side airbag for over one year and the remedy is still incomplete. The potential to be injured or killed by the airbag rupturing is happening on a daily basis. Some sort of fix should have been available in a year's time.
Incident date: May 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 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 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. Parts distribution di... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2024
I’ve received repeated errors of front right safety restraint system needs service with an indication of the airbags being disabled. Tesla has attempted to fix this on two occasions by replacing various wiring and seat belt parts, but the problem returns each time.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
I was traveling southbound on a two lane hwy. I slowed down and used my blinker to alert the semi behind me that I was making a left hand turn. Upon making the left hand turn, a vehicle passed the semi and tboned me on my driver’s side front and back doors. My airbags never deployed and I hit my head on my driver’s side window. The damage was bad enough that I could not get out of my car. ... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: May 21, 2024
The car has a feature which adjust the seats for easy entry and for a driver based on driver profile. This results in the drivers seat to automatically adjust per profile. It seems overtime this damages a cable or connection under the seat, resulting in a fault in the sensor which recognizes a driver being present in the seat in case of emergency, ie determines if it should deploy airbag. Right n... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2024
Car braked in front of me to avoid a crash; I did the same. I managed to leave enough space and I did not make contact with the car in front of me. As I was stopped behind the car in front of me, another car rear-ended me going ≈ 35 mph. Consequently, my car was compressed between both cars. There was severe damage to the hood/front end of my car from the force of the car behind me pushing again... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 21, 2024
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 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 exp... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2024
My 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime had traction control, braking issues and failure to warn in the event of a possible forward collision. On a few occasions the brakes seem to just slide and the car would keep moving. Last week I was in an accident and the emergency braking system, the forward collision warning system and all the air bags failed. The California Highway Patrol was surprised that even though... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 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 w... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Lexus RX350. 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 was ma... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
REF GM safety recall N232404980 dated June 2023. As of today, May 21, 2024, no remedy is available apparently due to parts not available. It is now approaching a year without any additional unsolicited information from GM Recall personnel. The local Dealer has no remedy as they are at the mercy of GM. This recall expresses possible personal injury or death should an event causing airbag activa... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2024
The driver side mirror hit a mailbox and all of the skirt air bags were deployed. Why was this? This should not have happened I need an explanation as to why my air bags deployed with a side mirror hit. The mirror is still attached to the car the glass was just cracked.
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact had detected smoke coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. 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 amo... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2024
“Service air bag” warning illuminated. Took car to dealer for service. Told by service agent that light was on due to low battery voltage. Battery 6 months old. Vehicle fine electrically otherwise. Doubting the reason. Haven’t gotten vehicle back yet, thinking warning light not cleared.
Incident date: Mar 22, 2022
Front passenger restraint system fault. Tesla service informed that the airbags may not deploy and they need to be replaced.
Incident date: May 20, 2024
The Rivian is designed to kill fat people. The Airbag for the passenger seat does not function if there is a large person in the seat or the seat is very far forward with a normal person. When someone sits in the passenger seat the lower left corner of the central display changes from “Passenger Airbag Off” to the passenger climate control display. If you pull the seatbelt all the way out the ... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2023
I am a disabled individual and I have a pregnant wife which doesn't feel safe driving this vehicle with a defective airbag. We contacted but unfortunately they don't seem to care.
Incident date: Mar 20, 2024
Recall on this vehicle several years ago. Taken to the Audi dealership for repairs of the recall. No change after recall repairs completed. The airbag and seatbelt warning lights have continued to light up.
Incident date: Mar 15, 2020
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while his wife was seated in the front passenger’s side seat, the passenger’s side air bag warning light indicated that the air bag system was turned off and remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notif... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (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 wa... Read more
HYUNDAI
GENESIS COUPE
(2011) - AIR BAGS
May 20, 2024
Incident date: May 20, 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 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 exper... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. 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 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 manufac... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Civic. 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. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts we... Read more
Incident date: May 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 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 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Accent. The contact stated while driving 32–33 MPH, the rear of the vehicle was shaking, and the vehicle stalled. There was smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the system needed to be reset. There was an unknown fault with the air bag. The vehicl... Read more
CHEVROLET
TRAILBLAZER
(2021) - AIR BAGS
May 19, 2024
Incident date: Apr 12, 2024
This safety problem pertains to all vehicles sold in the U.S., not only my make and model. I was horrified to learn that the crash ratings are inaccurate for most women and all short people, because they were developed only for average sized men. It should be no surprise that when collisions occur, more women than men are seriously injured. More women than men are injured when air bags deploy. Mor... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2024
Failure of the front passenger side seat sensor failed causing the passenger seat belt to not be activated. Seems exactly like the 2015to 2018 recall.
Incident date: Apr 25, 2024
A car was going to hit my car, I went to hit the horn and the horn doesn't work a few days later a airbag light went on. Went to the dealership and they said it's a know malfunction in toyota corolla. They are not sure if the airbags will work or not. They recommend that I put a notice in for recall since there are still no recalls. This is a huge safety issue.
Incident date: May 10, 2024
Driver instrument cluster shuts off , go's black and resets while driving vehicle. Antilock and airbag system show failure message on Ford app. Instrument cluster then reappears condition reoccurs approximately every 5 minutes
Incident date: Jul 21, 2021
My car is experiencing a passenger seat safety restraint error, which is a safety issue.
Incident date: May 17, 2024
While making a U turn the clock spring broke, the air bag light came on and the steering wheel controls no longer function. This is the third time it has broken in this vehicle.
Incident date: May 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 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