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 12, 2024
I started my car and my steering wheel airbag deployed within a few seconds and injured me. Reason for deployment unknown
1 injured
Incident date: May 11, 2024
Been over a year and there is still no parts to fix this open safety recall.
Incident date: May 5, 2024
I have a 2021 Chevy Tahoe that has been to the dealer 3 times now for an airbag light (DTC B14DC). The dealer has yet to resolve this issue. I am being told it has to do with the harness in my drivers seat. The dealer performed a TSB for this issue which still hasn't fixed the problem. My wife and I travel back and forth from Michigan to Arizona and I am concerned that the system wont perform corr... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2022) - AIR BAGS
May 11, 2024
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
I was hit by another car on the drivers side front door. The side airbags and the steering wheel airbag did not deploy. This resulted in a C2 nondisplaced neck fracture plus other pain likely from sub clinical rib fractures. This problem has been confirmed by an independent service center. It has been inspected by the police and insurance representatives. There were no indication or lance or messa... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 11, 2024
No forward collisions warning prior crash. No emergency braking as the car can't sense the car in front. No post automatic braking after initial impact to prevent second damage like Volkswagen advertised.
Crash
Incident date: May 9, 2024
Did not sustain some sort of accident in order for me to notice thank God, I simply noticed thanks to multiple virtual methods which told me-considering how stupidly fast this car is and how important air bags are whe combined with that I thought id do this. Ford doesn't really care unless it can somehow bleed more money from something so...kinda just letting y'all know. Not much else I can do..ot... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2024
IT'S BEEN OVER A YEAR SINCE THIS CAR WAS RECALLED AND YET PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO REPAIR. THE FRONT DRIVER AIRBAG NEEDS REPLACED AND SHOULD IT RUPTURE, NOT ONLY WILL THE DRIVE BE INJURED BUT ALL OCCUPANTS OF THE CAR. I WILL BE SELLING THE VEHICLE IN THE NEAR FUTURE BUT WITHOUT THE REPAIR I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SELL IT DUE TO THE SEVERITY OF THE RECALL ISSUE.
Incident date: Apr 24, 2024
Radio is not working and the light stays on the radio making it hard to drive cause it is so bright which is dangerous.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 3, 2024
The contact owned a 2020 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that while driving at 12 MPH and attempting to complete a right turn, the vehicle suddenly began to jerk left to right. As a result, the contact briefly lost control of the vehicle, coming to a complete stop after colliding with a pole that pierced through the vehicle and protruded out from the center console. Upon exiting the vehicle, the... Read more
Crash
Fire
Incident date: Jan 10, 2022
Air bag light will not go off. Afraid will deploy. Dealer no problem just censor. Did not have part to fix.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2015) - AIR BAGS
May 10, 2024
Incident date: May 10, 2024
A recall for this potentially deadly recall has been on this car for over a year. I think this should be considered untimely as it is unsafe and we are in fear driving this vehicle.
Incident date: May 1, 2024
It has been a year since this GM Recall N232404980 has been issued and nothing has been done to repair it. This equipment problem poses a risk to the lives of me and my family.
Incident date: Apr 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine) and 22V096000 (Air Bags) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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 repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The co... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2024
Starting on May 6, 2024, my vehicle display showed an error message stating "Front passenger safety restraint system fault - Service is required." I alerted Tesla of this error through my phone app and set an appointment to have this fixed. I then received an estimate of $1400 which consisted of replacement of the passenger airbag ($1000) as well as an additional sensor that Tesla is indicating... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side air bag warning light was intermittently flashing on the instrument panel with or without an occupant seated in the front passenger’s seat. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed; the diagnostic test discovered that the occupant detection system mat was defective and nee... Read more
CONTINENTAL
PROCONTACT TX
(9999) - AIR BAGS
May 10, 2024
Incident date: May 6, 2024
GM has had a pending recall for a couple of months minimum on this vehicle for a critical safety component, the airbags. I have a young child and this is our families only car so they should be fixing this immediately. I have had this same recall done on cars I owned in the past (Honda) and it has never taken this long or been an issue.
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
Brakes failed when attempting to slow down, ABS kicked in on dry blacktop with no lights on dash before locking up and throwing the vehicle off of the road. Caused me to wreck into a tree head on at 50 mph. Seatbelt did not lock up and airbags did not deploy. Vehicle was totaled with heavy front end damage including a bent and snapped frame. Prior to incident had issues with low beam headlights no... Read more
Crash
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2018) - AIR BAGS
May 9, 2024
Incident date: Feb 16, 2024
I received an error. - RCM_a056 "front passenger safety restraint system fault" So I scheduled service to review what happened. According to Tesla, and my service center - this is a known and common issue. The issue is a failure of the seat occupancy sensor. This requires replacement of: seat harness assembly, seat belt reminder sensor box clip and the first row occupancy sensor. However, the m... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2024
While driving normally, an error warning was received that stated "Front Left Safety Restraint System Error" and the icon for an airbag fault would come in simultaneously. This error would disappear and reappear, sometimes up to 10 times per minute, creating a driver distraction due to the loud error chime. The error code identified for the fault when checked on the Tesla service screen correspond... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Porsche Macan Turbo. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s side air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed front passenger occupancy sensor. The contact was informed that the front passenger’s side occupancy sensor needed to be replaced. The vehic... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander 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 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 c... Read more
FORD
F-150 HYBRID
(2021) - AIR BAGS
May 9, 2024
Incident date: May 9, 2024
When the passenger front seat is occupied, the airbag disengaged warning light is illuminated; I have taken it to Hyundai service twice and they find no malfunction, yet the light remains illuminated
Incident date: May 8, 2024
The front passenger seat occupancy sensor mat degraded and fails to detect a passenger in the front seat.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 3500
(2022) - AIR BAGS
May 9, 2024
Incident date: May 9, 2024
Our 2015 Tiguan has consistently had issues with the clock spring. We are now needing a third clock spring only 6 months from the last warranty repair. Yes the vehicle is available for inspection. This issue is serious due to the airbag being non operational until we get this fixed. Additionally, the horn ceases to work as well, which although its not as serious as our airbag not working, its st... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 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 f... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2024
I'm reporting on the timeliness of known recall #N232404980. It has been about a year since I've received the initial recall notice. I've contacted the dealer twice to see to check the status of the recall and they have stated that the parts are not yet available and they don't know when the parts will become available. I contacted the dealer approx. 6-7 months after receiving the initial recal... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER EVOQUE
(2020) - AIR BAGS
May 9, 2024
Incident date: Apr 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not exp... Read more
Incident date: May 9, 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 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 m... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact owned a 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags). The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, the Air Bag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while parked at a rest stop for approximately five minutes, the vehicle was turned on, and the driver's curtain air bag and the passenger side air bags were dep... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 30, 2024
I keep getting a warning to service the Safety Restraint System. I have taken my car in several times to be fixed and have paid a lot of money and it is still not fixed. The dealership says they fixed it but then it happens again. This has been going on for about 3-4 months now. At this point I do not know what else to do. I feel this is a safety concern because I cannot drive down the road withou... Read more
TOYOTA
COROLLA CROSS
(2023) - AIR BAGS
May 8, 2024
Incident date: May 8, 2024
Problem 1. Both curtain airbags on the passenger side deployed while no one was sitting in those seats, no injuries sustained to anyone. This happened one time as it happened in a car accident, nothing indicated that the air bags were on or active at the moment. Problem 2. ABS system failure has caused the brakes on the prius to lock and not work while driving, almost causing an incident. The car... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 5, 2022
Not reporting an incident but this vehicle has a dash light that says to "service airbags" shouldn't this be a safety recall as I don't know what's wrong with them.
Incident date: May 5, 2022
I took my vehicle into the mechanic due to my airbag light being on. Mechanic stated that it is a problem between my seat belt buckle and airbags. He stated that my airbags will not deploy in the event of an accident due to the seat belt buckle malfunctioning. When he callez Dublin Volkswagen to get the part to fix this issue, they stated that Volkswagen does not make the part anymore. This is a m... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 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 dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 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: Apr 10, 2024
It has been a year since the recall on my vehicle with no remedy to the fix that needs to occur. Having a vehicle with an airbag the could cause more harm when in an accident isn't exactly safe to drive. I would like to know when this remedy will be completed due to the fact that I will also be having a teen driver soon and don't feel safe with her driving my car with this airbag defect.
Incident date: Apr 24, 2024
The 6L80 is known for there bad parts and going out. The transmissions are braking down on accout of poor craftsmanship and cheap parts. Plus my truck is shutting off and back on while driving which caused me to rear-end another truck and not one air bag deployed and it pushed the other trucks bumper all the way under his tail gate and my front bumper has enough damage that the airbags shoul... Read more
Crash
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2023) - AIR BAGS
May 8, 2024
Incident date: Feb 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 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 contact was advised by the dealer and the manufacturer that the recall would only be completed if the SRS wa... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 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 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 experie... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags). The dealer was notified of the recall and an appointment was scheduled to have the vehicle serviced. The contact stated that on the day of the appointment, a call was received from the dealer which stated that parts for the recall were not yet available and that the anticipated rel... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2017) - AIR BAGS
May 8, 2024
Incident date: May 1, 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. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2022
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
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2023) - AIR BAGS
May 8, 2024
Incident date: Apr 28, 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, 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: Jan 1, 2022
The passenger airbag warning light on my 2017 QX60 AWD began flashing non-stop, indicating that the airbag was not working properly. After bringing it to the Infiniti dealer, the stated that the ODB code B00A0 was showing up, which is for the Occupant Classification System (OCS) for the passenger airbag. In order to fix this, they need to replace both OCS seat sensors, as well as the OCS module, a... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owned a 2013 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30-35 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The driver was unable to turn the wheel. The vehicle veered off the road and crashed into a tree. There were no warning lights illuminated. The driver had bruises and a concussion, and medical attention was provided. There was no air bag deployment. A police report wa... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Avenger. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V640000 (Seats, Air Bags). The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked at the residence, the contact entered the vehicle and observed that the headrest was uneven. The contact inspected the headrest from the rear of the vehicle where she observed that the headrest had separated but was sti... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2014) - AIR BAGS
May 7, 2024
Incident date: May 3, 2024
My air bag sensor is on and I fear for my life every time I drive my vehicle that if someone causes an accident that it could result in serious injury or death with me and my passengers
Incident date: May 7, 2024
AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. At 4-way intersection w/ traffic light other driver going northbound blew through their red light (maybe on phone or other distraction) at what seemed like a high speed. I was driving westbound at about 30/35mph with a clear green light. Was able to avoid getting t-boned in my door, but couldn't avoid t-boning other car's passenger door (older 2 door F150). My insurance com... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: May 7, 2024
The contact owned a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the driver of the vehicle ahead abruptly braked; as a result, the contact collided with the rear of the vehicle ahead. The air bags did deploy; however, the contact stated that the driver's side air bag failed to fully deploy, only inflating to the size of a volleyball, and the front passenger side air bag cau... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 29, 2024
Airbag light has come on, states second row passanger side airbag inflatable circuit (inflatable seatbelt). Just purchased vehicle two days ago.