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: Mar 5, 2024
The contact owned a 2024 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving at 77 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a front-impact crash with a large-sized deer. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that two minor children were seated in the rear seat. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was administered. A police report was ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 10, 2023
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 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 14, 2023
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. VIN tool confirms par... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated that upon a quick acceleration, the vehicle would hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal as an unknown warning light would appear on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the warning light would disappear upon restart of the vehicle. The contact also stated that the air bag warning light had also appeared on the instrument pane... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 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 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 par... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2024
Nothing has happened yet, however this recall has been known for almost a year and GM is not working to resolve the issue. They only state that there is no ETA on the remedy. The agent also lied to me about when the recall was issued. He told me February of 2024 and my letter was sent and dated June 2023.
Incident date: Dec 29, 2023
I got a recall letter on may 2023, and many times I went the GMC company for that, but still they say there is no remedy.
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - AIR BAGS
Apr 3, 2024
Incident date: Feb 8, 2024
My daughter's safety is at risk driving this car because the airbags have a malfunction and there was a recall in May 2023 and there is no remedy available. This is not acceptable and causing significant financial burden and stress on our family since we can no longer safely drive this vehicle.
Incident date: Mar 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V720000 (Structure) and 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 ava... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 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 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: Apr 3, 2023
MY BACK WINSHIELD EXPLODED no rocks hited no cars around me just exploded
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
On February 17, 2024 I was involved in a hit and run. I was T-boned on the passenger side and the front passenger door wouldn't open and no airbags deployed. Later on in February I received a Toyota Airbag Contol Unit Settlement. I haven't ever received an recall information on any recalls for my vehicle.
Crash
3 injured
Incident date: Apr 3, 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. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Ascent. The contact stated that while making a left turn at approximately 5-10 MPH, another vehicle ran a red light and crashed into the front passenger's side bumper. The air bags did not deploy. The contact's chest struck the steering wheel, resulting in a fractured sternum. Medical attention was received. A police report was filed. The vehicle was first towed to t... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at 56 MPH, the steering wheel independently shifted to the left as the contact lost control of the vehicle. Due to the failure, the contact swerved back and forth in an attempt to regain control of the vehicle; as a result, the contact hit several highway median divider poles. The air bags did not deploy during the failure... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
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 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: Apr 2, 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 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: Feb 7, 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 contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a fail... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 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
BRAUN
TOYOTA SIENNA
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Apr 3, 2024
Incident date: Mar 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that at start-up and and while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated followed by a warning chime. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for assistance, but the contact was referred to the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
R32
(2008) - AIR BAGS
Apr 3, 2024
Incident date: Mar 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the air bag warning light intermittently appeared on the instrument panel while starting the vehicle. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 161,645.
Incident date: Apr 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Corolla Matrix. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V285000 (Air Bags) however, the notification advised not to drive the vehicle and to contact the local dealer for retrieval of the vehicle. After contacting the local dealer, the vehicle had not yet been retrieved. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of... Read more
Incident date: Dec 25, 2023
Airbag no deployment Loss of power steering Brakes to floor Car died Recall ignored prior and still today after set up now off their schedule Friendly Chevrolet rich Gardner
Crash
1 injured
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - AIR BAGS
Apr 2, 2024
Incident date: Oct 7, 2023
After calling my local Honda dealership I was denied services. Due to my vehicles airbag already being deployed in an accident. Honda manger stated no work will be done since my vehicles already has deployed airbags. Would have been the case since I bought the car off a salvage auction, with the airbags deployed.
Crash
Incident date: Mar 31, 2024
I need to know about and where I can take to fix it
Incident date: Mar 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. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that p... Read more
LINCOLN
CONTINENTAL
(2020) - AIR BAGS
Apr 2, 2024
Incident date: Mar 25, 2024
I have a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500. In 2003, I noticed parts of the dash, starting to break apart. In 2004, I had a major head on collision, and the airbag, did NOT deploy. The damage was extensive, with bent frame. The damage was $17,000 in 2004. I was told by the Chrysler Dealership, that did the repairs, that they could not check the condition of the airbag wiring, because the dashboard was broken. I... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
Vehicle has been rear ended 04/14/2023. Describes no one was at fault on the police report
Crash
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
The rear right passenger airbag sensor went faulty, was hoping Volkswagen could replace it since it is a safety system.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
I got a Safety System Malfunction! Fault. I took it to aan Audi dealer and they said it was an issue with a harness under the passenger seat. Tech notes here references a service bulletin. Air Bag Occupant Sensor - Replace | faults present b1225f1 - tsb 2051242/7 -- per tsb apply wiring ties to secure and prevent faults from returning -- not covered under extended warranty policy. Not sure w... Read more
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2021) - AIR BAGS
Apr 2, 2024
Incident date: Apr 2, 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the “Service Air Bag system” message was displayed. The dealer was contacted but was ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
Was at a complete stop at a red light, was struck from behind in which the car was going approximately 50 miles an hour, and no airbags deployed. The police report stated that they did but in fact they did not. I provided pictures of the inside of the car after the accident showing that they did not deploy. Daughter in back seat suffered fractured vertebrae. She was sitting in center seat. There w... Read more
Crash
1 injured
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2021) - AIR BAGS
Apr 2, 2024
Incident date: Feb 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop light, another vehicle rear-ended the vehicle. The contact stated that both the driver and passenger seat belts failed to restrain both occupants. The air bags also failed to deploy upon impact. A police report was filed. The contact managed to drive away from the scene of the accident. The contact and the othe... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
The airbag sensor light is flashing whether a passenger is in the seat or not. Infiniti has refused to investigate the issue and is stating that it is my responsibility to pay for the diagnostics despite the fact that this is an airbag related issue and is possibly related to the 2016 Nissan recall.
Incident date: Feb 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Arteon. The contact stated that while driving approximately 18 to 23 MPH, there was a loud clanking noise coming from the engine. The air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.
MERCEDES-BENZ
SPRINTER 2500
(2010) - AIR BAGS
Apr 2, 2024
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the service air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the air bag control module was corroded due to moisture in the driver weld. The vehicle was not covered under a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
I have an infiniti qx60 that has a hairbag malfunctioning for a long time now. I've taken it to be serviced by infiniti many times. However, they could never fix it. At one point, I decided to leave it alone until the last time I took the car in to be serviced. The person who was helping me noticed that I had two children car seats in the car, so he decided to tell me that this car isn't safe to b... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - AIR BAGS
Apr 1, 2024
Incident date: Mar 29, 2024
I wonder how long this unrepaired faulty air bag will take to get replaced? I read in the possible outcomes of a faulty airbag & it says flying metal can be FATAL. How long is the government going to let this go on? The NHTSA should put a stop build order on all new vehicles until they make repairs to the ones that are in the field waiting for recall parts. If you think GM gives a shit about what ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2023
While I was driving, the passenger seat headrest exploded forward. Chrysler calls this the "Front Seat Active Head Restraint." This is a safety mechanism supposed to be triggered in a crash, but the plastic holding back the force of the strong springs gave out and the plastic broke. This is a known issue that has caused others concussions, neck injuries, etc. As of yet the person who was sitting i... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V064000 (Air Bags) and 23V844000 (Electrical System) 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not exper... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that he was stopped on a residential street waiting for a person to return their vehicle out of a driveway when his vehicle was crashed from behind by another vehicle. The contact stated that the impact of the crash moved his vehicle and he crashed into the rear end of another vehicle that was in front. The contact stated that the air bags di... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
Issue with the Front Passenger Seat Airbag Sensor. The Airbag Warning Light, indicating an issue with the passenger side airbag, has been illuminated recently. Passenger seat is also occasionally registering as occupied even when no one is sitting in it. Previous recall on the same seat's wiring harness was completed previously. Took the vehicle to the dealer and they told me that the seat must ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
Airbags failed to deploy at 30-40 mph head on collision. Vehicle had an airbag light come up, was inspected by Ford and the RCM module was replaced as directed by manual. Airbags were also inspected at the time. Lights were cleared after the replacement. Was the car not reading the speed at the time of the accident? My wife and 2 toddlers were in the vehicle at the time of the accident. I have a... Read more
Crash
4 injured
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
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. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that p... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2024
The contact owned a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while attempting to make a left turn at an intersection, the contact observed there was a vehicle coming towards the intersection at high speeds. The contact stated that the stop light was green, however, the contact stopped the vehicle, and the vehicle coming towards the contact, depressed the brake pedal causing the vehicle to swe... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Mar 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Titan. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available for older vehicles. The local dealer was contacted and stated that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacture... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2015) - AIR BAGS
Apr 1, 2024
Incident date: Feb 3, 2024
My 2003 3.2cls Acura had an airbag recall in in 2016. My vehicle was supposedly repaired at this time. However, recently my SRS light has been on requiring me to take my car to an Acura dealer. The dealer believes my steering wheel air bag has a faulty air inflator, which they claim is out of warranty and may require me to pay $3000 to repair. I do not understand how the manufacturer of the airbag... Read more
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Mar 31, 2024
Incident date: Mar 31, 2024
Consistent passenger restraint / passenger airbag failure warning. Took vehicle to BMW dealership and was told that the passenger seat must have moisture damage, causing the issue. There have been no spills or leaks in the vehicle. Quoted $2600 to fix. See attached. Vehicle’s safety in question.
Incident date: Mar 31, 2024
The warning light for defective passenger airbag came on. Honda denies it and yet cannot get the warning light off. My grandson is the passenger. He is in constant danger.
Incident date: Mar 31, 2024
While driving on the interstate, the driver’s side airbag deployed without any obvious cause. There was no pothole, bump, or clear reason for the airbag to deploy. There was moderate traffic. This put myself and others nearby at risk by causing me to flinch after getting hit by the airbag. I was lucky to not swerve into anything or cause any damage. It caused temporary loss of hearing and a sore... Read more