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: Feb 14, 2024
This is regarding a safety recall and no parts being available at this time. I have contacted GM and the Bergstrom dealership multiple times without receiving answers. The original letter I received was from 6/2023. Please let me know if there is anything that can be done - GM should have to provide parts within a timely manner - 8 months and counting is far from acceptable when the letter states ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2022
Received a recall alert on February 8, 2024 indicating that my vehicle may have a passenger airbag that may not deploy as intended, increasing risk of injury. Toyota indicated that they do not have a remedy for this recall and that their estimate would be available in the 3rd quarter of 2024. I was at the dealership on 2/13 and asked if they could check the sensor for the airbag but I was told... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2019
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that he used a cushion or pillow while driving due to medical issues, and the air bag warning light failed to illuminate. While using the cushion or pillow in the passenger’s side seat, the air bag warning lights illuminated. The contact had concerns about the functionality of the vehicle. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
I had a car accident on 1/29/24 .Regarding to my car damages . Airbags did not deploy during the accident.I believe my speed was 29-35 mph typically airbags deploy when the crash is the equivalent of an impact into a rigid wall at 10-12 mph.is anything we can do here please? Wasn’t my fault another car moved on the red light during intersection and mine was green and hit my car . I went to ER & ... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Feb 14, 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 "Service Air Bags" message was displayed. The local dealer was contacted and charged a diagnostic fee. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufact... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 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 "Service Air Bags" message was displayed. The local dealer was contacted and charged a diagnostic fee. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufact... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V337000 (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 and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was contacted and ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2023
The contact owned a 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid. The contact received notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags) however, the remedy to repair the recall was not available. The contact stated while driving from a stop light, another vehicle crashed into the driver’s front side door. The contact mentioned the other driver failed to stop at the red light which caused the crash. The a... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Feb 4, 2024
FRONT BUMPER AND GRILLE O/H bumper assy RT Filler cover w/o fog lamps; Bumper cover; Impact bar; Grille; Molding Lower grille 2.0 liter; Eblem FRONT LAMPS RT HEADLAMP ASSY LT R&I HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY AIM, RT MARKER AC Air bag, MISCELLANEOUS OPERATIONS CoolantTIRE 215/55/16, new SRS module and zero point calibrate ABS module
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2022) - AIR BAGS
Feb 14, 2024
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Lexus ES350. 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 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 experience... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact was involved in an accident. The contact's vehicle was crashed into by an oncoming vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle had crashed into the front driver's side and the entire front of the vehicle was damaged. The contact stated that the driver's and passenger's front air bags d... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
The contact's mom owns a 2017 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while his mom was at a stop light, a one-ton truck crashed into the vehicle. The driver attempted to reverse from the intersection. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had previously reported an incident for acceleration and throttle issues. While his sister was driving and reversing, the vehicle was slow to acc... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
Airbag light just showed up on my dash, it won't go away with the reset.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Murano. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was examined by an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the air bag control module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. Also, while operating the vehicle, the tire pressure monitoring system warning light activ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
I was involved in an auto accident 9/18/2023. An SUV ran a red light and struck my care on the drivers side. The SUV struck me going between 45 and 50 mph according to the police report. My car was pushed over 20 feet and struck a traffic sign in the center median. My car was equipped with side curtain airbags and they did not deploy. I struck my head on the drivers side window. The front airba... Read more
Crash
1 injured
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2021) - AIR BAGS
Feb 13, 2024
Incident date: Feb 13, 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 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: Feb 11, 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 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... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirm... Read more
LINCOLN
CORSAIR PHEV
(2021) - AIR BAGS
Feb 13, 2024
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
There's something going on at the Kia dealership in Wake Forest (Westgate). Per the current recall notice, the lights came on that were highlighted in the notice ( ”MIL” , ABS warning light) so I had my car towed into the dealership. They claimed my car had a bad battery and the problems were not due to the recall situation. I took my car out of there and straight to auto zone, about 200 feet ... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Feb 13, 2024
Incident date: Nov 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags). The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer on three occasions where it was diagnosed that the air bag needed to be replaced due to a short in the wiring. The vehicle was not repaired. The man... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
The OBD airbag deployment sensor is displayed. The GM dealership service center advised the airbag may not deploy in the event of an accident. The service center advised that we would need to pay for the airbag and sensor to be replaced / repaired regardless of the ACRO agreement to replace and repair airbags. This is unacceptable and a danger to all drivers or passengers of the vehicle. It appear... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Feb 13, 2024
Incident date: Dec 13, 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 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 confirm... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2004) - AIR BAGS
Feb 13, 2024
Incident date: Jun 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Frontier. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V067000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact scheduled an appointment where the vehicle was inspected but the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exc... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2024
Airbag Occupant Sensor for passenger seat ceased to function. "Passenger Airbag Off" indicator light remains on even with passenger in seat. Check airbag light in dash remains lit. Took car to infiniti dealership to diagnose. They quoted $8000 repair price to replace entire seat frame. They claim the sensor is built into the seat frame and individual sensors can not be replaced. The quoted price i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2024
Air bags never deployed when I was struck by a vehicle going 55 mph.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 1, 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms par... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The car is showing a system failure of the passenger restraining system, including the airbag. Car is only five years old with 67,000 miles. This condition should be repaired by Tesla at no cost to the consumer for this early failure. Also, the air conditioning compressor has failed, it is part of the battery cooling system which may create hazard of overheating The battery. This repair should al... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the hood suddenly became unlatched, compromising front visibility. As a result, the contact veered into a light pole, damaging the bumper. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The air bags did not deploy. A Police report was not filed, and no i... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
[XXX] . Airbag sensor recall. My car is part of a recall under MINI Recall 23V-xxx: Footwell Module. I took my car to a dealer and they told me that they would not repair it because my car is a 2007. My mileage is 102,000K miles. The notice says Im covered but they say im not. The recall notice is for the year of my car and they are saying my car is too old. This recall is for the year of... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
ML350
(2012) - AIR BAGS
Feb 12, 2024
Incident date: Jan 15, 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 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: Dec 31, 2023
Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault, error message appeared. Tesla is asking for ~$1500 to fix a sensor that would prevent air bag from deploying. Seems like a safety issue that should be addressed. The message appears whenever there is someone/some thing in front passenger seat. Tesla has inspected. I believe it happened after a minor accident in a parking lot, but Tesla and t... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 4, 2023
I received a notice of a recall a couple months ago with a note that there was no remedy as of yet. I have been waiting to schedule the repair and driving the car less. I received another notice also stating there is no remedy but to contact them if any questions. I contacted the manufacturer and they told me to contact the dealership. The dealer ship, when I stated there was a recall on the passe... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 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 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... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side occupant sensor failed to recognize a petite, smaller individual seated in the front passenger’s seat. The dealer was notified of failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified, and the contact inquired about the weight requirement for the passenger occupant sensor, ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
I totaled my car about two weeks ago. And none of my passenger side airbags deployed ( front , front side, nor rear passenger side)
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 2, 2024
I totaled my car about two weeks ago, and none of my passenger side airbags deployed. (Front passenger, front side, or Rear passenger side)
Crash
Incident date: Jan 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2005 Mazda B-Series ZJ57. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 17V806000, 17V807000, and 23V837000 (Air Bags) however, the dealer had refused to complete the recall due to the air bags that had inflated during a crash. The contact stated that the manufacturer refused to honor the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact ha... Read more
Crash
1 injured
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2016) - AIR BAGS
Feb 12, 2024
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
Service safety restraint system notice comes on constantly and disappears at random times.
Incident date: Feb 8, 2024
Brakes completely locked up during my attempt to stop the vehicle does have abs and that is supposed to allow the wheels to keep moving so that you can try to maneuver and when I made contact with the other vehicle the airbag never deployed
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 12, 2023
I got into an accident and another car hot me and my seat belt got tight and now won't even come out anymore and my airbags never deployed but yet show on dashport as if it did and my airbag sign now flashes and it used to be just on off without flashing...
Crash
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
I am the owner of a 2017 Nissan Rogue SV FWD. Bought the vehicle back in October 2022 with a clear history with no prior accidents reported on the vehicle. Recently while driving to work, my brakes on my 2017 Nissan Rogue suddenly braked or locked up without me pressing the brake pedal. There was no vehicles in ahead of me nor in back of me yet still the brakes engaged. This has caused my 2017 ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2024
My dash board is sticky and uncleanable, making it very hard to see out the windshield at all hours day or night, which could potentially cause a crash. I have also noticed tons of people online with the same problem. This needs to be recalled or class action lawsuit.
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
There has been a recall on my vehicle for 9 months and there is still not a resolution from GM. I have called every dealer near me to try and have this recall fixed as it is a major safety hazard. I could be seriously injured or killed if this is not fixed. GM says that do not yet have a resolution and this isn’t okay!
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
We hit a deer at 50mph. Active restraint system pulled us back into our seats. Cabin filled with white smoke/powder. Windows automatically lowered a few inches. Dash display panel issued fault alarms on all airbags and emergency braking systems; front and rear. Vehicle automatically contacted Mercedes SOS and dispatched police. Air bags never deployed.
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Mar 8, 2023
Driving on connecter road between 2 freeways at 35-40 mph because of traffic. Suddenly the car veers to left on its own and hits concrete lane guiding wall damaging the left front of the car. Next tried to brake and they didn't work. Unable to steer the car it heads to the right and up on the rocks decorating of the road. Car goes another 25 or more feet before stopping due to rocks slowing d... Read more
Crash
1 injured
FORD
FUSION ENERGI
(2019) - AIR BAGS
Feb 10, 2024
Incident date: Jun 16, 2023
Chevy still hasn't come up with a solution for airbag. I'm driving essentially a gun if I wreck.