Consumer Safety Complaints

Search 2,192,899 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 137,559 crashes, 55,854 fires, and 8,555 deaths.

2,192,899 Total Complaints

137,559 Reported Crashes

55,854 Reported Fires

8,555 Reported 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 2,192,899 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 127,896 complaints — component: AIR BAGS

Incident date: Apr 1, 2022

Air bag warning light illuminated red on dashboard.

Incident date: Feb 9, 2023

The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 confirms p... Read more

Incident date: Sep 12, 2023

My wife & I were involved in a 4 vehicle accident on Tuesday September 12, 2023 at approximately 4:30pm. We were traveling north on Highway 17 ( Ogeechee road ) toward Savannah Georgia. We had stopped at the 2nd red light at Highway 204 & 17. The light turned green and the vehicles in front of me started moving, we proceeded north and went through the green traffic light at Little Neck road about ... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Aug 21, 2023

The contact stated that the son owns a 2001 Toyota Avalon. While the son was driving approximately 5 mph, a second vehicle crashed into the front of the vehicle. During the crash, the air bags did not deploy. The contact indicated that after the crash the air bag light activated and remained illuminated. No injuries were reported. A police report was taken. The vehicle was later towed from the sce... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Sep 14, 2023

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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 14, 2023

The contact owns a 2008 Cadillac Escalade EXT. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The infotainment display displayed a message indicating that the air bags were off, potentially compromising vehicle safety. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to provide a cause for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After in... Read more

Incident date: May 10, 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 repair was unavailable. 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 parts not a... Read more

Incident date: Jun 26, 2023

The contact owned a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 55 MPH, she collided with a Ford F-150 that ran a red light and entered the lane aggressively. The air bags did not deploy. There were no warning lights illuminated. The driver sustained brain injuries (concussions), and medical attention was provided. There was no reported fire. A police report was fi... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Sep 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s side air bag warning light remained illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined, and the vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 150,000.

Incident date: Jan 18, 2023

The passenger side airbag recall involves the removal of the dashboard and the dealer advised the dashboard may break during this process and I am responsible for the cost to install a new one. Their estimate was $1500.00.

Incident date: Sep 12, 2023

Service safety restraint system came on my vehicle and I just purchased this vehicle 3 weeks ago.

Incident date: Apr 25, 2023

A while ago my airbag light began flashing, we reset it a few times and it would come back after a week or two sometimes longer, either a flashing or solid light, it felt almost random. No codes came up when we had it ran, and then we took it to the dealership for inspection. It is the back of my driver seat, the airbag for the driver side back seat. I don’t know what the qualified number of com... Read more

Incident date: Sep 13, 2023

Was on vacation and when I returned from a 9 day trip my car, which had not been drove at all, the drivers side head rest had popped out. This is part of the air bag system. That happened July 2023. September 13, 2023 at 6:01 pm I was driving down the road and my passenger head rest popped out hitting my daughter in the back of the head. The noise it made scared me to death. I am no longer covered... Read more

Incident date: Sep 13, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V945000 (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 m... Read more

Incident date: Aug 30, 2023

I HAVE A 2012 GMC acadia denali with about 147,000 miles on it and the "Service Air Bag" light is on I brought it somewhere to have the code read and the said there is about 5 different codes popping up for the issue... I've called auto shops around me locally and can't find anyone that is willing to look at it. I just want to know what my best options are as to getting this issue resolved. As I h... Read more

Incident date: Sep 13, 2023

The 2013 Nissan Altima passenger light seatbelt dash light stayed on unless seatbelt was buckled with person in seat. Took to Nissan dealer who charged $150 to diagnose as a sensor control unit except when they cleared the codes the airbag light also came on and has stayed on. 1.Issue number one is Nissan had a recall on the sensor unit and Nissan refuses warranty. I called Nissan hotline and to... Read more

Incident date: Sep 13, 2023

I called the dealership in Feb 2022 to have recall done and was told they were ordering the parts but have not heard from them.

Incident date: Sep 13, 2023

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 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 wa... Read more

Incident date: Jan 5, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V945000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the dealer was not contacted regarding the recall remedy or to confirm parts availability per the recall letter received informing the contact not to notify a dealer. The cont... Read more

Incident date: Sep 13, 2023

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 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. The contact had not... Read more

Incident date: May 10, 2023

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 unavailable. 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 part... Read more

Incident date: Apr 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while sitting at a stop light, another motorist hit her vehicle on the front passenger side. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact nor the other driver sustained any injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was driven to an independent body shop where it was repaired. Since the accident, the contact stated that several w... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Sep 13, 2023

While I was driving, a truck hit me from behind causing a 5 car accident. My car was unable to be driven from the scene. The radiator and front collision bar are very bent in, however my airbags did not deploy. The truck was going 60 mph when it hit me hard enough to cause another 3 cars to have damage. This is a potential issue for others and currently I have very bad neck and head pain from the ... Read more

Crash 2 injured

Incident date: Jul 17, 2023

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH a second vehicle crashed into the front driver's side of the vehicle. During the crash, the front driver's side air bag deployed and the contact sustained multiple fractured ribs and a left ankle injury which required medical treatment. The contact indicated that upon the vehicle's impact, the air ba... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Mar 29, 2023

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. An undisclosed dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 9, 2018

The contact owns a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the air bags warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. On another occasion, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle and became aware that the sunroof had opened independently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but no failure was found. The ve... Read more

Incident date: Apr 6, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Canyon. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the check engine warning illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the diagnosis was that that evaporative emission control system purge control had malfunctioned. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. On another occasion, the contact noticed that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehi... Read more

Incident date: May 10, 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. An undisclosed dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The... Read more

Incident date: Sep 1, 2023

AIR BAGLIGHT ON DASH IS ON AND PASSENGER AIRBAGS HAVE BEEN OFF. THE FIRST CORRECTION TO THIS WAS WHEN I BOUGHT MY CAR 4 YEARS AGO AND LAST WEEK THE RED LIGHT CAME ON AND THE PASSENGER OFF SIGN. IT HAS BEEN FAULTY FOR A WHILE WAS WELL I HAVE HAD IT REPAIRED BY NISSAN FIRST THE 988 CIBTROLLER ASSY OCCUPANT SEN , NOW THEY WANT TO PUT A SEAT TRACK/SENDOR AND TRACK FRAME ASSEMPLYAS WELL AS AN OCC SEN... Read more

Incident date: May 10, 2023

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 unavailable. 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 parts not av... Read more

Incident date: Aug 29, 2023

I was driving down the highway near where I live in Hanford California the highway is 198. I was going 68, 69 mph. No one was on the road my car literally slammed on its brakes and jerked to the right.this has happened 2times I have turned off the assist I’m to afraid it will happen again. I am bringing it into the dealership tomorrow and also have them check my airbags the light in the dashbo... Read more

Incident date: Sep 12, 2023

trouble code: 93C3 ACSM/MRS: Seat-occupancy detector, passenger

Incident date: Jul 31, 2023

Airbag and steering wheel problems. Neither driver's nor passenger's airbag deployed in a major crash. Our truck was hit by a fully loaded dump truck, speed unknown. Our driver had "mustang sign," bruising to chest. Passenger had seatbelt bruising. No warning lights or other indication was present to indicate that there was any problem with the airbags. We are the original owners and there was no ... Read more

2 injured

Incident date: May 10, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 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. An undisclosed dealer was contacted 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 was not mad... Read more

Incident date: Jun 5, 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 unavailable. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and the contact was informed that the local dealer had parts or could order the part for... Read more

Incident date: May 10, 2023

The contact owns 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. An undisclosed dealer was contacted 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 was made a... Read more

Incident date: May 10, 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. An undisclosed dealer was contacted 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 was... Read more

Incident date: Aug 28, 2023

The contact owns a 1996 Mazda MX-5. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the failure was due to the Takata air bag module. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

Incident date: May 10, 2023

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. An undisclosed dealer was contacted 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 was made aw... Read more

Incident date: Sep 5, 2023

The contact owns a 2011 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine started to make an abnormal sound and the vehicle was inadvertently vibrating. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V341000 (Air Bags, Power Train). The manufacturer was not made aware o... Read more

Incident date: Sep 9, 2023

Driver side, headrest deployed without collision. Parked when airbag deployed.

Incident date: Sep 5, 2023

The contact owned a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, she was rear-ended by another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact was later treated for various bruising in an area hospital, as well as receiving a CT scan and an x-ray of her left ankle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Jun 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2014 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: Sep 11, 2023

GM is not doing anything to remedy this airbag recall. They are not allowing their own employees to drive the company car with the same recall yet they are expecting the consumer to continue to drive it knowing, if deployed, the driver airbag could explode shrapnel and kill or harm myself and my children in the car. They are not providing any replacement car for me to drive in while they come up w... Read more

Incident date: Sep 11, 2023

The dealership allegedly replaced the Takata airbag on the vehicle. Less than 50 miles later the "Service Airbag" dash light came on. When I took the vehicle back to the dealership they said "Yea, this happens a lot" They schedule an appointment to check it out. Their conclusion was that the two items were not related and that I would need to pay for parts and labor. They said the air bag sensor w... Read more

Incident date: Sep 11, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V597000 (Air Bags, Seat Belts). Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start on two occasions. The vehicle was towed to the dealer on both occasions, and the dealer determined that rodents had consumed the electrica... Read more

Incident date: Aug 15, 2023

Hi, in 2018, Nissan replaced the passenger occupancy module as part of a recall. That module has now gone bad again (~5 years), and Nissan is charging its customers to replace. Maybe we are unlucky, but wondering if the repair with a faulty part is a pattern that is introducing risk and unnecessary cost to customers. Hoping the NHTSA can review data to determine whether this is a pattern or one... Read more

Incident date: Aug 28, 2023

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Vue. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 43,097.

Incident date: Aug 15, 2023

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 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 made... Read more

Incident date: Mar 10, 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 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

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