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.
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
Showing 127,896 complaints — component: AIR BAGS
Incident date: Sep 7, 2023
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 unavailable. The manufacturer was contacted and 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 local dealer was not made aware o... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2023
PASSENGER AIRBAG INADVERTENT DEPLOYMENT. WARNING LAMPS: Service airbag system Service parking brake 4wd unavailable Driver seatbelt not fastened Phone unavailable occasionally Check engine DESCRIPTION LEADING UP TO INCIDENT: Several days of seeing warning lamps. Limited driving. Disconnected battery for 8 hrs. Reconnected battery. Backed out of garage into driveway. Sat in car idling at 2000 RPM... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
Passenger Presence Module is deactivating Passenger airbags intermittently.
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
I was a victim in a car crash driving this vehicle when another vehicle hit me and deployed my air bags. Due to the air bags deployment I ended up with significant burn marks to my arm which is likely to permanently scar.
Crash
1 injured
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2016) — AIR BAGS
Sep 7, 2023
Incident date: Aug 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the jumper wiring had shorted out by rubbing against the frame and the passenger’s seat air bag and jumper wiring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notifi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 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 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: Feb 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Chrysler 200. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that a sensor in the front driver's side seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where it was repaired; however, the failure persisted... Read more
CHRYSLER
TOWN AND COUNTRY
(2010) — AIR BAGS
Sep 7, 2023
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
My vehicle was involved in a bad accident on September 1, 2023. The Air Bags FAILED TO DEPLOY! As a result, my Daughter sustained injuries. My insurance company is chomping at the bit to crush it! They have already totaled it. They don't care that someone needs to investigate this accident and find out WHY THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY! GEICO is my insurance company. I want it checked out so that ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2019) — AIR BAGS
Sep 7, 2023
Incident date: May 1, 2023
In May, I received notice of a defective airbag in the passenger side front seat of my 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. When I was driving and the malfunction occurred (an acoustic sound and "airbag off" lights), I followed the instructions on the recall notice and contacted my local dealer Wellesley Volkswagen to have it evaluated. On 6/8/23 the car was evaluated and I was told by the service department t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 7, 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 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: Jan 23, 2022
First notices that volume control on steering wheel and temp and directional display stopped working about a year ago. Now air bag light stays on when car is started and alarm for seat belts quit working.
Incident date: Sep 7, 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 unavailable. 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 made ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2014) — AIR BAGS
Sep 7, 2023
Incident date: Sep 6, 2023
The clock spring is out on the vehicle again
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2019) — AIR BAGS
Sep 7, 2023
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
On September 5th, I was driving home and my Airbag Error light and notice came on my dash. I got home, turned the car off and back on and it was gone. September 6th, it happened again. But when I turned the car off and back on, it stayed on. September 7th, it's off, but if anything is sitting in passenger seat, it's on, but the passenger airbag light on my controls says "off". The dealership says ... Read more
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER SPORT
(2019) — AIR BAGS
Sep 7, 2023
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
The lights for the air bags is on ,
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2020) — AIR BAGS
Sep 6, 2023
Incident date: Sep 6, 2023
broken spot welds in the left front door at the check arm attachment point in the door assembly. Car is unsafe to drive. Could result I in a door inadvertently opening while driving.
Incident date: Sep 6, 2023
There is a recall and parts are unavailable (backordered). I contacted the dealer and confirmed parts are unavailable. My safety and safety of my family is at risk and would like to know what can be done until the part is available.
Incident date: Sep 6, 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. The local dealer was made aware of the issue 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 repai... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2022
AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT IS ACTIVATED. I TOOK MY 2004 HONDA PILOT WITH CALIFORNIA LICENSE PLATE NUMBER [XXX] TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP IN HEMET CALIFORNIA ON DECEMBER 14 2022 TO CHECK THE AIR BAG SYSTEM. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A $100.00 DIAGNOSTIC FEE BECAUSE THE REPAIR IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE AIRBAG RECALL PROGRAM. MY VEHICLE IS 20 YEARS OLD AND I'M WORRIED THE DRIVERS SIDE AIR BAG IS UNSAFE AND COULD... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2023
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. 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 awa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2006 BMW 530XI. The contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag warning light had remained illuminated for a month. The contact stated that two years ago he had a recall completed on the passenger’s side air bag. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The ... Read more
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. 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: Aug 8, 2023
on 8/26/2023 @10:44AM, received a message on the vehicles display that stated, "Front Passenger Safety Restraint Fault, service is required". This fault is intermittent. Set up a service appointment and after diagnosing the problem remotely, received this response: there are currently no faults/alerts, so it is at your discretion as to when you would like to address this. When the alert is presen... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
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: Sep 6, 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 contacted, and the contact was informed that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN to... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 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 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 experie... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2018) — AIR BAGS
Sep 6, 2023
Incident date: Aug 21, 2023
Passenger Occupant Detection System to detect a malfunction and switch off the passenger airbag, even though the seat may be occupied. In a crash with frontal airbag deployment, there would be an increased risk of injury to the occupant seated in the front passenger seat if the passenger frontal airbag is switched off or not working. Our airbag warning light, comes on and off. This happens sporadi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
Pearl white paint is peeling off on both sides of windshield and hood. Air bag light stays on.
Incident date: Jul 6, 2023
No incident yet. The airbag passenger side sensor keeps coming on constantly and I don't know if it is going to deploy or what. No one is sitting in seat but sensor constantly ringing. Started approximately 2-3 months ago intermittent and now happens daily.
Incident date: May 10, 2023
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 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... Read more
TOYOTA
COROLLA CROSS
(2023) — AIR BAGS
Sep 6, 2023
Incident date: Jul 7, 2023
I bought a 2023 Cross in good faith the end of March 2023. I needed it as a replacement car as mine had been totaled as I was hit head on Feb. 9,2020.Then the covid long months and years hit right after and then I could find no car. When I finally found one through a dealership then I got no 1 recall and later no2 recall.I have not been able to drive it much as safety issues and it has been sittin... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY IN A VIOLENT CAR ACCIDENT. OTHER VEHICLE'S AIRBAGS DID DEPLOY. I HIT MY HEAD ON THE SIDE WINDOW OR DOOR VERY HARD, AND THE HEAD INJURY WAS FELT INSTANTLY AND ONSITE, I HAD TO GO TO THE ER AND GET A CT SCAN AND HAD A CONCUSSION. A COLLISION COMPANY IS INVESTIGATING THE DAMAGE AND AIRBAGS. AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST IF YOU WANT TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE AIRBAG LIGHTS TH... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2000 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 7 MPH, the vehicle in front of hers stopped abruptly, causing her to slam on the brakes. The vehicle hit the rear end of the other vehicle. The front passenger's side bumper of the vehicle was bent inward. The contact stated that it was a fender bender; however, the driver's side and passenger's side air bags deployed. The contac... Read more
Crash
1 injured
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) — AIR BAGS
Sep 5, 2023
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
Vehicle parked and had just been started. Went to put on dvr seatbelt and a loud explosion happened to my left and the seatbelt shoulder strap was pulled out of my fingers. The driver seatbelt pretensioner activated without a collision and the cab filled with smoke. Vehicle has never been in a collision, ever had a restraint malfunction, is the original OEM safety component, and hasn’t been ser... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2002 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that SRS air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side air bag needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. Additionally, the contact stated that the front passenger's side seat belt and the rear middle seat belt buckles w... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2023
The contact owned a 2023 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 75-80 MPH, he fell asleep behind the wheel when the vehicle proceeded through a wired fence and crashed into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained soreness to his neck. No medical attention was required however, the contact stated that he went to see a doctor the following day. A p... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 5, 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 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 experie... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Air bag light began blinking notifying me of an issue. The vehicle is available for an inspection. I took car to dealer for diagnostic check. The dealer informed me that it is the drivers side airbag causing the issue. This is a safety component of the vehicle and puts the driver and all occupants at risk should their be an airbag failure in an accident. Issue has been through a diagnostic chec... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the recall repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V031000 (Air Bags) was completed; however, the failure persist... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH a second vehicle suddenly crashed into the driver's side of the vehicle. During the crash, no air bags deployed and the driver sustained minor neck and back injuries which did not require medical treatment. No police report was taken. The vehicle was later driven to the home. The cause of the failure w... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor error displayed in vehicle information center. Warning restraint/Air Bag not functioning properly. This was taken to the BMW dealership for diagnosis, and it was determined the Passenger Occupancy Sensor has failed and needs to be replaced. There was no recall listed for this issue. I found there was a Service Information Bulletin from BMW acknowledging the issue S... 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 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
The engine electric brakes all shut down steering wheel locked up and my daughter smashed into telephone pole on August 31 2023. Airbags didn't deploy for front and side airbags were deflated no air.no warning lights prior that I'm aware of. My daughter was injured PCS and cervical sprain
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not ava... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2023
Recall Number: 23V334000. GMC Acadia General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect. Recall consequence An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V337000 (Air Bags), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, the dealer later called the contact back and advised him to pick up the vehicle because they had received the wrong part and was unable to complete the recall repair. The contact stated that he had contacted th... Read more
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. 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... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The contact owned a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at 60 MPH, he depressed the brake pedal however, the brakes were inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle crashed into the rear of a truck, striking the truck three times before coming to a stop. The contact stated that the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The contact stated that a Pol... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 15, 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was m... Read more