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: Jun 20, 2019
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: Oct 29, 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, 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 manufacture... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
I had not driven the car prior to noticing the air passenger light blinking and continuing to stay on. This is occurring whether someone is in the seat or not. Regards, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Oct 20, 2023
The contact owned a 2003 Oldsmobile Alero. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH and crossing an intersection, a speeding police vehicle crashed into the driver's side of the vehicle and the front driver's side wheel was bent. The air bags failed to deploy and the contact hit her chest against the steering wheel. Additionally, the left side of the contact' body hit the driver's side... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 22, 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 contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienc... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2024
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? + AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY IN HEAD-ON COLLISION How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? + DUE TO FAILURE, DRIVER SUSTAINED MILD CONCUSSION WHEN HEAD HIT STEERING WHEEL AND PUT AT RISK OF LIFE THREATENING INJURY AND IMPAIRMENT Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a deal... Read more
Crash
2 injured
HYUNDAI
TUCSON HYBRID
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Jan 5, 2024
Incident date: Dec 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Liberty. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 17V640000 (Seats, Air Bags) and 13V282000 (Electrical System, Air Bags) 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 made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
CLA250
(2014) - AIR BAGS
Jan 5, 2024
Incident date: Feb 22, 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: Dec 18, 2023
Component failure was steering column module. Safety issue was air bag could inadvertently deploy while driving. Recall NHTSA # 17V627 was issued. Vehicle inspected by Stargate Garage, Caliber Collision and Mercedes of Pompano Beach FL. Message displayed was front left malfunction and red warning light for SRS system. Warning message and red light appeared 18 months after dealer supposedly repaire... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
Airbag failed at 60k miles requiring a replacement. This is a known- safety issue, Tesla has corrected this problem in later cars, and Tesla should issue a recall to correct. I have error codes RCM_a015 and RCM_a014
Incident date: Jan 4, 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 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 experien... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
We had an accident on January 4. We were rear ended and pushed it to the vehicle in front of us. The truck that hit us was going about 65 miles an hour. Our vehicle is totaled. No air bags deployed and my seat did not engage.
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
My vehicle was involved in a auto accident. A chain reaction of multiple cars was hit I was rear ended by a Subaru Outback and was push into a box commercial truck my vehicle was deemed total and I sustain serious injuries my front in was smash in and no airbags deployed I contacted National consumer affairs my case number [XXX]. My case manger Elijah was very unprofessional and did not help and ... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Dec 28, 2023
Accident involving frontal impact with a deer. Heard and smelled propellant charge for airbag and service airbag light came on, no airbag inflation anywhere I could find it. Front grille/bumper cap, AC core, passenger fender are scrap. Any other cases of this.
Crash
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2007 Pontiac Vibe. The contact stated that the air bag had been previously replaced however, the air bag warning light illuminated after the replacement of the air bag. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the air bag inflators failed and needed to be replaced. The mechanic informed the contact of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
My car went out of warranty for seat related issues in December of this past year 2023. I don't even have 26K miles on my car therefore not a heavy driver. This week I experienced an error RCM_a021, front left safety restraint system fault, which I've researched has affected many others and appears to clearly be a safety flaw. The service team mentioned this isn't covered. My airbag light doesn'... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
The airbag clock spring fails. The horn will go off unexpectedly while driving and parked when the car is turned off This is causing drivers to look in panic and emergency causing distracted driving I took this to the dealer 2 years ago before someone posted this online what the issue was. They could not find the issue There are no lights or warnings that appear I know another person with a 2... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2023
When driver seat adjusted to end positions (e.g all the way up/down/forward/backward), it causes an error message stating “Front left safety restraint system fault” & and airbag failure icon would appear. This usually cause by the wire harness being pinched or stretched. The error message may come and go based on the position of the seat, and occurs more frequently as time goes by. I am concer... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Mach-E. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH the steering and braking systems suddenly malfunctioned causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The driver was unable to steer the vehicle and when pressing the brake pedal the vehicle did not stop. The driver lost control of the vehicle drove off the road and down a ravine and crashed int... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Jan 4, 2024
Was in a frontal collision air bags failed to deploy and forward collision system did not work. Received error messages from both systems that they failed
Crash
Incident date: Dec 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 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 pa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The dash cracked in many places.
Incident date: Jan 4, 2024
Recall of airbags was issued on May 10, 2023. We have been unable to use this vehicle in our fleet since the recall because of the safety issues. As of January 4, 2024, there is no fix or remedy available for this recall.
Incident date: Jan 4, 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 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... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2022
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 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: Dec 15, 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirm... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 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 contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that after having the rotors replaced, while driving approximately 30 MPH and attempting to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle coasted before coming to a complete stop. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that there was a grinding sound coming from the rear of the v... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2023
Car has been in and out of the shop. Initially I have been contacting Mercedes about airbag messages and continued message of SRS Malfunction on dashboard. Airbags had been recalled and supposedly replaced on multiple occasions. This SRS continues to remain even after repair or being seen for this issue only for other components to have failed and me having to pay for those in the process. The SRS... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2023
The following are malfunctions that are a high risk when driving: •airbags •ball joints •coolant •control arms •electrical power system It is a risk when driving due to the ball joints and control arms not properly secured. Engine warning light
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The contact's wife owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH in an intersection, a Ford F-150 was crashed into head-on. The vehicle's front end collided with the Ford vehicle but the air bags did not deploy. The Ford vehicle did a 180 during the impact and its air bags deployed. The contact sustained 2 herniated discs in the 212 and L1 that required medical attentio... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 27, 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
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 contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manu... Read more
Incident date: Dec 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Highlander. The contact discovered online that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made not aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
Air bag light went off beginning of Nov 2023. Took to the dealership, they diagnosed the air bag module and harness as bad. Paid $2k to replace that, took 2 days for part to arrive. Fast forward, mid December 2023, air bag light on again. Take back to dealership and now the passenger side air bag has failed and needs to be replaced. $3k estimated to replace. Many Nissan vehicles (much later y... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact's granddaughter 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 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 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: Sep 1, 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 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: Jan 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze. The contact stated that the "Service Air Bag" warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic determined that there was a defect with the air bag system. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and confirmed that there were no recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired.... 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 not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacture 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 par... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 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 contact stated that the "Service Tire Monitor System" message was displayed. Add... Read more
Incident date: Jan 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 contact stated that the "Service Air Bag" message was displayed. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2023
The wiring harness under my front passenger swivel seat became pinched and severed the wires. The air bag warning light came on. I took the vehicle to the dealer and got it fixed at my own expense. I noticed the recall #21V410000 which is for the same thing, however my van was not included. Can my van be included so I can be reimbursed by the mfg? Thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO T... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2023
I was driving home from Fargo ND to Fergus falls MN on Christmas Eve when a gust of wind blew me out of the tracks into the slush. My car slid of the road on the left side where I hit a guard rail with the front driver’s side hitting first. I bounced of the rail and drove it back on the road. The airbag never did deploy. I have a doctor appointment for my left hip on the 8th because it's ha... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 16, 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 dealer was made aware of the issue confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of... Read more
Incident date: Dec 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 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: Oct 9, 2023
Driving on state highway at posted speed. A deer ran into the right front and side of vehicle. Side airbags deployed. When the right side airbag deployed, it burned a hole in my passengers winter coat that completely went through the right sleeve forearm and scorched the sweatshirt that she was wearing under the coat. Smoke was visibly apparent in the cab of the vehicle. We thought the truck was ... Read more
Crash
Fire