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: Oct 17, 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 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 no... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2023
After a collision, the driver side airbag exploded and a large piece of metal was projected from the airbag and into the driver's lung. The surgeon removed a gold colored disc from the drivers lung. (See Photo) Further, the driver had a large laceration to their chest and shoulder that appears to be the result of shrapnel. (See Photos)
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 5, 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. The message "Passenger Air Bag Off" was displayed. The local dealer was contacted and advised the contact that the passenger’s side seat needed to remain unoccupied while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Buick Enclave. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V3340000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and determined the parts were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware o... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2023
July 2017 I was hit by a drunk driver of which I was a passenger in my vehicle upon impact my seatbelts automatically released and my airbags did not deploy causing my driver to be ejected from the vehicle and for me to hit my head on my dash and then be smashed into my windshield then finally when the car stopped rolling I was in the back seat no longer in the front passenger seat to end up in th... Read more
2 injured
Incident date: Oct 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Xterra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local 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 contacted... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2023
Took my car in for repair because I was told that my power steering pump and gaskets were bad. Upon further investigation it wasn’t neither. It was the power steering hose that goes from the power steering to the racket pinion. Both of the hoses had holes in them and were rusted out. Here Hyundai upgraded the power steering pump because of problems and I was never notified about the upgrade and ... Read more
FORD
F-150 LIGHTNING BEV
(2022) - AIR BAGS
Oct 31, 2023
Incident date: Oct 30, 2023
Today I parked my car front of my house after couple ours I heard the voice and when I come close to my car I see the airbag is deployed I want you know the car doesn’t have any impact any accident when the airbag is deployed the car was off
Incident date: Oct 30, 2023
Front passenger seat does not always recognize that a passenger (my wife who weighs about 110 lbs) is sitting in the seat. The airbag off light will be on during various parts of a trip when my wife is clearly sitting normal in the seat with her belt buckled. I’ve brought the vehicle in twice to the manufacturer for them to fix the issue and both times they have stated that they can’t find a ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
EQE350
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Oct 30, 2023
Incident date: Oct 7, 2023
Driver left the roadway to the outside of a curve to the left, sideswiping a telephone pole and spinning at least one time back onto and off the roadway again before coming to rest. Impact to the passenger front wheel, and entire passenger side, without impacting front or rear end of the vehicle. C pillars deployed, as well as seatbelt pretensioner. Impact was at 55+ mph. No air bags deployed. Da... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 14, 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: Oct 30, 2023
All side airbags went off after a curb check going less than 10 mph around a corner.
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2022) - AIR BAGS
Oct 30, 2023
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
Car was involved in an accident and the air bags did not deploy.
Crash
Incident date: Oct 21, 2023
AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY IN AN SIDE IMPACT ACCIDENT
Crash
2 injured
CAMCO
LEVELING BLOCKS
(9999) - AIR BAGS
Oct 30, 2023
Incident date: Jul 25, 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: Oct 26, 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 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: Jun 13, 2023
Recall Incomplete, remedy not yet available. This is unacceptable as we are still driving the vehicle.
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2013) - AIR BAGS
Oct 30, 2023
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that he became aware that the VIN was included in 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 is... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 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 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: Oct 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, a message was displayed alerting the driver to a passenger safety restraint fault. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular failure. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent m... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2023
While my vehicle was sitting in our driveway, the AHR for the drivers seat activated. while at the time I had not received a notice " that im aware of" this could have been a very bad ending for this hitting my head while driving. although the recall showing is for the AHR not working, this one did it all by it self. NOT safe.
Incident date: Oct 23, 2023
The contact’s son owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, another vehicle crashed into the front passenger side door that pushed the vehicle's driver’s side into a fence. The driver's side air bag was deployed however, the passenger side air bag failed to deploy. The contact son sustained scrapes and bruise injuries that required medic... Read more
1 injured
JEEP
GRAND WAGONEER
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Oct 30, 2023
Incident date: Oct 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Edge. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was started, the radio control panel became inoperable, and the defroster failed to operate as needed. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the front interface control module was replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLK350
(2011) - AIR BAGS
Oct 30, 2023
Incident date: Oct 30, 2023
Back in July 2023, we received a letter from Chevy stating that our vehicle, 2014 Chevy Traverse, has a recall for the driver airbag being faulty and that they do not have a remedy or parts to fix the recall. It has been a 4+ months with no other word. Just recently my airbag light has come on saying the airbag needs servicing. This makes me very uncomfortable to drive our Traverse. My husband cal... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2023
my airbag warning light comes on intermittently and the dealer has said the parts are not available for me to get the airbag fixed. The letter I received from Chevrolet said not to drive the car and that there was no remedy. I would like a replacement vehicle until the parts are available to fix the airbag.
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
Complete "FAILURE" to remedy a life and death recall situation now for six months. This is considered an incident to me as there is not a single person of whom I wrote to or spoke to that has any clue or estimate of when this dangerous air bag recall will be remedied. This includes CEO Mary Barra, Cust Care VP John Roth, their administrative phone response personnel, and numerous employees at T... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2023
While driving multiple warnings appears on the dash including bus communication, airbag, transmission communication, and abs. The vehicles engine began to randomly change rpm. The transmission began to shift speratically and was unable to maintain speed. The vehicle would not allow me to turn on hazard lights to warn surrounding motorists. Similar warnings appeared on the dash once before and ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2023
B0020 code, LH airbag deployment control subfault
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Oct 28, 2023
Incident date: Oct 28, 2023
Side curtain airbag failed to deploy in side-impact crash. Passenger suffered significant concussion and broken ribs.
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Oct 28, 2023
A car turned in front of my daughter and her boyfriend. They were going 40 MPH and there is severe damage to the front of the vehicle. The car will be totaled. Not one air bag deployed. All first responders were very surprised and cautious that even them exiting the damaged vehicle could set them off. They were told "not to move" until they could investigate a safe way for them to leave the c... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Aug 31, 2023
For the past 2-3 weeks, my vehicle has been intermittently displaying an error message that reads “Front left safety restraint system fault,” accompanied by the error code RCM_a021. This error has been appearing nearly every day and seems to indicate a malfunction in the Restraint Control Module, specifically relating to the front left safety restraint system. Importantly, the vehicle has not ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
The driver side air bag did not deploy, however, the passenger side air bag ceployed when we hit a deer at 70 mph! Both air bags should have deployed since we hit the deer in the center of the car! My wife an I are very lucky to be alive! The insurance company inspected the car and considered it to be totaled. The sheriffs department also made an accident report! No warning lights were on at all, ... Read more
Crash
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Oct 27, 2023
Incident date: Oct 25, 2023
I was driving Home from work and I fell a sleep behind the wheel and Hit a park car. The police report states that my impact speed was 50mph. My insurance company is very concerned that my Air Bags or sensors are defective and that I contact you immediately. Due to the damage and impact of the accident.
Crash
1 injured
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2017) - AIR BAGS
Oct 27, 2023
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
There is still no remedy for the airbag putting me and my family at serious risk. This needs to be handled in a better timely manner
Incident date: Jul 5, 2023
My airbag check engine light kept going on and off for a couple weeks. A diagnostic was done on it at the auto repair shop and they told me the pods module came back with an error. They said with this malfunction none of the airbags will deploy if there's an accident, which is a huge safety risk. They said it will cost $2500 to fix but Hyundai had an airbag recall out where the airbags will not de... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2023
At less than 300 miles on odometer and while charging at a level 2 charger I checked my Chevy app and saw a warning for service airbag system. I had just checked it 15 mins prior and it was not on. Now it has an airbag light on…at 291 miles on the car. In car it says service safety restraint system. Still have to make a 200 mile trip back to my town in a couple days. Definitely frustrating for a... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 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 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 13, 2023
I have attempted to notify multiple people numerous times that I no longer own the VIN attached and yet I continue to receive recall notices. A simple check of any standard vehicle history report will show where the vehicle was last known to have been serviced. Please discontinue sending these notices to me.
Incident date: Sep 25, 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 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: Nov 1, 2022
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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle overheated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the thermostat sensor, temperature gauge, radiator, and starter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle continu... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2006) - AIR BAGS
Oct 27, 2023
Incident date: Oct 26, 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 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Frontier. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (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
Incident date: Oct 26, 2023
The contact's girlfriend owns a 2005 Infiniti G35. The contact stated that his girlfriend received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V175000 (Air Bags, Seats). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the recall repair was completed; however, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2023
The contact owned a 2019 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH, the contact's daughter was involved in a collision. Another driver ran a stop sign at 30 MPH and crashed into the front passenger side of the vehicle causing the front wheel to detach. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a lot. The... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 18, 2023
airbag system (SRS) problem
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
Toyota issues the airbag recall in july for 2023 tacomas and said a remedy would be available in august. Ive call once a week since the start of august to schedule my drive side airbag recall repair and they keep saying toyota doesnt have a remedy yet and it could be upwards of a year. FOR A DRIVE SIDE AIR BAG DEFECT. This should be blatantly illegal as it puts fear into driving my vehicle as i ma... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Frontier. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23E012000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local 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: Oct 19, 2023
The Air Bag, Parking Brake, Traction Control/StabiliTrak/Electonic Stability Control lights all came on while operating my vehicle. The lights did not go off, so I reported to the dealership. They determined it was an internal defect in the Inflatable Restraint Sensing and Diagnostic Module. This was not covered under warranty and appears to be a defect in the module. I believe this to be a seriou... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2022
I continue to get airbag warning light and front passenger seat occupant detection malfunction. I was told by local mechanic that ACSM fault codes are 930A60 and 930A1C.