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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 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 2,245,377 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

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 129,250 complaints - component: AIR BAGS

Incident date: Aug 29, 2026

COMPONENT FAILURE: The driver-side front seat belt retractor & pyrotechnic pretensioner assembly spontaneously & violently deployed while the vehicle was in motion. Immediately following the explosion, the vehicle's dashboard SRS/Airbag warning light illuminated & remains locked on. The component is currently intact & remains inside the vehicle; it is fully available for physical inspection upon r... Read more

1 injured

Incident date: Aug 6, 2026

A scheduled airbag recall repair could not be completed because the dealership did not verify that the recall part was in stock before my appointment. I arrived for the recall service after confirming the appointment days in advance and was told the part was not available. I was told I would be contacted when the part arrived, but weeks have passed with no update or communication. This is an airb... Read more

Incident date: Jul 20, 2026

Vehicle reported an SRS Passenger problem intermittently, as displayed on the dashboard, the car's information system, and a diagnostic trouble code (the car's aftermarket radio is connected to the OBD-II connector and can pull codes). The problem would appear, and then disappear upon subsequent startup cycle, over the course of a two-week road trip. In total, the problem occurred three times ove... Read more

Incident date: Dec 31, 1969

Warning light for passenger air bag. There is know recall but my car has not been issued the same recall as others. They have been appearing on and off since 90k miles.

Incident date: Aug 28, 2026

2015 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite, VIN [XXX]. Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision on XXX. The driver's frontal airbag did not deploy. During the impact, I was thrown forward and struck the steering wheel. Additionally, a side/sliding door opened during the collision. The door was closed before the collision. I am concerned about possible failures of the supplemental restraint system and doo... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Jun 27, 2026

On June 27, 2026 I started the vehicle and every warning light came on and the gauge cluster started cycling through system failure warnings for most every component/system on the vehicle. The vehicle was barely drivable, with no power steering, no backup camera, no AC, inoperable gauges, no safety/driver aids, and hard shifting. It was taken to Bentley Hyundai in Huntsville the same day. The veh... Read more

Incident date: Aug 28, 2026

The passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS), including the occupant detection sensor system in the passenger seat, has malfunctioned. The SRS/airbag warning light is illuminated. The vehicle produced diagnostic trouble codes B1650 and B1760. The affected passenger seat and components remain installed in the vehicle and are available for inspection upon request. As the SRS light is on, none of ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 24, 2026

The passenger-side seat-belt retractor pretensioner, which is part of the supplemental restraint/airbag system, malfunctioned. The pretensioner apparently deployed without a collision, and the passenger seat belt became permanently locked and unable to retract or extend. The vehicle and failed component remain available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of my passengers were p... Read more

Incident date: Aug 20, 2026

COMPONENT THAT FAILED & AVAILABILITY: The vehicle's primary electrical architecture and data communications network (CAN bus) failed during a safety recall service for the SRS ECU and rearview camera. After attempting to complete the recall work, the vehicle is no longer able to start. SAFETY RISK: The manufacturer's federally mandated safety recall remedy compromised the vehicle's critical safet... Read more

Incident date: Jul 23, 2026

Airbag warning light is ON. Dealer states that this is caused by the wire harness under the seat getting caught when seat moves and breaks the wire continuity. Dealer states that several of these incidents have been observed in many vehicles as the harness design is prone to being trapped in the seat movement mechanism. Dealer states that the passenger side Airbag will NOT deploy if harness not re... Read more

Incident date: Aug 25, 2026

I own a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. The driver's-side Active Head Restraint (AHR) suddenly deployed/opened without the vehicle being involved in a collision or rear impact. The head restraint separated/opened with significant force and will not remain in its normal position. I am not aware of any warning lights, warning messages, or other symptoms before the head restraint deployed. This cr... Read more

Incident date: Aug 21, 2026

Airbag light came on August 21, 2026. I tried several steps to troubleshoot with no resolution. I took it to the local Kia dealership for further inspection. I was terrified to drive the vehicle because of the airbag failure. I explained to the technician that I had read that there was an warranty extension for the exact clock spring failure. I met the qualification (2011-2016 /unlimited mileage) ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 27, 2026

On XXX while traveling at approximately 50 mph on a smooth highway, both front airbags and the seatbelt pretensioners spontaneously deployed and exploded without warning. There was absolutely no collision, crash, road debris, or pothole impact. There were no vehichles in front or behind me. The vehicle continued smoothly for 100 yards post-blast. The vehicle's exterior and undercarriage remain com... Read more

Incident date: Aug 28, 2002

My husband picked me up from work in [XXX] we went over a very icy bridge the truck spun around and hit the guard rail on the bridge the airbags popped and broke two of my ribs I went to the hospital it was very painful I had to lose out on several days of work. I have pictures of the airbag the one that popped on me appears to be orange. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATI... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Oct 5, 2023

A prior recall that was supposedly fixed, broke again. Submitted several complaints with Nhtsa and Volkswagen. Volkswagen said i had to pay a fee to verify what was wrong with my vehicle because the recall had already been fixed before. Months of waiting and waiting for an appointment and then vw would still not refix the recall. So years and years went by before the recall was recalled and vw sen... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Aug 25, 2026

Air bag light on. Needed temp start

Incident date: Jul 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Accent. The contact stated that she recently purchased the vehicle from a private seller. When the contact drove the vehicle for the first time, there were no issues or warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. However, when the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an inspection, it was discovered that the airbag module warning light was illumi... Read more

Incident date: Aug 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that vehicle was displaying the warning message "Airbag System SRS Problem". The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V332000 (Air Bags); however, VIN number was not included. The dealer was contacted; however vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mil... Read more

Incident date: Aug 26, 2026

An authorized dealer did a recall repair on my vehicle without my explicit consent. Not verbally nor in writing. Completion of said repair resulted in a botched outcome. Service manager was made aware but did not remedy the situation.

Incident date: Aug 27, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V189000 (Air bags); however, the part to perform 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 ... Read more

Incident date: Jun 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2007 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving, the airbag warning light remained illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V014000 (Air Bags); however, the contact stated that the vehicle experienced failure described in the recall. The local dealer was not contacted. The... Read more

Incident date: Aug 24, 2026

Was parking and when I hit the park button. A lot of error lights came on. After a reset, I have an Airbag needs service error.

Incident date: Aug 1, 2026

Mileage at time of incident: Approximately 4,000 miles Date of incident: XXX Location: [XXX] Incident description: My vehicle was in neutral while going through an automatic car wash, as instructed. When the exit signal indicated it was clear to proceed, with my foot on the brake, I shifted into drive. The vehicle accelerated on its own, without corresponding accelerator pedal input, and struck th... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Aug 26, 2026

The contact owned a 2013 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH and attempting to make a right turn around a curve, the driver-side curtain airbag deployed unexpectedly and struck the contact's left temple, causing the contact to lose consciousness. While unconscious, the contact's foot remained depressed on the accelerator pedal, causing the vehicle to crash into a ditch, ... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Jul 20, 2026

[XXX] Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, located in [XXX] performed an airbag recall on my vehicle. The vehicle was put back together incorrectly, and the headliner, rearview mirror, and sunglass holder are all hanging loose. The driver's line of sight is obstructed in the rearview mirror because of the parts hanging loose. I am too afraid to drive the car without knowing that the airbag was installed corre... Read more

Incident date: Aug 21, 2026

CRINKLING NOISE WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL EITHER WAY, HORN RANDOMLY HONKS, RED AIR BAG ON, BAS ESP LIGHT ON

Incident date: Apr 1, 2021

SRS Airbag Malfunction, visit Dealer warning

Incident date: Aug 20, 2026

Air bag error light lit up with barely over 60k miles. Dealer diagnosis identifies the issue as a faulty Driver Head Curtain Airbag Igniter. Correction is to replace the driver side head curtain airbag assembly at a cost of ~$1,200. The vehicle has never been in an accident nor had the airbags deployed. This seems to be a common issue based on previous comments therefore Volkswagon should ste... Read more

Incident date: Jul 17, 2026

The side curtain airbag inflator in our 2015 Ram 1500 Rebel spontaneously exploded without any impact, warning, or deployment command. The inflator violently ruptured inside the headliner, ejecting high‑velocity metal fragments and debris throughout the cabin. The blast destroyed the side curtain airbag system and caused severe interior damage. The explosion was forceful enough that we initiall... Read more

Incident date: Aug 24, 2026

horn honks on its own, crinkling while turning wheel, airbag light on dash, esp, bas lights on dash

Incident date: Aug 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Incident date: Aug 23, 2026

2021 Volkswagen Atlas—VIN 1V2AP2CA0MC565982. Vehicle manufactured 02/2021. Airbag warning light illuminated. Volkswagen dealer diagnosed the airbag control module as wet and shorted due to water leaking into the vehicle from the A/C drain. This appears identical to the defect described by Volkswagen Safety Recall 87H4 / NHTSA 21V-892. Recall 87H4 includes certain 2021 Atlas vehicles manufactured... Read more

Incident date: Jul 31, 2026

On XXX, I was involved in a collision with my 2025 Cadillac Lyriq with vin # [XXX]. in which my vehicle struck a parked car, then a tree, then a curb, in sequence, at approximately 30 mph. The vehicle continued onto the curb after the final impact. All passengers sustained injuries and required X-rays and medical treatment. There were no warning lights or dashboard indicators prior to the collisi... Read more

Crash 2 injured

Incident date: Jul 26, 2026

The contact owned a 2025 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked on a neighborhood street, a vehicle crashed into the front driver’s side of the vehicle. The vehicle was driving approximately 60 MPH at the time of the crash and came to a stop upon impact. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed a local law enforcement parking lot. No warning lights were illum... Read more

Crash 2 injured

Incident date: May 26, 2025

The contact owned a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a message displayed on several occasions instructing the driver to pull over and shut off the vehicle because the battery would shut off. Upon pulling over and turning off the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart and required towing on several occasions. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where a w... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Jul 27, 2026

I am filing an official safety complaint regarding a severe unaddressed factory design defect on my 2016 Chevrolet Camaro. The vehicle suffers from catastrophic water intrusion into the primary electrical system hub in the trunk during normal, everyday rain conditions. Due to a manufacturing or design failure in the rear trunk decklid seals and wiring harnesses, ordinary rainfall flows directly in... Read more

Incident date: Aug 24, 2026

While driving my 2025 Toyota Sienna XLE with Sure Grip Push‑Rock electronic hand controls, the acceleration suddenly stops working without warning. When this happens, the hand control will not accelerate at all — only the brake still works — leaving me coasting in traffic with no way to speed up. This has happened multiple times at different speeds and creates an immediate danger because I c... Read more

Incident date: Aug 26, 2026

The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Patriot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V668000 (Seat Belts, Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the recall repair was not completed. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was... Read more

Incident date: Jun 12, 2026

On June 12, 2026, while driving my 2022 Nissan Rogue on the Grand Central Expressway in New York, the engine suddenly shut down and the vehicle lost motive power in active highway traffic. The vehicle would not restart. I called 911, and police responded and protected the disabled vehicle until it could be towed to safety. I later learned the vehicle was subject to Nissan Safety Recall R25D1 / NH... Read more

Incident date: Aug 26, 2026

The contact owns a 2022 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V189000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to parts being on backorder. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the reca... Read more

Incident date: Aug 13, 2026

my car was t-boned on the passenger side at the b pillar and airbags did not deploy. yes the body shop confirmed the airbags did not deploy. no warnings or messages.

1 injured

Incident date: Aug 15, 2026

The dash skin covering is deboning and lifting and it’s very concerning that the airbags might be compromised from inflating in an accident.

Incident date: Apr 7, 2026

DEALER SAYS PART HAS BEEN BACKORDERED FOR 165 DAYS. MY VEHICLE IS NOT CURRENTLY LEGAL TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE NYS INSPECTION HAS EXPIRED. .GETTING A HUGE RUNAROUND FROM THE DEALER

Incident date: Aug 25, 2026

At approximately 3:40 pm central standard time I was going through a school zone fixing to turn into the school. I was going about 15 mph and decelerating to a stop near the cop conducting school traffic. As I was coming a stop my AHR headrest deployed. This happened very spontaneously and luckily I was going slow enough and coming to a stop when it happened. Definitely a safety concern.

Incident date: Aug 17, 2026

reporting an unintended driver’s frontal airbag deployment that occurred without a collision and resulted in occupant injuries. My son was leaving EōS Fitness in [XXX]. He entered my 2010 Infiniti FX35 and sat in the driver’s seat. The vehicle was parked and stationary. There was no collision, impact, curb strike, sudden stop, or other crash event immediately preceding the deployment. My ... Read more

1 injured

Incident date: Aug 17, 2026

1 injured

Incident date: Aug 25, 2026

Over approximately the past month, the leather covering on the dashboard of my 2021 Porsche Cayenne has rapidly begun lifting, buckling, and separating across a substantial portion of the dashboard. The deformation has become increasingly pronounced in a short period of time despite normal use and careful maintenance of the vehicle. I am concerned that this may present a safety issue because the ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 25, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bags warning light illuminated and then went off. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the air bag warning light was again illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, t... Read more

Incident date: Aug 20, 2026

I own a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 with the 5.9L Cummins diesel, manufactured in September 2000, with approximately 197,000 miles. The AIRBAG warning light now remains illuminated continuously, and the steering-wheel cruise-control buttons are completely inoperative. The horn still works. I performed the instrument-cluster self-test, and the CRUISE indicator illuminates during that test, confirming t... Read more

Incident date: Jun 21, 2026

The failing component system is the drivers side impact airbags. Subaru of America did their own inspection and has listed their findings in an email (it can be forwarded to you if needed). The vehicle is currently at a collision center appointed by our insurance company but has not yet been inspected there. Our vehicle sat at NEW MOTORS dealership so that Subaru of America could do their invest... Read more

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

Read more from our blog