Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 128,460 complaints — component: AIR BAGS
Incident date: Sep 20, 2025
The contact owned a 2018 Mercedes-Benz E300. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, another vehicle leaving the parking lot pulled in front of the contact's vehicle, and the contact's vehicle crashed into the side of the other vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact's face and chest hit the steering wheel. The contact sustained soreness on the face, and from the shoulders down t... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 24, 2025
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The defects involve multiple electronic control systems, including steering, braking, and airbag modules, which continue to generate active and stored Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) even after the May 2, 2023 recall repair. The vehicle remains in our possession and is available for inspection upon r... Read more
Crash
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2024) — AIR BAGS
Sep 25, 2025
Incident date: Sep 25, 2025
I am experiencing an issue with the airbag light on my 2017 Nissan Altima S model, which is showing code B0020. This airbag code indicates a problem with the passenger side airbag system, typically caused by damaged wiring, a malfunctioning seat sensor, or a loose connector beneath the driver's seat. The repair quote from my local Nissan dealership ranges from $1728 to $3500, depending on the faul... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Chrysler 200. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the front driver’s and front passenger’s side headrests deployed without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V640000 (Seats, Air Bags). The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that the headrest needed to be replaced out ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2025
On August 22nd 2025 my daughter was driving this vehicle and was in a car accident and her front air bags did not deploy. Her passenger side airbags deployed with no passenger but nothing in the front and it was a front collision. Upon receipt of the Paperwork from Copart we learned there was an active recall from 2018 for the front airbags possibly not deploying and resulting in injury during a c... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 25, 2025
PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR. This is blinking on my dash. I looked it up in the manual. It stated that the airbag may not deploy in an accident. I also got a recall notice for this same problem and called the dealer. They said that my vin was not included in the recall even though I had the same make, model and year and the same problem. I had a problem with this when the vehicle was new, they fixed ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2025
The contact owned a 2021 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the “Service Safety Restraint Device” warning light illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and the contact was informed that the air bag was not repaired correctly because there was electrical tape and packing foam inside the air bag housing. The air bag was replaced and the fr... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the messages "No Seat Belt", "Service Air Bags", "Service Seat Belts" and "Auto Park Disabled" were displayed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred with the driver and the front passenger's side seat occupant wearing their seat belts. Additionally, the brake and the check engine warning ligh... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
I am writing to demand a recall for a widespread and well-documented defect involving the sunroof drain lines in the Lexus GX460. Owners across multiple model years report that these drains frequently clog, disconnect, or deteriorate, resulting in severe water intrusion into the cabin. This defect is more than an inconvenience. Water intrusion routinely damages the headliner, carpets, and—most ... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE L
(2024) — AIR BAGS
Sep 25, 2025
Incident date: Sep 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V302000 (Air Bags). The contact called a local dealer and the manufacturer for information on parts availability but was advised that another letter indicating when the parts were available would be sent. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2025
Red air bag light goes on at start up on dash. I understand there was a recall at one time. Is mine a defective part that didn't get fixed? Thx.
Incident date: Sep 25, 2025
The contact owned a 2023 Genesis G80. The contact stated that a 2001 Ford F-350, pulling a tow trailer, ran a red light while traveling at approximately 50 MPH and crashed into her vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries to her left side, arm, neck, and back, and medical attention was provided. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire. The vehicle was towe... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V302000 (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 ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
NHTSA Campaign #: 16V244000 Passenger airbag off
Incident date: Sep 24, 2025
Hello, Can you please direct me to the proper office to file a complaint against a Fiat dealership which refuses to complete a recall? Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Jun 5, 2025
on Sept 23, 2025, I was rear ended by a driver going between 50-60 mph. I am concerned that some safety features were potentially not working at the time of the incident. I will detail the information below: Background / Original Service Issue: When I initially brought my vehicle to Titus-Will Chevrolet GMC Cadillac for service, I observed that multiple critical safety systems were nonfunctiona... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V834000 (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 contact parked the vehicle, and the vehicle was no longer driven due... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Aug 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Passat. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V148000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The air bag warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manuf... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2025
Gentlemen: On August 11, 2025, the 2023 Honda Civic, VIN # [XXX] , was involved in an accident on the Miami/Gainesville Highway, resulting in a side impact with a truck. Fortunately, nothing serious happened to the health of my son, who was driving the vehicle. However, I am writing to you, motivated by the fact that I notified Honda USA approximately a month ago of the following information, and ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 17, 2025
Traveling WB on SR100 approximately 60mph after picking up dinner in [XXX] , Before reaching the turn for 302, a deer jumped from the southbound side of the road to the northbound side of the road. When it jumped, the right side of the deer impacted the front of my vehicle which in turn ripped the vehicles hood up from locked down position and slammed it into the windshield. I saw the deers midsec... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V834000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated the front passenger's side air bag warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufact... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Titan. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the air bag warning light continued to blink off and on. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 223,215.
Incident date: Sep 21, 2025
My clock spring is no longer working, it made all the buttons on my steering wheel stop working and i am afraid the airbag will deploy at random since there was a recall on cla models 2015-2018. I own a Mercedes cla 250 2018 but it is not showing a recall on my specific vehicle. Not only that but they no longer sell just the clock spring for my car, im assuming because of the recall. I am scared t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
We have an airbag warning light that keeps coming on. It's been reset by a repair garage, but has returned this week. Techniction Stating the following: on technical service bulletin they state inspect and install a jumper harness in the front seats. Why do I have to reroute electrical. This should be a recall for repair because Chrysler has wired it incorrectly to start with. other informa... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
EQE 350+
(2024) — AIR BAGS
Sep 23, 2025
Incident date: Sep 20, 2025
The seat belt system is faulted and is showing the airbag light is on, when started it shows a red question mark on the drivers seat. Also shows a rear seat fault.
Incident date: Sep 11, 2025
While driving at highway speeds the vehicle suddenly dropped into "limp mode" causing the vehicle to start slowing down very quickly since I had regeneration breaking set to level 2. Causing the vehicle behind me to almost rear end me but they moved out of the way quick enough that no collision happened. I was able to turn on my hazard lights and roll to safety. After powering off the vehicle, e... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER VELAR
(2018) — AIR BAGS
Sep 23, 2025
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
Had my car scanned it said air control unit. With that light on if I have a collision my ai bags won't deploy and my safety belts will not lock.
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor was defective and failed to recognize when the seat was empty. The contact stated that the failure initially occurred with the front passenger’s seat; however, the rear seats also experienced the failure. The contact had to restart the vehicle or fasten all seat belts to prevent the seat... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
The contact owned a 2025 Nissan Pathfinder. The contact stated that the ABS warning light had illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the ABS system needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact believed that the ABS system was not calibrated due to the ABS warning light re-illuminated. On another occasion, the contact stated that while... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 23, 2024
The Light came on the dashboard to "SERVICE AIRBAG SYSTEM"---so I brought it to a Jeep Dealership service Department near my home. They replaced the ORC module for the Airbag System and i took it home but the issue remained, and the light on the dashboard came back on. So I took the car back and this time they replaced the Clock Spring device in the vehicle so I feel this Clock Spring issue is sim... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2025
Hello, on September 5, 2025 I was driving my 2015 Chevy equinox. I was in a collision while driving my 2015 equinox going at a speed of 60 mph on a highway. On the day of the collision i hit a cargo truck that was carrying vehicles an it completely destroyed the front of my 2015 chevy equinox despite the severity of the impact. None of the airbags deployed. Fortunately me and my daughter did not s... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 24, 2025
Component/System failed: The electronic control module (ECM) and related wiring were compromised by a dealer-installed Lojack anti-theft system. The device was spliced into wiring near the airbag system and ECM, causing repeated faults. The component remains in the vehicle and is available for inspection. Safety risks: 1. Wiring near airbags may interfere with deployment. 2. ECM faults risk stall... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2020) — AIR BAGS
Sep 23, 2025
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
On 9/20, I started receiving a dashboard notification alerting me of an airbag system failure (see photo) - that was unable to be dismissed for longer than 15-20 seconds obstructing my odometer, speedometer and gas meter. On 9/23, I had an appointment and was informed my car needed a “clock spring assy”. My car is not driven frequently and not even four years old yet.
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
My air bag light went on , and my car is displaying a fault on the drivers side air bag . I took the car to an authorized Mercedes dealer and they say they claim I need a new part . Please see RCMN-17V627 . The recall affects nearly 500,000 Mercedes-Benz vehicles from model years 2012 to 2018. Specific models include: B-Class electric (2014–2017) I can send pictures and other material .
Incident date: Jun 18, 2025
My son was driving the vehicle down the interstate and attempted to exit. He hit the brakes and the car would not slow down. He had the pedal all the way to the floor and the vehicle still would not slow down. The vehicle went off the exit ramp, through a grassy hill area, across the entrance ramp, and finally stopped when the tire broke off. Even with the tire broke off and the vehicle not moving... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
While stopped at a stop sign, the passenger headrest airbag deployed.
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 2
(2022) — AIR BAGS
Sep 23, 2025
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
Frequent Passenger Restraint System Issue
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2017) — AIR BAGS
Sep 22, 2025
Incident date: Aug 25, 2025
On Tuesday, September 2nd, I was in a car accident on the freeway. A car jump out in front of me and did not go quickly enough, I hit my breaks, but still hit them going around 55-60 MPH. When the impact occurred, my car turned itself off and I saw smoke coming out of the dash / center area of the car. I was able to start my car and get it off of the freeway safely. My airbag did not deploy, a... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 22, 2025
The contact owned a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the engine. After the vehicle was restarted, the air bag warning light was no longer illuminated. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed o... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER
(2017) — AIR BAGS
Sep 22, 2025
Incident date: Sep 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light unexpectedly illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that all the front air bag modules had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was also informed that the rear air bags could potentially be inoperable and might require to... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
THIS FIRST PORTION OF THE DESCRIPTION IF AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION FROM THE LATTER PART, WHICH WAS RECEIVED IN SPANISH. Complaint to NHTSA – Unresolved Recall on 2021 Toyota Camry I own a used 2021 Toyota Camry purchased from an authorized Toyota dealer. After purchase, I discovered that the vehicle has an open recall related to the airbag system. According to information from NHTSA, there is cur... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
The front seat passenger air bag detection system does not detect a passenger in the seat and turns off the frontal air bag. This has occurred numerous times and applies to certain 2015 Nissan Altimas. Nissan claims the recall to repair the Occupant Classification System does not apply to our VIN number, yet we continue to have this safety issue. The issued has been addressed with several deale... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V302000 (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.
Incident date: Sep 30, 2023
My passenger and rear airbags are not working due to a failure in this part: CUSHION AY OCPANTRH 64139SG002. I have been waiting for the part for around 10 months. My safety is put at risk as my airbags are not working and Subaru has not provided a solution while we are waiting for this part. I have asked for a rental car and they refused. It has been confirmed by multiple dealerships. The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2025
This truck has had to have several high temp burnoffs because of failures in the EGR and Carbon build up. The recent recall for Rams does not cover the 2012, and began at 2013, however, we are experiencing the same exact issues with the same type of system. In addition, we have had repeated airbag issues due to the positioning of the cockspring and wiring getting choked out.
Incident date: Sep 22, 2025
I purchased my 2014 Ford Edge in December 2023. March 2023, I started having issues with the driver side door lock sensor malfunction as shown in the last photo. The door would not automatically lock when I started driving, sensing that the driver’s side door was still open. It was not. I kept pushing the lock button to lock it, but it kept unlocking even while driving. Eventually it would lock.... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 16, 2025
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The headrest randomly deployed well car was in park. All I did was sit in my seat. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My safety was put at risk because now I have a sore neck and migraine from something meant to keep me safe but instead jeopardized my safety. Has the problem... Read more
1 injured
MAZDA
CX-90 PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2024) — AIR BAGS
Sep 22, 2025
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
1.Airbag did not deploy but it did pop up from steringwheel and there is powder present. 2. Service at the dealership told me based on description that it is airbag failure and that there is no recalls for such on my car. 3.The vehicle is seating at the wrecker yard. UNKNOWN what if any inspections have been done. 4.No warning lights prior
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 25, 2022
I got into a car accident in 08/28/25 @8:30pm and on impact I was going about 50-55mph and not a single one of my air bags came out. I also know that there are no recalls on my vehicle for air bags.
Crash
1 injured