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 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2005 Lexus RX 330. The contact stated that there were horizontal and vertical cracks on the dashboard near the passenger’s side air bag housing. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was concerned about the safety of the driver’s and passenger’s side air bags. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (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 experience... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 1981
Front passenger safety restraint system fault - this seems to be very common issue on Tesla Model 3 where I'm told some wires or sensor is pinched on the seat when the seat is reclined too far back or forward. It could cause an issue with the airbag misfiring or not firing at all during an accident, leading to death. I think this needs to be investigated immediately - this is a common issue and Te... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2025
Last year while driving my 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the headrest collision system went off for no reason, hitting me in the back of the head. Luckily I did not lose control of the vehicle and there was no collision or injury to myself. It was very scary, but I maintained control of the vehicle. I went to my local Jeep dealer Pembroke Pines Jeep Auto Nation at 13601Pines Blvd Suite A Pembroke Pine... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2025
On September 2, 2025, while driving at 65 mph, I lost control of my vehicle three times. The traction control light came on each time, creating a serious safety risk to me and others. The issue appears to involve the airbag clockspring/steering column assembly, matching symptoms reported under Safety Recall 27B (RC-27B-24). My VIN is not currently included in the recall. Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram op... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2023
My passenger occupancy mat señor is not working. It has been replaced by Hyundai several times and was a part of a recall. It was replaced in 2006 and 2007. They installed a new version of the senor mat, and the mat senor is defective again. I called Hynindia of America, and they said even though it was a recall and they fixed it as a recall fix, they said that they are no longer responsible. Is... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2025
I purchased a 2016 VW Beetle, used, in March of 2025. Over the past few weeks, I have received multiple urgent messages from Volkswagon that I need to have the airbag fixed. The communications say there is a high risk of death or serious injury and urge me to my have the repair done ASAP. They have sent multiple mailings to me and made several phone calls to my home. I am doing everything ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2025
New vehicle sold to me by Paul Miller Ford Mazda, 975 East New Circle Rd., Lexington, KY 40505 with an open, uncured, undisclosed recall regarding vent flap on passenger airbag.
Incident date: Jun 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Corolla. The contact stated after an air bag recall repair was performed on the vehicle, the front passenger's seat belt warning light illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileag... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked, with the check engine and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The contact stated that an unknown part was replaced. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while drivi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light unexpectedly illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 138,718.
Incident date: Jul 19, 2025
The passenger seat Occupant Detection System (ODS) sensor failed, turning off the airbag and illuminating the SRS light. This is a known safety defect covered by Subaru recall 19V701 / WUM-98 for 2015–2018 Foresters built through August 1, 2017. My vehicle, a 2018 Forester XT Touring (VIN [XXX] ), has the same defect but Subaru and NHTSA do not list it as part of the recall. I waited nearly a y... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
The airbags never deployed. I sustained a brain injury in the accident along with whiplash. I told the deputy on scene, that they did not deploy. My insurance looked at it. They totaled the car out. It is now sitting in a junk yard somewhere.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 20 MPH at an intersection, she failed to see the approaching vehicle that was driving 40 MPH and T-boned that vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. During the impact, the contact's wife's chest area collided with the steering wheel. The other vehicle did have all the air bags deployed. A police repor... Read more
Crash
1 injured
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) — AIR BAGS
Sep 4, 2025
Incident date: Aug 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (AIR BAGS). The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the dealer refused to perform the recall repair. The contact was informed that since there was no warning light illuminated, the recall repair was not necessary. The contact was informed to ignore future recall letters. The manufacturer ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (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 experience... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags). The local dealer was contacted, who declined to assist until the SRS light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
Vehicle is producing a "Service Airbag" warning message and red airbag light on the instrument cluster at each start. The problem code 'U0170' is found which correlates to 'Lost Communication With Passenger Presence Module'. The dealer advised that the part is discontinued and no longer available. The needed Part Number is: 23504892 which is a single year, single model only part. I checked with n... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
WHEN MY WIFE IS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT THE AIR BAG DOES NOT GO ON. I AM TOLD IT IS ACTIVATED BY WEIGHT. MY WIFE WEIGHTS 95 LBS. I WAS INITIALLY TOLD THAT 80 LBS OR MORE SHOULD ACTIVATE THE AIR BAG. THE AIR BAG DOES NOT TURN ON WHEN SHE IS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. NO ONE AT THE DEALERSHIP OR THE SERVICE CENTER KNOWS WHAT TO DO TO CORRECT THE SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. A CUSTOMER ADVOCATE ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLA250. The contact stated that the warning light that the driver’s side air bag required service was illuminated. The contact stated that the warning light was constantly illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics, and the contact was informed that there might be a recall associated with the VIN. The contact stated that one of the indep... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2013
The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Passat. 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 that the air bag warning light was occasionally illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall r... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
The contact owned a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that, while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed during an ice and rainstorm with poor visibility, a vehicle parked sideways in the middle of the roadway suddenly appeared. Unable to stop in time, the vehicle collided with the driver's side rear of the other vehicle, causing it to spin and veer onto the shoulder of the roadw... Read more
Crash
3 injured
Incident date: Aug 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH through a green light, another vehicle failed to yield at 50 MPH for a red light due to being impaired, causing a collision in which the contact’s vehicle was T-boned. No warning lights were illuminated before the crash. The front and side curtain air bags failed to deploy. The contact repor... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 6, 2025
Air bag display is on and apparently there is a leak in the accelerant on the passenger side of the car.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2017) — AIR BAGS
Sep 3, 2025
Incident date: Aug 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the driver’s air bag warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The service technician stated that there were no recalls on the VIN related to the failure. The failure persisted and the contact stated that the electrical functions on... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2024) — AIR BAGS
Sep 3, 2025
Incident date: Aug 30, 2025
I have brought my vehicle in for 3 time for the dealership to take a look at Europe messages I have received. It is currently with them right now.as the start stop function is now not working. This happened while in the dealers possession and was working normally prior to me being it into the dealership. They said they repaired a vacuum leak. After the apportionment I noticed the start stop fu... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2025
Leather dash is delaminating and shrinking starting at the defrost vents. This appears to impact the passenger airbag deployment. Chrysler/Stellantis is aware of the issue, but considers the dash to be an accessory and refuses to correct if not under warranty.
Incident date: Oct 10, 2024
Vacuum pump problem Hard to brake to stop My truck is LT not LD
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
On 8/14/25, a diagnostic fee was charged by White Bear Lake Subaru in Vadnais Heights, MN for an issue that was later confirmed to be part of an open Occupant Detection System (ODS) recall on a 2017 Subaru Forester. When the recall repair was completed on 8/27/25, the dealership refused to refund the diagnostic fee, saying reimbursement had to come from Subaru of America. Subaru of America then st... Read more
HONDA
ACCORD HYBRID
(2023) — AIR BAGS
Sep 2, 2025
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
Airbags failed to deploy. I was involved in a hit and run accident. Vehicle has not been inspected. I had a recall done on it with paperwork confirming it was fixed. I have 4 herniated discs in my back and neck.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags). The contact stated that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amoun... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2009 Mini Cooper. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the seat belt warning light illuminated even though there was no passenger seated in the passenger’s seat. The contact stated that the warning light remained illuminated with the passenger’s seat occupied and the seat belt properly fastened. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
The airbag warning light started flashing. I took the car to Valley Nissan in Longmont, Colorado where I was told that they need to replace the AirBag Diagnosis Sensor and the RH side Airbag Module. Valley Nissan said that these parts were no longer being produced, so they could not complete this repair. The airbag system is not functioning which puts me and my passengers at risk if there is an a... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
Airbags did not deploy at impact.
Crash
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
Parked vehicle for a week in driveway. Sometime during that week side curtain airbag inflator unit exploded causing significant damage to the roof and interior of the truck. Vehicle was powered off and was not involved in a collision when this incident occurred. Vehicle was not included in the recall for this problem and I was never notified this could be an issue. If there had been a passenger in... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Camry. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag and check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was determined that the air bag might deploy at any time, and that the clock spring, the steering wheel, and possibly the driver’s seat needed to be replaced. The v... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2020) — AIR BAGS
Sep 2, 2025
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
I would like to file a complaint regarding a major problem with our 2019 Hyundai Kona. We currently have Case #[XXX] opened with Hyundai Corporate Customer Care [XXX] ) but are having major problems getting this air bag issue resolved as it is currently an “unrecalled vehicle,” but having the same issue with air bags as a very recent recalled vehicle list and there is a current class action ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The factory leather dashboard has detached/ungluded in places both on the driver and passenger side. Now the dashboard cover in the passenger area does not properly line up and has bubbled up on top of the passenger air bag door. There is a high possibility that this defect will prevent the passenger air bag from properly functioning or not function at all during an accident. Several Cayenne ow... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
SRS air bag system needs to be checked Alert on
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
Was in a car Collison not wherein setbelt and airbags did not deploy or come out at all
Crash
2 injured
MAZDA
CX-90 PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2024) — AIR BAGS
Sep 2, 2025
Incident date: Aug 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags). The local dealer was contacted regarding the recall and confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2015) — AIR BAGS
Sep 2, 2025
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
Was in a rear end collision and the driver window and leg airbags deployed, but the steering wheel airbag did not deploy
Crash
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2015) — AIR BAGS
Sep 2, 2025
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
My air bag light has been flickering on and off for quite some time now. I’ve taken it to a professional mechanic as well as Gerber and they have both fixed the issue by unplugging and replugging the harness underneath the passenger seat. I was told this issue with this type of Chrysler has been brought by the shop numerous times and I may have missed a recall repair on this vehicle. I have repe... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Chrysler 200. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the front driver's side headrest deployed, and there was no impact to the vehicle. The contact stated that the headrest struck the back of her head, but there was no injury sustained. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the headrest needed to be replaced. The contac... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2023) — AIR BAGS
Sep 1, 2025
Incident date: Aug 27, 2025
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation Re: Safety Defect & Recall Non-Compliance – 2014 Audi A6 (VIN: [XXX] ) I, [XXX] , a private living woman domiciled at c/o [27870], native to Turtle Island of Choctaw and Moorish lineage, submit this complaint regarding an unrepaired federal safety recall on my 2014 Audi A6. Facts: 1. My vehicle has an open saf... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2018) — AIR BAGS
Sep 1, 2025
Incident date: Aug 6, 2025
Drivers airbag is not operational because of defective clock spring
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
During a severe accident in which the cars collided from both the back and front at most likely over 50mph, the air bags did not deploy. In such a case, I feel as though they should have gone off as there was severe whiplash and the cars hit at such a fast and hard speed. My safety was impacted severely as if the cars around did not hit the way they did, I believe I could have died. It is extremel... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 2, 2024
The airbags failed to go off. I think the vehicle is still available it was towed to Carroll's in Winslow Maine. By the airbags not going off it made the risk of injury much greater. Also lost control of the steering all together. Tried to swerve to miss an animal and the steering assist took over. Yes we have a police report stating that the airbags didn't go off. I am sure budget had their peopl... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
Why hasn't Ford found replacement parts for this airbag defect. I don't feel safe driving a car that may cause more injury to my person if I'm in an accident. This should fixed immediately. Or I would like to return my vehicle for full refund or get a new one with out safety issues.