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 11, 2025
Greetings, I went in for an oil change and was notified that my car airbags did not work and/or have not worked for an indeterminant time. The dealership ordered a part which still has not arrived. It’s been nearly 3 weeks, and I am unable to collect my car unless I pay $2,000. I’ve been paying out of pocket for a rental during that time, and as a college student have missed some classes. Curr... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
I [XXX] PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM DAYTONA, NISSAN ON [XXX] ON THE MORNING OF [XXX], THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. AND WAS FLASHING. I TOOK VIDEOS OF ALL THE DIFFERENT OCCURRENCES.I WENT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND TALKED TO THE SALESMAN THAT SOLD IT TO US.HIS NAME WAS SIMON.AND HE BROUGHT US IN, AND WE WERE TALKING TO A MANAGER THEY DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND TRY TO RESET IT AS WE WERE LEAVING, THE... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX 350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (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 14, 2025
My passenger seat belt light on can you let me know what to do
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2021) - AIR BAGS
Oct 14, 2025
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
Airbag cover is separating
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that after purchasing the vehicle from the dealer, the air bag warning light illuminated while driving, and the front passenger’s seat detection system failed to detect a passenger. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle had previously been repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V109000 (Electrica... Read more
FORD
TRANSIT CONNECT
(2015) - AIR BAGS
Oct 14, 2025
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally report repeated safety system failures in my Hyundai vehicle that have resulted in significant injury and ongoing hardship. The first incident occurred in 2021, when my vehicle was struck from the front by another driver who fled the scene. Despite the impact causing visible front-end damage, the airbags did not deploy, and the seatbelt did not en... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
Airbag wire under driver seat drags on ground
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags) in 2024; however, the contact was repeatedly informed by the dealer that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact called another local dealer but was also informed that the part was not yet available. The contact called the manufacturer was advised to call t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Land Rover Range Rover. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with driver's side air bag failure. The contact was informed that the driver's side air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made a... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2025
Airbag light intermittently turns on to indicate that airbag may not deploy even if there is someone in the passenger seat. This is a known safety issue with a recall in 2019 but for some reason is affecting a much larger set of vehicles than in the recall, including mine.
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
The contact owned a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a deer jumped out in front of the contact's vehicle. The contact's vehicle crashed into the deer, where it came to a stop by the side of the roadway. The contact stated that none of the air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss. The... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 7, 2025
I was traveling at approximately 50mph straight through an intersection. The opposing car made a left turn directly in front of me and I T-boned the other vehicle (gray Kia Optima). There was sufficient front end damage that my car was totaled. The airbags on my vehicle failed to deploy.
Crash
2 injured
VOLKSWAGEN
GTI
(2017) - AIR BAGS
Oct 13, 2025
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
My ACC/FCW LIGHT IS ON, I HAVE NOT BEEN IN A CRASH. AND WHILE DRIVING AFTER THIS LIGHT CAME ON MY PASSENGER HEADREST AIRBAG BROKE APART. AND MY CRUISE CONTROL IS OUT, ALONG WITH TRACTION CONTROL. MY CAR JUST WENT HAYWIRE.
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
My airbag sensor light is on; Kia dealer says it is an OCS sensor has an internal fault for the passenger side, but the sensor comes on when only the driver seat is occupied. I am told NOT to drive the car until it is fixed because the airbag will not deploy. Dealer has confirmed the issue and is quoting $1100 to fix if there is no recall posted on the vehicle. The system first appeared about 3 da... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
The air bag (SRS) floor wire harness running directly under the moving front driver and passenger seats are assembled with no shielding or protection. So they are subject to being severed or damaged, and the wires are at risk of corrosion if exposed to moisture or road salt. This is clearly a preventable safety issue. However, Kia and Hyundai are not providing warranty coverage. And replacemen... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
My side airbags deployed unexpectedly and without impact while riving down the street. I was in my neighborhood, close to my home, and suddenly the passenger side airbags deployed. The car shut down immediately. There is no impact to the side of the car and no dents (pics attached) I have a "malfunction" error on my screen. I don't know why this happened. My safety was at risk because if I was ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2025
My airbags randomly deployed while I was driving.
Incident date: Oct 12, 2025
My airbag sensor has randomly come on and off for about 2 years, it sense cut off and stayed off up until recently in early 2025 the “service passenger airbag” sensor comes on and stays on which affects the ability to pass a state inspection in Virginia.
Incident date: Apr 8, 2023
My airbag light is on, steering wheel controls don’t work, and my horn doesn’t work. Safety is put at risk because the airbag won’t deploy if needed, won’t be able to think in case someone can’t see me.
Incident date: Oct 12, 2025
There is a recall with NHTSA Recall # 25V-302 with no known fix. This recall, which is a problem with the curtain air bags is a major safety issue. From the recall information: "Curtain airbags which do not have proper pressure retention may reduce occupant protection and increase the risk of partial and complete ejection and injury of an occupant through a side window during certain types of cra... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2025
After arriving home, I stopped in my driveway and waited for the front passenger to exit. The vehicle was still running and may not have been in park. Immediately after the passenger exited and closed the door, the passenger curtain airbag and passenger seat airbag deployed unexpectedly. The vehicle was stationary and had not been involved in any collision. This sudden deployment posed a serious s... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
Clog of evaporator box caused water intrusion into vehicle. Water leaked onto Airbag ECU causing malfunction and requiring replacement of Airbag ECU.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
On September 5, 2025 I took my vehicle to be serviced at Earnhardt Dodge in Gilbert AZ. I informed the service attendant that I believed there might be a recall on my air bags. Upon checkout I didn’t see if the recall was serviced among other things and it wasn’t listed as being completed. On [XXX] a deer struck the front of my vehicle while driving at high speeds. The air bags didn’t dep... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
Description of the Issue: The airbag (SRS) warning light on my 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT Hatchback intermittently turns on and off and flickers when turning the steering wheel, indicating a potential fault in the spiral cable assembly (clock spring). Hyundai issued a Clock Spring Extended Warranty (TSB #17-BE-004-1) for certain vehicles, but my vehicle is not covered. A complete failure of the cloc... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
The high pressure power steering hose on my car is leaking. Issues with Air bags
Incident date: Oct 5, 1988
I was driving through a parking lot, I made a left turn and the airbag light lit up on the dashboard.Then, a chime sounded, like a low fuel chime or door open chime. I turned off the jeep and went inside the store, I then returned to my jeep, started it back up, and drove home. Every time I’m at a low speed, and make a left turn, that same chime sound starts to chime and the airbag light flicker... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
Ioniq 5's yellow air bag wire/harness underneath driver seat has design flaw, many other owners are noticing. In my case the cables are touching the floor, it's a hazard.
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
My Model 3 was T-boned in an intersection, hitting both the front and rear doors, as a result of a vehicle running a red light. The driver that hit us was speeding and didn’t hit brakes. The impact pushed the Tesla almost in a complete 360 on an adjacent street where the driver side of the car jumped a curb and stopped after hitting a pole slightly on the driver side. Red light etc all substant... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
The airbag indicator light for the driver came on after I got into the car. The light being on means the airbag protection system for the driver is off. This occurred at about 137,000 miles. I called my closest Hyundai dealership, Eckert Hyundai, within a month to report the problem and I was told by the dealership that there was no recall on the vehicle regarding the issue I was reporting. I have... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2025
Car displayed a warning sign that safety system malfunctioned. Airbag indicator showed “passenger airbag off”. This error occurred sporadically and for a limited amount of time. It also kept sensing that passenger seat was occupied when it wasn’t. From what I understand , the issue is related to passenger side PODS sensor.
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
The contact's cousin owned a 2012 Kia Forte. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked unattended by the privacy fence. The contact was alerted by her nephew and observed that the vehicle was on fire. The front windshield had shattered, and smoke was visible inside the cabin. The fire appeared to originate from the dashboard area. The contact used a fire extinguisher to suppress the flames wi... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 25, 2025
My two recalls have not been fixed, Airbag, Floor mat. Have not had anyone from Honda reach out at all. I need Honda to come to the cars location to make exchange or fix. Ford actually came to my house to fix my other car on it's recall of airbag. So they should be able to do that for me.
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2025) - AIR BAGS
Oct 10, 2025
Incident date: Oct 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (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: Sep 3, 2025
Getting an SRS Airbag system needs to be checked. Took the 2015 Subaru Forester to Williams Subaru in Lansing MI and they stated the code B1760 for the occupant detection system Mat was determined. The seat has not been wet and nothing spilled on it and was also determined dry by the repair specialist at time of service. They were able to reset sensor and did a test drive. Less than a week la... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 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 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 after being contacted several ti... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2018) - AIR BAGS
Oct 10, 2025
Incident date: Oct 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Buick Enclave. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and occupied, while attempting to start the vehicle, the contact became aware that the air bag warning light was illuminated more than five times. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that that GM Part Number: 13576628 (Module 16.712) needed to be repl... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2019) - AIR BAGS
Oct 10, 2025
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
I keep losing power steering control because of leaking. I contacted a dealership and was told that there wasn't any recall concerning , power steering, transmission, airbag and body control module. I contacted GM and was told that the recall has ended.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
the accident occurred on [XXX] in the city of Visalia, Ca. I’m not sure what time it was happened and any other details because I’m not the person involved in the accident but I bought the car from a dealership located in Corona, Ca on [XXX]. They never mentioned that the car was involved in a collision or if it had an accident reports. Even brought a Vehicle History report with the contact de... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 3, 2025
Electric parking brake light keeps coming on also the shifters light comes on a lot as well
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2017) - AIR BAGS
Oct 9, 2025
Incident date: Oct 2, 2025
The yellow airbag SRS critical safety restraint wire runs exposed and loose and drooping beneth the front seats with NO space between the harness and the floor (it could have been run above the seat plate or otherwise protected. Mine snagged on something and was torn from the terminal block and has disable the airbag. Hyundai denies it a defective design or assembly and had denied warranty cover... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
My Tesla displayed fault code RCM-A056 (Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault). This error disables or compromises the front passenger airbag/occupant restraint system. The fault appeared without accident or damage, and Tesla has declined to cover the repair because my Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty has expired. This is a critical safety defect because it prevents the front passenger airb... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 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 bags warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of ti... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
Ioniq 5 is known to have a loose and possibly dangling wire underneath the driver seat. This wire is often uncovered and unshielded, and is susceptible to becoming damaged due to the automatic seats and adjustments. This wire directly operates the airbag and if damaged loses all functionality. Hyundai is not covering any damage to this wire under warranty, and this poses an immediate threat to ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
See attached document for complaint. I am writing to you with deep concern to report a serious matter regarding the safety of a vehicle I recently purchased and to respectfully request your intervention in a case that endangers not only my safety as a consumer but also that of the passengers transported in this automobile. On XXXX X, XXXX, I purchased a 2023 Chrysler Pacifica Wagon 40 Touring L ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 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 local dealer was contacted several times. 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 conta... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2025
Truck hits a car that car lose control and drive in front of my wife wile driving she crash and the only messege apear on dash panel was air bag system malfunction my car is a Rav4 2022, before the crash lights like tps control come on and off
Crash
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2024) - AIR BAGS
Oct 9, 2025
Incident date: Aug 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2005 Infiniti G35. The contact stated that the seat failed to recline. The service engine light was illuminated. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V175000 (Air Bags, Seats). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the cause was a faulty fuse. The fuse was replaced, but the failure recurred. The contact cal... Read more