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: Feb 28, 2025
The contact owned a 2019 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the contact had lost consciousness. The contact stated that an emergency services vehicle was behind her and had observed her go through an intersection, crash through and guardrail, and roll down an embankment. The contact was removed from the vehicle, still unconscious, and transported to the... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Mustang Mach E. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH and pressing the brake pedal to stop, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward and crashed into the rear of a second vehicle. Before the crash, the pre-collision warning had activated, but the vehicle did not stop. The front end of the had sustained severe damage but no bags deployed. No injurie... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
The contact owned a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, occupied with his son in the vehicle, another vehicle collided into the front center of the vehicle, causing the vehicle to merge into another lane. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries to his neck, shoulder, and lower back. The contact son sustained injuries to the neck. No medical at... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Mar 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX450H. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (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 experien... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 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 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 experienced ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2013) - AIR BAGS
Apr 28, 2025
Incident date: Apr 17, 2025
The contact owned a 2021 GMC Denali. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 25 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering. The vehicle failed to turn and crashed into a tree. There were no reported injuries. There were no warning lights. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V455000 (Steering). The vehicle was taken to his residence. There was no poli... Read more
Crash
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2018) - AIR BAGS
Apr 28, 2025
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
I was driving at 35 mph when the front doors began unlocking and locking rapidly three times, then both front doors fell open ajar, at the same time the screen went grey with a triangle ! icon as an audile alarm went off then the drivers side curtain airbag deployed forcing the steering wheel to the right causing the vehicle to collide head on into an electric utility pole. I tried to brake but wa... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
As stated in previous complaint my air bag has failed again. Why is gm allowed to fix these with the exact same system that fails again?
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2021) - AIR BAGS
Apr 27, 2025
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
I bought my G6 in 2022. After about a year of having it, issues started happening. Everything was fine up until my passenger side airbag warning appeared on my radio screen and it won't go off. Could be a serious issue with the airbag. Maybe around the end of 2023 I started having problems with my power steering. I could drive down the road and all of a sudden my steering wheel would lock up. I co... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2024
Hello, On 4.25.25 I took my 2010 Nissan Armada into the Thoroughbred Nissan Dealership in Tucson AZ for the recall on the air bag emblem/cover. They replaced the cover and installed 98510ZQ01C: Kit Service Air bag cover. However my air bag light on the dash is still blinking. So, I googled "2010 nissan armada platinum air bag issues" and found that the AI overview stated: "The 2010 Nissan Armada... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2025
Passenger seat Headrest popped out for no reason. Got a headache from it cause of the impact it caused. Was only driving in my neighborhood at 25mph. No accident occurred
Incident date: Apr 26, 2025
On [XXX], my 2018 Nissan Sentra was involved in a severe accident on [XXX] in Maryland. Despite the high-impact nature of the collision, none of the airbags deployed. The driver’s seat collapsed completely, causing total loss of control, and the seatbelt system applied excessive pressure, restricting movement dangerously. Nissan North America refused to inspect the vehicle and redirected respons... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 12, 2025
The manufacturer sent a third party to fix an airbag recall. Before the third-party technician touched my truck for the recall, both my horn and cigarette lighter worked. Now, after their repair, neither works. Therefore, something they did caused an electrical fault. I advised whoever sent the technician and they said they would send the guy back. No one will answer my calls and no one has fixed ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2025
In April 2025, my 2013 Volkswagen Passat developed serious issues: the steering wheel cover is lifted, horn and steering wheel controls stopped working, lights malfunctioned, and now the vehicle will not start. It also has an open Takata airbag recall with no parts available until “after june” I contacted the dealership by phone and Spoke to Lykoto at Molle dealership in Kansas City. they have... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
I have the same airbag error issues as same year and model car. They are not considering it as part of the recall.
KIA
SPORTAGE HYBRID
(2023) - AIR BAGS
Apr 26, 2025
Incident date: Mar 13, 2025
I bought the car there was no airbag light on it I was driving down my road and it just randomly turned on been on ever since. Sunnyside Acura Told me that the frontal driver side airbag was replaced in 2016, Then they told me that it would not be under recall because they pretty much said they had already fixed it but the problem had occurred. They said it was done it 2016 the air bag should last... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
Was driving to work and the car failed to let me know I was going to hit something and I swerved into another lane creating a crash into a telephone pole and then into a pond/swamp area. The airbags did not deploy and I was going about 40 mph I suffered neck back and bruises to my arms. I am suffering servers neck pain. The car filled with water. The car did say it detected a crash but no air bags... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact drove over a pothole and the front passenger’s side curtain air bag deployed unintendedly. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.
Incident date: Mar 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front passenger's side air bag module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V031000 (Air Bags). The failure persisted. The manufact... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2025
4x4 light comes on every once in a while Airbag light come on says service
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and occupied, while attempting to start the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the SRS air bag system failure message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that the SRS control unit and weight sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
I was parked on surface parking lot with no cars around me, when I put the vehicle in reverse to back out of the parking space, within 2 or 3 seconds the steering wheel airbag exploded without warning. I did not hit anything backing out and there was no collision. I simply put the vehicle in reverse when the airbag exploded. The vehicle was towed to the dealership Porsche Dallas, 6107 Lemmon Ave.,... Read more
1 injured
LAND ROVER
LR4
(2012) - AIR BAGS
Apr 25, 2025
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
The contact owned a 2022 Lucid Air. The contact stated that while making a left turn, another vehicle crashed into the passenger side of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact nor his wife were injured and a police report was filed. The whereabout of the other driver are unknown. Despite the accident, the contact managed to resume normal driving operation. The vehicle wa... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 17, 2025
The contact owned a 2024 BMW X5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH through an intersection, another vehicle ran a red light and t-boned the contact's vehicle on the front passenger side to the partial front rear door. The vehicle spun and crashed into a medium, causing the vehicle to come to a stop. No air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed and totaled. A police report w... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 24, 2024
The contact called on behalf of her daughter who owned a 2021 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that her daughter was involved in a crash while driving on a main road at 35 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the passenger side of her vehicle at an unknown speed. No property damage was reported. The vehicles came to a stop upon impact. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to a local tow ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (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. The contact had not experienced a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2025
Airbag warning light came on 1/25, took to Subaru dealership for diagnostic service. Was told the Passenger Front Seat Occupant Detection Sensor Assembly needs to be replaced, airbag system is not functional. Item has been on backorder, unable to replace as needed and told this is a known issue for Subaru. Have since contacted Subaru National Consumer Advocacy for assistance (case #250418-17006... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. 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... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2017) - AIR BAGS
Apr 24, 2025
Incident date: Apr 24, 2025
The airbag warning light on the dashboard stays on continuously and will not go off.
Incident date: Apr 15, 2025
Vehicle was hit on driver side/a column. Head hit window. No side air bag deployed. Vehicle is getting repaired at body shop. My son received a concussion; neck pain; numbness in hand. Vehicle inspected by insurance company. Police report available; other driver cited for careless driving. Vehicle hit so hard it was pushed onto sidewalk adjacent to roadway.
Crash
1 injured
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2022) - AIR BAGS
Apr 24, 2025
Incident date: Apr 22, 2025
The manufacturer issued a recall for the air bag deployment system potentially not registering a passenger, thus not deploying, in December 2023. As of April 2025, there is still no remedy to fix this issue, which is a safety concern.
Incident date: Apr 20, 2025
Wife was driving 2024 Mazda CX-30 with (bought demo from dealer in February with 2500 miles on it and now 4006 miles) daughter ([XXX]) in passenger seat. Airbag deployed with no warning or malfunction lights or alerts prior. Knocked my daughter across the vehicle, startled and traumatized both of them. They were able to safely pull into a shopping center parking lot. Got vehicle towed to the deale... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2025
Wife was driving 2024 Mazda CX-30 with (bought demo from dealer in February with 2500 miles on it and now 4006 miles) daughter ([XXX]) in passenger seat. Airbag deployed with no warning or malfunction lights or alerts prior. Knocked my daughter across the vehicle, startled and traumatized both of them. They were able to safely pull into a shopping center parking lot. Got vehicle towed to the deale... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the front driver's side air bag unexpectedly deployed without an impact to the vehicle. The air bag warning light illuminated prior to the incident. The contact then crashed into the rear of a utility trailer, where it came to a stop. The contact broke a tooth. The paramedics were called and perfor... Read more
Crash
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2019) - AIR BAGS
Apr 23, 2025
Incident date: Apr 2, 2023
Known recall and Toyota is not correcting it.
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
Vehicles stalls randomly all the times ,moving or not . Almost got rear ended several times . Spent 3k at Vw in Brandon for brakes that were only 70k miles on them . But they still squeal . Can’t fuel with gas as the pressure just pushes the fuel back at me . Seems worse in warmer weather . Vw said they would not touch the charcoal canister as that what I’ve deemed is the issue.
Incident date: Apr 23, 2025
The contact owned a 2017 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH, she crashed into the rear of another vehicle on the front passenger side of her vehicle. The contact mentioned that the seat belt did retract during the impact. No air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed to IAA by the insurance company. The insurance company inspected the vehicle and informed the contact th... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 23, 2025
While I was driving the air bags went off.
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 21, 2025
I received a safety warning about my air bags specifically via my Jeep app on my iPhone about 1 1/2 hours after I had been rear-ended in a motor vehicle accident. The rear-end impact pushed me into a van in front of me. The safety notice notified me to take my 2022 Jeep in to have the air bags checked. There were no prior warnings. I am concerned as to whether or not the air bags should have ... Read more
Crash
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2019) - AIR BAGS
Apr 23, 2025
Incident date: Apr 16, 2025
Received recall letter last year and FIAT still does not know when there will be a remedy.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
The door panels at the top wrap on my 2013 Porsche 911 and I understand this is a problem on Porsches 911 delivered between 2012 - 2019 A number of recommendations have been made for owners to glue the panel. This panel is designed to release in a side impact condition and any glue modifications to this panel would violate the designed operation. The manufacture is well aware of this issue a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2010 GMC Sierra. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH going into an intersection, another vehicle going at approximately 5 MPH, crossed in front of the contact. There were no warning lights illuminated. As a result, the vehicle impacted the other driver on the driver-side front and back door, where it came to a stop. None of the air bags deployed. The contact suffered... Read more
Crash
3 injured
Incident date: Apr 8, 2025
I received notice of this safety recall, and contacted Ganley VW of Bedford, 250 Broadway Ave, Bedford, OH 44146, (888) 650-9208. They scheduled an appointment for me to have my airbag fixed per the recall, but then they cancelled my appointment because the parts were on backorder with no foreseeable date to fix the issue. They said they'd call me when they could schedule, but it has been months a... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) - AIR BAGS
Apr 22, 2025
Incident date: Dec 4, 2024
passenger seat airbag module failure
Incident date: Feb 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Lexus RX350. 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 ma... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2025
The contact owned a 2014 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, a vehicle coming from oncoming traffic was attempting to make a left, causing the contact to crash into that oncoming vehicle. The contact mentioned that during the impact, the front passenger side wheel was pushed into the radiator. The contact spouse sustained injuries, and medical attention was provided, ... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Mar 15, 2025
I was in a very low speed fender bender and hit the vehicle in front of me square in the tail end. The airbag needlessly deployed leaving me with a burn and disabled my vehicle. It was a collision that should have been driven away from after the exchange of information. Instead my vehicle which has very little damage required a tow truck die to the deployed airbag.
Crash
1 injured