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 42,929 complaints - component: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Incident date: Nov 21, 2023
When signaling a left turn, my right signal flashes before flashing the left signal.
Incident date: Dec 10, 2023
My vehicle does a few things that are dangerous. Number 1 the emergency brake went on automatically when I was driving the parkway in New Jersey telling me to watch my surroundings. I was driving late in the evening and no cars were in my immediate distance. Another issue, the emergency warning light just came on my dash telling me my light above my license plate was faulty and I was almost rear e... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Both headlights when out with only 9500 miles. Bulbs replaceed 12/9/23 DeLillo Chevrolet.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2020) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 9, 2023
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
[XXX] covers a safety oriented problem with my car. Jim Ellis Mazda in Marietta refuses to work on my car because it is more than 10 years old. This is a proprietary issue since it deals with the computer system in the car. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2021) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 9, 2023
Incident date: Dec 9, 2023
I have had this car since 2021 and have had to replace both the high and low beams multiple times a year. Each time they go out at the same time with no warning. This is deadly as I have. been on the freeway at night and almost crashed. I counted 4 times just in 2023 this has happened to me. This is more then any other car ive owned, along with any car my siblings and parents have owned. This is d... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
The headlights on the 2015 Acura RDX are so dim I cannot drive at night without leaving my high beams on. This has been going on for 3 years and the Acura dealer has generically said it is a known problem and there is no easy fix. There are many reports of this issue and it is a serious safety issue that neither Acura or NHTSA have addressed. It is dangerous for my family and me as we cannot se... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2019
Issue with water penetration into adaptive headlights (sealed system) while driving lights can shut off and signals are disabled. Potential major safety issue.
MERCEDES-BENZ
E320
(2004) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 8, 2023
Incident date: Nov 16, 2023
He wiring harness to the 4wd kept coming on which wouldn’t allow me to ingage. Mountain Chevy citified mechanic found a chafing on the wiring harness. After filing it my truck started to light up like a Christmas tree, Stability service, trailer brake service, Locker service, Power streering service and they done turn off. Which is caused by more chafing wires that are to close to components of ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that she became aware that the trunk was damp and wet. The contact stated that after having a flat tire, she noticed mold on the rear windshield. There was half-inch of water in the trunk. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the third brake light was leaking, and water was leaking into the vehicle. The mecha... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
LED strip on front left headlight went out at around 60K miles when we purchased the vehicle.
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
The radio screen has delaminating which causes random pushing of buttons on the display. This is a known issue with dodge radios and has been labeled as “ghost screen”. This is a major concern during the day as well at night while trying to drive. The distraction from the constant screen changing is a major concern. It is unavoidable to focus on the screen instead of the road while this is... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2024) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 8, 2023
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
The car was purchased in June 2023. The left turn signal malfunctioned a minimum two times while operating the car. The last occurrence was in Nov 2023.There was no symptom of the problem prior to its first appearance. The instrument panel confirmed a message that it should be checked. The car was taken in and inspected, December 2023. The service center did not find the problem.
Incident date: Dec 28, 2021
Both tail lights fail. I just bought this vehicle at Ewald Automotive in Oconmowoc Wi a month ago with 100k and I know they were aware of the problem and so is GMC. I am not paying 900 bucks for each tail light. They are absolute junk. The left side someone already messed with it because there is electrical tape on it. Ewald laughed in my face.
Incident date: Nov 15, 2023
When reversing this huge SUV, there is no visibility. Currently, I have to keep pressing my brakes to get the red light to see little however it is not enough. I have taken it to the 2 different Cadillac Escalade dealership and they keep giving it back to me that it is working properly. This has been a problem since I bought this car, unfortunately when we went to test drive it was in a very brigh... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2023
Concerned driver stopped me and said I had no brake lights , only the lights atop the hatch showed breaking. After returning home I checked all settings on light controls and none made lower break lights work when pedal depressed. This could cause someone not watching top of vehicle crash into my vehicle. If light on top malfunctions I will not have any brake lights. Running lights work fine but d... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2023
Driving at night with low beam headlights there is a very distinct shadow that shows up especially on curves. The shadow moves back and forth on the curves. Dealer says that is normal but it's really scary when it happens
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
The electrical plate for the right daytime running light must have fallen out of the engine compartment, according to the dealer service center, because it was no longer there. A warning light appeared on the dashboard system as a yellow triangle enclosing a yellow exclamation mark. It presented a safety issue by causing the warning light to appear on the dashboard panel while the vehicle was be... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
I keep replacing the lights the daytime and the headlights and they’re constantly going out . Many of people have this ongoing problem.
Incident date: Nov 28, 2023
Our 2022 Toyota Sienna would not start after arriving at a doctor’s appointment. Contacted active ToyotaCare for towing - no one showed up. Called a friend to jump start van; consulted the owners’ manual and performed jump. Van started but could only be driven about 100 yds in parking lot. Van stopped; multiple error codes showed up when trying to jump start again. ToyotaCare didn’t call aga... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the passenger’s side headlight became inoperable. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights flashed on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over to inspect the vehicle and discovered that the water pump had failed. Despite the failure, the contact managed to drive the vehicle home. The next day upo... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2023
About a year and a half ago I had a problem in which my headlights and highbeams would turn on but then shut off. If you turned them off and back on, they would come on but go out again. I paid to fix this problem. It's now happening again. It'll be the second time in two years with the same issue. I've searched online and others with the same year car are having the same exact problem. There's no... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2023
Turn signal does not turn off after making a turn. It is on the left turn signal. You can make a turn but the light still stays on. After a while you get the notification on the dash that your turn signals on
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2020) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 5, 2023
Incident date: Nov 5, 2023
Headlights on new Jeep vehicles are terribly bright and poorly aimed so that they blind all oncoming traffic. There are many other newer vehicles with similar problems, but Jeeps seems to be the worst, along with Dodge Ram pickups. Please do something about getting laws passed to require proper aiming of headlights. The new HID and LED lights are obnoxious enough when they are aimed properly and t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2023
FOR THE 2023 HONDA CIVIC WHEN YOU TURN ON THE HEADLIGHTS THE FRONT AND REAR DEFROST BUTTONS ARE NOT ILLUMINATED. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. AT NIGHT IF YOU HAVE CONDENSATION ON EITHER THE FRONT OR REAR WINDOWS YOU ARE UNABLE TO SEE THE BUTTONS FOR DEFROST SINCE THEY ARE NOT ILLUMINATED. HONDA OF AMERICA TELLS ME THIS IS STANDARD CONDITION AND NOT A DEFECT. I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS IN ANY OTHER ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 5, 2023
Incident date: Nov 23, 2023
The passenger side headlight is malfunctioning. The halo and outer bulbs do not come on which disables the daylight running lights and reduces the effectiveness of the headlight at night. There is no warning light or message indicating the failure. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer’s dealer and they confirmed that the headlight is faulty. I feel like this issue should be re... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2023
Repeated failures of the low-beam headlight bulb. Bulbs failing 2-3 times per year. Happens at either passenger or driver side. It's a safety issue because it can mean that the car is driven without both headlights working. This has been a problem for the last couple of years. It just happened again yesterday. I talked with Toyota, and they said that they have no report of this being an is... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
I purchased a used 2017 Audi Q7 Premium on 11/16/2023 from a Volkswagen. Since it showed the message "Brake pads: wear limit reached. You can continue driving. Please contact Service", the agreed to repair it. I didn't receive my vehicle until 2 weeks later. They said that the work was done but after driving it for a couple of days the message is still showing. After driving it off the lot, minute... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2023
The regular headlights (low beam) are incredibly dull. Sometimes i turn the headlights off and back on to be sure they are on, because its hard to tell - especially if its raining. I have replaced the bulbs with no change. I have read online this is a recurring problem with this model. My wife had to drive home the other night from the airport in the rain and felt incredibly unsafe and drove with ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2023
The issue concerns the steering column control module, when the turn signal is used or activate the turn signal self-canceling feature may not function properly. Either issue can cause confusion or reduce visibility for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash. I have asked the dealer to fix the issue but have told me they have been out of stock of the part and I have been waiting over 6 mo... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
When a trailer is connected the right side trailer brake light fails to operate; the lights on the truck work properly. When the trailer has been recently disconnected warnings on the dash appear saying "Blind spot and cross traffic alert deactivated trailer attached". I also get trailer left and right turn lamps fault check lamps warnings and the turn signal indicators flash at double speed. ... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2021
Rear Brake and Rotors- At about 14,500 miles the vehicle started making this screeching noise. Rear brake pads and rotors wearing out prematurely. There is no indication through the health reports sent by VW or Carfax (VW affiliated) that is nothing wrong (all healthy). I took to dealership. The customer service rep at Rudolph VW in El Paso, TX told me that "the front brakes were great and the re... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2023
RH high beam light inoperable. Does not go high beam when selected. LH ok. LH drivers mirror does not extend or retract most times when locking or unlocking the car.
Incident date: Nov 20, 2023
The taillights on corolla cross hybrid S and SE of the USA model of the Corolla Cross are very unsafe. They only light up the very corner of the car, unlike the XLE models that extend onto the tailgate with LED lights. I just bought this vehicle 3 months ago and have several cars behind me flashing at me to let me know that my lights are off (which are turned on, by default the larger light piece... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
November 2022, 2005 audi allroad 2.7T diagnosed fire/melting of lightbulb of the passenger side headlight due to electrical issues. Was unable to repair the headlight at that time. November 2023, owner of vehicle finds open recalls associated with this make/model. Since the recalls were dated back to 2006 or 08, so the VIN tools only show up to 15 years. I made an recall repair appointment wit... Read more
Fire
MERCEDES-BENZ
E 300
(2018) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 4, 2023
Incident date: Dec 4, 2023
All three brake lights stayed illuminated during car operation regardless of brake pedal pressed. I was able to shift and start my car without pressing the brake putting my family and other pedestrians at risk of being run over if the car shifted out of park unexpectedly. Also no warning lights were on at all, so I drove on the road with my brake lights illuminated increasing risk for injury or de... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
Headlights displaying unsafe night visibility. My wife almost drove off embankment due to low visibility. The vehicle has not been taken to the dealership for inspection yet. At this time my wife tries not to drive it at night. I found through my own investigation about the headlights that there had been a class action suit concerning these headlights on Nissan Altimas, but we have not received an... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2023
Due to bad deals, one of our front lights was filled with water. Causing multiple sensors to go off, like our lane departure and camera features. Car had 5 warnings on dash
Incident date: Dec 3, 2023
My car started losing its lights one by one. I lost the front right light first, then yhe right back side light, and now the brakes lights. I replaced all the bulbs and still does not work. Then my car just cut off while driving with no notification. I towed it in to Mavis. They checked and said the battery was not keeping charge. I paid to replace the battery ,belt and alternator. Four days later... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2023
The dashboard instrument cluster of my 2019 RAM 1500 Gen 5, Longhorn model, is completely inoperable (went blank). This poses a safety issue to the driver as it provides important safety readings like velocity, fuel levels, RPMs, engine temperature, and distance traveled, etc. Roadways have a designated maximum speed. Meeting the speed limit is difficult if you can't read your speedometer. You ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2023
I have a 3 month old Chevy Bolt EV. I like this car. I rarely have any accidents. I am a safe driver. I was hit hard from behind driving while stopped. I was driving on a crowded freeway in Austin TX in stop and go traffic. This was a hard hit that broke the rear bumper and bent the rear frame of the car. The Chevy Bolt rear brake lights are only low on the bumper and not in the expected ta... Read more
Crash
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2002) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 2, 2023
Incident date: Oct 17, 2023
head lights, I cannot see pedestrians walking on cross walk when driving they head lights seem kind of dim
Incident date: Nov 29, 2023
Both low beam headlight out at same time with no indication or warning . On dash it showed lights operational
Incident date: Nov 24, 2023
My headlamps have been going out sporadically and until recently I was able to
Incident date: Nov 29, 2023
Headlights are burning, melting and charged connections and causing dim lights. These headlights were recently replaced with new OEM healing’s for the second time and each replacement is burning out the connection. Please advise?
Incident date: Nov 29, 2023
Not related to any specific event, but the headlight housing on my Acura RDX has degraded such that the lights are nearly too dim to be usable at night. The dealer has advised me of a $3k cost to fix, but this is apparently a known, recurring issue related to this model, and perhaps other Acura models. Apparently, the reflective housing degrades around the headlight.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
Head lights become inoperable. Dealer says its a common problem. $1,500 fix. Well known power issue. Heavily discuss on the internet. Temp fix is to replace fuses that ARE NOT BLOWN. They are melting in place causing non contact. I have never seen a fuse melt and not blow. Potential dangerous situation especially if you have the owners replacing with a higher rated fuse then what is called... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
Having an issue with my driver’s door switch lighting and the changing of different ambient lighting colors. They seem to be related. About a few months into owning my car (purchased May 2021) I was driving to work at night and the lighting on the driver’s door switches would randomly all flicker off/on. There was no pattern and the duration of how long they were off would be a half second t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2022
The plastic housing of the brake lights have turned black. I'm on my second set that I got at wrecking yard. The plastic doesn't hold up to the heat of the tail/brake light. I saw other cars like mine with same problem at the wrecking yard. And my ground wire to my radiator fan burned out as well during COVID. I think Hyundai used cheap plastic that can't hold up to the heat. My dash cracked reall... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2023
High beam headlights will not turn on