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: Aug 30, 2023
The brake lights stay on all the time, thus preventing vehicles behind mine from knowing if I'm actually stopping. Hence, they may stop without reason, and endanger drivers behind them. The manufacturer has likely known of this being an issue in Sonatas from, at least, 2007 through 2013 models. The manufacturer is putting the task of solving the problem (if that's even possible), upon a dealer. ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2017) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Aug 29, 2023
Incident date: Oct 1, 2021
My 2016 Honda Pilot was recently repaired as the Cam-Shaft had move within the care engine. My car has 109,000 miles on the vehicle, and should not have this issue given the cars age and the way that the car is driven. I am a suburban mom, who drives the car to work and with both of my children within my car. This put my entire family as risk driving within the care and could have hurt other dri... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2023
Dear Representative, my 2022 Jeep compass has a recall related to the brightness level of display. According to manufacturer's claim, the brightness on the instrument panel center cluster needs to be adjustable to provide at least two levels of brightness. Based on this problem, safety risk is defined as "An IPC display that is not visible to the driver may result in the driver's attention being d... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2023
The contact's son owns a 2018 Dodge Journey. The contact stated that the headlight bulbs burned out soon after replacement. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that moisture was entering the headlight module and causing the bulbs to become blown. The contact also stated that the alternator had failed due to a defective O2 sensor. The contact replaced the O2 sen... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
What component or system failed or malfunctioned. Flexplate cracked at 62037 It is available for inspection upon request. I have the dealer's invoice. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? There was a knocking noise in the motor while i was on the highway with my kids. no Warning lights. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2016) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Aug 29, 2023
Incident date: Jan 15, 2021
One day, after I turned my truck off, I noticed that my taillights and overhead cargo light remained on. Key was out, truck was off, but the lights stayed on. So for the time being, I disconnected the battery. I brought it to a mechanic, who ran the codes that came back that the rear driver turn signal was high, the rear passenger turn signal was high, and the overhead cargo light was high. He... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
The dealership sold me a car with not hazards lights in it the car is suppose to ha then but it doesn’t there is no button for the hazard lights
Incident date: Aug 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Yamaha XTZ12 Motorcycle. The contact stated that the headlights and taillights failed to operate as needed. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the prior model year had recalls for the exterior lights. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the motorcycle related to the exterior lighting. The motorcycl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Land Rover Range Rover Velar. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, her fiancé noticed that the front passenger’s side headlight bulb was blown. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the headlight bulb was blown and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the fai... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
I purchased this Outback and did not test drive at night (assuming I'd never have issues with headlight functionality). Upon driving at night, however, there are safety issues with the low beams. As others have mentioned, there are two shadow artifacts near the top of the field of vision that move from side to side. They are distracting (almost looks like an animal darting across the road) and dan... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2023
THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN A PORBLEM FROM DAY ONE. WE CHANGED THEM TO A BRIGHTER BULB AND WE CANT SEEM TO GET THEM ADJUSTED. DOOR AJAR HAS BEEN REPLACED ON THE RIGHT REAR AND NOW IS DOING THE SAME THING ON THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER DOOR. NOW THE BRAKE PEDAL SEEMS "HARD" WHEN WE PUSH IT AND I HAVE SEEN RECALLS FOR THE BRAKE BOOSTER YET IT SHOWS OUR EDGE HAS NO RECALLS. WE WILL BE TAKING IT TO OUR ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
HELP! I just purchased a pre-owned Toyota Venza 2021 Limited. I like the car but I went out tonight for the first time at dark and used the head lamps. Something's wrong! The low beams don't shine far enough down the road, there is a distinct cut off between dark and light, like you are looking under a shade. Plus there are dark spots in the light near the edge, especially on the left side and the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2022
Headlamps are not working therefore causing a safety issue when driving at night. Initially, 2 years ago, April 2021 the driver headlamp was not working. Dodge dealership had replaced and within the year the bulb would come off and on intermittently. It cost over $400.00. On March 18, 2022 I took it back to Dodge dealership and because it was working that day they just said to bring it whe... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2023
High beam headlights stopped working. Took to the dealer and they stated the curtain that goes from low to high is malfunctioning and must have new headlight assembly for driver and passenger sides.
Incident date: Aug 26, 2023
Lights flicker especially at night they turn off and on. You can't see and others can't see you because no lights on and off There was no warning lamps or anything letting me know about the problem. Can't drive my car at night because of this problem don't want to cause an accident. No the vehicle has not been inspected yet.
Incident date: Aug 23, 2023
At various times the headlights shut off while in "auto" mode. Since it is "auto" mode it is always at night and you suddenly cannot see the road. We have found when this happens that the system goes to the "Parking" light mode. Rotating the multi-function switch to a different position other than "auto" and back allows the headlights to come back on. We have not found a pattern in this dangerous ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2023
Car engine is over heating car engine locked up care engine manufacturer recall needs to be requested on all 2013 Hyundai Sante Fe 2.0T model vehicles this is a safety risk to all customers driving this model. The car engine was diagnosed and verified by the hyundai dealership service department. There were no warnings prior to failure. The service department notified me on August 10 2023 of t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2023
The low beam headlights project a light field which has distracting dark spots within the field. When turning the car the dark spots move as the headlight field moves and appear to be an animal or unknown object in the field of vision. We asked the Subaru dealer for a different type of headlight. The dealer said Subaru has no other options for headlights. We were not told about this feature whe... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2023
The adaptive headlight assembly had a sudden and unexpected catastrophic internal failure leading to complete loss of low beam headlight. BMW R18 Transcontinental. An appointment has been made with local BMW motorcycle dealer.
Incident date: Aug 18, 2023
This vehicle is equipped with the "Interactive Driver Display" (IDD), which is a full digital dash. Myself and several other members of enthusiast forums have reported that with recent software updates (PIVI 4.0), this display autodims entirely too dim to see. This happens in bright, full-sun, and half-sun cloudy conditions which prevent the driver from seeing the dashboard. This presents a major ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2023
Middle section of instrument panel lights are out. This is making it hard to see your speed while driving at night and in turn takes your eyes off the road for longer. Service center couldn't believe that a LED instrument panel would go out so soon. Additionally, something drains the battery if the car sits for more than a day. Several times I have not been able to start the car both at home an... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated that the low-beam headlight failed to function properly. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the fuse box to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number:... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2022
While driving at night, the headlights turn off by themselves randomly. The lights need to be turned to off and back on to get them to turn back on. Driving with no lights in an area with no streetlamps obviously could result in an accident. It has not yet been inspected by anyone yet, but a check is scheduled. There were no warning lamps, messages, etc. when the lights turned off. Not a safety... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2023
Headlights do not work. I have replaced the low beams bulbs 3 times since purchasing my car over three years ago and each time the lights only work for a brief period of time them seem to short out unexpectedly, for no reason whatsoever. The high beams have been replaced multiple times as well. I purchased the fluorescent bulbs for better night vision. The lights were bright for a short period th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
The rear taillight has gone out. The LED board has a crack in the soldering causing the entire unit to malfunction.
Incident date: Jul 20, 2023
Passenger backup light failure. Taken to dealer and they recommended replacing part TSB 2063766/2. Yes I will supply this part if requested. No backup light is a safety hazard. Yes the vehicle was inspected by the dealer. They gave a parts and labor estimate of $805. Yes there was a warning message in the dashboard for this malfunction. This is a “common failure” in Audi Q5 automobiles to ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
ATC LED Trailer running lights drop out after 2 or so hours of operation. The Trailer is being towed by a 2022 Silverado High Country 3500. I have had the Silverado into Serra Whelan Chevrolet to check the trucks trailer lighting system, said they thought it was the trailer, on 5/10/22. Talked with the service person there and he recommended I purchase a Curt resistance jumper plug part number 570... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2023
We fixed the driver-side headlight has moisture inside for $189 on 08/01/23. Now, the passenger-side headlight has moisture again. We think that the headlights must be defective headlight. Would you please check that?
Incident date: Aug 4, 2023
Headlights , especially high beams are positioned too high. High beams literally illuminate treetops without placing even one lumen of light on the surface of the road. Dealer claims lights meet manufacturer specs and won’t/can’t adjust them.
FORD
FUSION ENERGI
(2020) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Aug 23, 2023
Incident date: Jul 24, 2023
My high beams and low beams are starting to shut off randomly. When it happens, my dash shows that i am trying to turn my headlights from auto to another setting, which is not the case. It has happened at night and that poses a danger because i cant see the road and people cant see my car. I have not had it looked at yet. I do see multiple complaints online for multiple different kia models and ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2023
The innermost taillight located on the liftgate melted the taillight housing and burned the socket in which it sits. This could have started a fire putting the safety of those in the vehicle and on the road at risk. The problem has not been inspected by a dealer or any other party. The taillights are available for inspection and the bulbs as well. there was no warning. The problem was noticed beca... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
Pieces of headlight reflector are breaking off inside the headlight housing. This causes the beam of light to completely miss the road. Also the adaptive function of headlight will stick to one side periodically meaning all light is pointing left or right of the roadway when going straight.
Incident date: Oct 14, 2022
Noticed the rear center mounted stop lamp was cracked on the left side and found there was a substantial leak of water into the trunk from said lamp. This particular vehicle is the hybrid which makes this dangerous as the water is dripping over the high voltage battery. Vehicle has not yet been inspected.
Incident date: Mar 22, 2023
The daytime running lights dim and burn out after only a few year late and happen repeatedly even after the warranty has expired. It is a very expensive fix but is clearly a design problem because it looks to be happening across all models S’s
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2021) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Aug 22, 2023
Incident date: Jul 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated that the front driver's side and passenger's side high beam lights, low beam lights, and indicators had failed to operate as designed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the light bulbs were replaced; however, the failure recurred several times within 3 months. The contact stated that the passenger's side low beam headlight... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2023
The third brake light cracked for unknown reasons in several spots. This has caused water to leak in and damage the ceiling/interior. It is just one of several issues that have happened since purchasing this vehicle brand new in 2018. It has singlehandedly been the worst vehicle that I have ever purchased as it has been unreliable, dangerous (shift to park, reduced engine power, etc) and costly wi... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE 4XE
(2023) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Aug 22, 2023
Incident date: Aug 18, 2023
It was a recall on the headlights and Nissan said the recalled expired. The previous owner passed away. You can’t see anything at night without driving with the high beams on I had the bulbs changed an it’s dim lighting. This is a safety issues that’s putting me and other people lives in danger.
Incident date: Aug 19, 2023
When the heads lights are in Auto Mode and driving at night, the head lights will just go out. This has happened 4 times now and is very dangerous. I need KIA to fix this problem. I have a 2018 KIA Sorento and I've seen where others have had the same problem with 2017 & 2018 Sorento's. The lights going out at night while my wife is driving is extremely dangerous. This just happens with no warning.... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2019) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Aug 21, 2023
Incident date: Aug 13, 2023
After approximately 16 months of proper operation, the instrument cluster in the dash would no longer dim after dark. The vehicle has an "auto-dim" feature that reduces dash illumination from "full on" daytime illumination to an appropriate level for nighttime driving. With this lighting malfunction, the instrument cluster is extremely bright after dark and compromises the driver's night vision re... Read more
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2021) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Aug 21, 2023
Incident date: Aug 18, 2023
I continuously have water leaking into the trunk of my 2017 Chevrolet Impala, specifically the spare tire compartment. I noticed through research that the issue has been recalled for select years, but not my vehicle year. If the issue is a known defect, this should be covered by the vehicle manufacturer. I am constantly having large amounts of water after rain and it is causing a moldy smell. I tr... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 3500
(2020) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Aug 21, 2023
Incident date: Aug 12, 2023
The headlight assembly design, prevents owners from changing a light bulb own their own. Per the law, a car must have functioning headlights. The design on the HID headlight assembly, requires hours of work, removing the bumper, the grill, other parts that require many tools and skilled knowledge of the brand. Considering this is a headlight that is required to be street legal, an owner can't cha... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2023
On August 4th 2023 we drove from home in Cedar Rapids to our daughter’s in Cottage Grove Wisconsin for a family event. Nearing Madison, somewhere in the area of Verona the Battery Warning Symbol came on in the instrument display. It was intermittent and we continued our journey to our daughter’s house in Cottage Grove. We called AAA and a “tow” truck came. The driver made a visual assess... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2023
Headlights so dimmed you cannot see at night. Without using my high beams. I have all ready received 3 verbal warnings for driving with high beams. My understanding there was a recall I missed out in due to lost mail I assume but Nissan refuses to fix it and trying to charge me $2000 for there safety defect. I cannot afford to get this fixed out of pocket and it’s a safety issue. If it’s a re... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2018) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Aug 20, 2023
Incident date: Aug 19, 2023
Touch capacitive buttons on the steering wheel and doors are major safety hazard. The touch buttons on the steering wheel for critical functions like blinkers, headlights, wipers and the horn are all moving with the steering wheel (so you have to look down to locate these critical functions while still moving, especially if you are turning at all), and worse, these buttons sometimes fail to activ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2023
The manufacturer has failed to remedy this safety recall in a timely manner.
Incident date: Aug 18, 2023
Headlight high beams turn on with left turn signal, also when actuating the high beams it turns on the left turn signal. You can not signal left without blinding other traffic with the high beams. No service lamps, happened since I bought the truck new. Ram has failed to service the vehicle and fix the issue. 3 trips to the dealer and 2 conversations with ram cares.
Incident date: Jul 10, 2023
DIGITAL LIGHT low beam inadequate distance for safe driving on unlit roadway. Low beam has unnecessary blacked out areas causing distraction. Low beams too low, especially driving down hills. Adaptive high beams revert to low beam without any apparent light to trigger camera/sensor. Dealer states they are all the same, nothing they can do, call MB USA. MB USA gave me a case number but do no seem i... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2023
The Centre Cluster dims a dusk and is not visible to the driver
Incident date: Aug 17, 2023
Turn signals shut off after three blinks with no lane change or steering wheel movement. Lane departure / assistance fails to function. Blind spot monitor / alert fails to function. Adaptive cruise control / braking fail to function. Problem first reported to Tesla on 7/6/2023. Telsa installed software update to resolve remotely. Problem recurred 8/6/2023, towed to Tesla 8/7, Tesla replaced side c... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2023
I had a piece of window trim fly off while I was driving on the highway at 70 mph. When it flew off, it may have hit another car. With the piece gone, I am not unable to open the hatch and the dome lights stays on for a considerable amount of time. There is no way to turn off the dome lights, you have to wait for them to go off, which is sometimes more than 10 minutes. When the piece was repla... Read more