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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 42,929 complaints - component: EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Incident date: May 15, 2026

Front right Marker light defect alert keeps pooping up and sounding an audible alarm while I am driving even through the marker light is working perfectly. Drive train alert comes on after I add oil and the vehicle starts hesitating while I accelerate.I just got a tune up which included new spark plus and a new coils. Problem came back even after the tune up within 3000 miles. Excessive oil lo... Read more

Incident date: May 16, 2026

Toyota Tundra recall 25V322 is still has no remedy available even though the recall was almost a year ago.

Incident date: Apr 3, 2026

The headlights and interior lighting flickers when turned on. The vehicle often will not start, but once hooked up to a jumper pack starts immediately despite the batteries being inspected previously and being okay. The start/stop function doesn't always work, and the engine stalls while driving, causing a massive safety issue.

Incident date: May 9, 2026

I am reporting a headlight stability issue on my 2026 Subaru Uncharted. While driving at night, the LED headlights produce a severe oscillating/strobing effect over normal road imperfections and bumps. The beam pattern rapidly shifts up and down, creating alternating bright and dark visibility (“black/white flicker”) on the roadway and traffic signs. This issue is distracting during nighttime... Read more

Incident date: Apr 20, 2026

The oil was leaking somewhere not on the motor not under the car not blowing black smoke. I kept adding oil to it. No oil light. I was told not to park between 2 houses or in my garage it could catch on fire. I took it in several times and they did all kinds of stuff motor wash knock sensor was replaced wiring harness was corroded was slipping out of gear and other issues. And now it doesn't run... Read more

Incident date: May 16, 2026

The DRL failed - seems like it is due to a faulty ground connection on CANBUS.

Incident date: Nov 6, 2025

The back lighting for the controls does not work the check engine light is on the dealer said there is no fix for either one of these items at this time

Incident date: May 14, 2026

2025 Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab, VIN [XXX] , purchased new in April 2025. Total transaction value exceeded $50,000 including trade in of previous vehicle. Has experienced repeated serious electrical failures in under a year and 16,500 miles. Components that failed: Telematics module causing parasitic battery drain, DC/DC converter module, radio, and two complete battery failures. Turn signal was... Read more

Incident date: Mar 14, 2026

Both of the Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs) on my 2021 F150 have failed. They cost `$2,000 each to replace. They are LEDs, and were billed as never needing replacement, and certainly not under 50k miles. A quick search shows that this is a common issue with 2021+ F150s, and looking around on the road, I notice many with the same issue. This failure of safety equipment reduces visibility and could c... Read more

Incident date: May 15, 2025

The driver's side LED headlight has gone out. It is LED and suppose to outlast the vehicle. Headlight works but turn signal doesn't in the front. This unit is over $1,000 to have replaced and multiple people are complaining about it happening to their Dodge Durango RT's as well.

Incident date: Apr 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact discovered that the rear lenses was full of water. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to get a diagnosis however, the failure cause was unidentifiable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 13, 2026

I Was In My Vehicle Parked Up On January 1st 2026 And The Vehicle Caught On Fire While I Was Inside Of It,The Fire Started From The Right Side Of The Car And Flamed Up Everything,The Car Had A Check Engine Light On And A Lightning System Issue Was Popping Up On The Dash Right Before This Situation Accord I Did Research And Found That The Cause Of The Fire Is Related To NHTSA Recall 24V-608 (Water ... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Oct 19, 2025

There has not been a specific incident yet, but I am very concerned about the lack of lighting in the dark when our vehicle is in reverse. It is very difficult to see when backing up - either to the sides (making it difficult to tell where the edge of the road is), or directly behind (making it difficult to see if we are about to collide with an object or person). We contacted the dealer on 4/27/2... Read more

Incident date: Nov 26, 2025

While driving my vehicle headlights turn off and back on, sometimes off for minutes sometimes flickering.

Incident date: May 10, 2026

Driver side headlamp low beam has burned out. They are supposed to be lifetime LED headlamps, not burn out after only 67,000 miles.

Incident date: Aug 29, 2025

The light component above the dash completely just fell out while i was on the highway, hanging by wires and obscuring my vision. Also there is a Bluetooth audio issue where no one can hear me when my phone is connected via Bluetooth or wired.

Incident date: May 3, 2026

The headlights on our 25 Escalade started to fail. They basically became more and more dim to the point it looks like the Daytime running lights are on at night instead of the headlights. When we took it into the dealer to get checked they stated it was a known issue. Apparently it’s such a large issue that one of the headlights is back ordered with no timeline. This seems like a serious safety ... Read more

Incident date: May 13, 2026

Both day time running lights failed right after warranty expired. This repair requires over 2300$ repair because both entire headlights need to be replaced. This is a frequent problem that VW is aware yet refuses to rectify. It cause my vehicle to be less visible because of aporr design by VW.

Incident date: May 4, 2026

The Auto High-Beam system activates the high beams inappropriately during operation. The system triggers the high beams directly into the eyes of oncoming traffic and activates during early dusk conditions. The sudden, intense illumination blinds oncoming drivers. This creates an immediate glare hazard and significantly increases the risk of a head-on collision. I reported this specific failure t... Read more

Incident date: May 8, 2026

The 3rd brake light (high mount stop) has burned out. The repair costs are exorbitant for a legally required part of the car and self repair is extremely challenging. There are numerous complaints online about this part failing.

Incident date: Mar 19, 2025

THERE IS AN INVESTIGATION FOR THIS ISSUE WHICH IS THE DRL'S/DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS FOR THE VW 2021 (2021-2023 ACTUALLY) GIVE OUT/FAIL, AND THEY CANNOT BE FIXED WITHOUT REPLACING THE $1200 ENTIRE HEADLIGHT PART. CRAZY FOR A LIGHT THAT NEW TO GIVE OUT FOR SO MANY. I REFUSE TO PAY FOR THESE IT IS OBVIOUYSLY A DESIGN FLAW ON THEIR END. IN OUR CASE, BOTH DRL'S GAVE OUT. REGULAR NIGHT LIGHTS WORK BUT T... Read more

Incident date: Aug 28, 2025

The headlights have a shadow half way down the windshield making it very difficult to see at night. We don't feel safe driving when it is dark out. We took it to the dealer the end of January they saw what we were talking about. One of the foreman drove it home at night. He saw what we were talking about but gave no solutions. We took it in again the shop foreman adjusted the headlights up. We d... Read more

Incident date: Feb 2, 2026

The high beam lights cycle on off constantly when on auto approximately every 5-10 seconds even when there is no oncoming traffic

Incident date: Nov 12, 2025

While driving at night, the headlights seem like they bouncing with each slight bump on the road. They aren’t staying properly and give me headaches. I cannot drive at night now.

Incident date: May 11, 2026

Headlights go out, completely dark while driving. This happens whether in auto lights or manual lighting.

Incident date: Jun 10, 2023

The low beam visibility on this vehicle is extremely dangerous. It's as if you have no headlights on. They can inspect anytime. With low night visibility. Driver is not able to see the road or person which causes a delayed response because of visibility. Driver puts on highbeams to be able to see which blinds others or shouldn't be driven at night. Plenty of times, I could have been in an ac... Read more

Incident date: Apr 10, 2026

Automatic high beam headlights fail to work properly most of the time will not go back to low beams when a vehicle is in the opposite lane also will not go to high beams when no vehicles are in sight very frustrating and dangerous

Incident date: May 10, 2026

Driver side rear tail light housing has a crack that has allowed moisture to enter the housing. Oct 2025 Took it to dealer to notify of the problem of water getting in the tail light housing once noticed around 500 miles on truck about a month after purchase. Told to make an appointment to get it submitted for warranty. I was able to dry out the tail light housing and epoxied the crack to prevent... Read more

Incident date: May 5, 2026

The daytime running lights are not working. It is a safety concern by not being seen easily by oncoming drivers. No warnings were given prior to going out. This seems to be a common problem among same vehicle make and model according to forums on the internet. The only way to be repaired is to replace the entire headlamp assembly at a cost of $1500-$2000 which is not feasible.

Incident date: Mar 28, 2026

2023 Piaggio MP3 530 Exclusive scooter developed severe internal clouding and crazing inside the left headlight assembly at very low mileage. The right headlight remains clear under identical operating conditions. The defect appears internal to the sealed headlight assembly and is not normal exterior condensation. The affected headlight has progressively become difficult to see through and may re... Read more

Incident date: May 6, 2026

Both front headlight and rear headlight seals are faulty resulting in a water leak, causing headlight and taillights to become inoperable at 60k miles.

Incident date: May 1, 2026

The contact owns 2023 Ram 1500. The contact stated that upon purchase of the vehicle, the vehicle was serviced for NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V799000(Steering, Exterior Lighting). Despite the recall repair, the contact stated that the failure continued to occur as the high beams would active when using the turn signals. The contact stated that the failure was most prominent at night as the high beam... Read more

Incident date: Apr 9, 2026

Headlights on vehicle are very dim and often do not appear to be on causing bright lights to be used in replacement. Lights are not burnt out.

Incident date: May 1, 2026

Headlights bounce/shake when the car is driven on a non-smooth surface. This causes visual distractions when driving at night.

Incident date: May 7, 2026

When the headlights are on at night, any bump or movement of the vehicle over rough surfaces causes the headlights to visibly shake. It is especially noticeable when the low beams are on. Even the reflection in vehicles or signs, you can see the lights shake. It caused quite a distraction when trying to drive. Dealer states this is normal and all other variants of this car do the same. I have neve... Read more

Incident date: Mar 2, 2026

While driving at night, the LED headlight beams on my 2026 Subaru Uncharted GT exhibit excessive vertical oscillation/shaking after normal road impacts and bumps. The movement is significant enough to create a distracting flickering/bouncing effect within the driver’s field of view and reduces nighttime driving comfort and confidence. The condition is reproducible at all speeds and on normal ro... Read more

Incident date: May 9, 2026

All 4 tail lights are filled with water, therefore they stopped working due to corrosion. I had to replace all 4 or I couldn't get my car to pass inspection. No warnings or anything telling me my brake lights have failed. This is a huge problem in the 2017 Ford Escape SE!

Incident date: May 8, 2026

The third brake light is not working on my 2022 Gladiator. It was working, but shortly after purchase it stopped working. This seems to be quite the issue as I have seen many Gladiators of all years with the third brake lights not working. This is a safety issue and will not pass inspection if not working. Since there are so many years of Gladiators with inoperable third brake lights it shows that... Read more

Incident date: May 8, 2026

There is an active Taillight (Lid Lights) Safety Recall (25V-259) on 2014-2020 Acura MDXs. When I enter my VIN it claims I am not part of this recall but there is sitting water inside my drivers side tailgate lid light assembly. It's only in the one, therefore I am unsure why my vehicle isn't listed/registered as part of this active recall.

Incident date: May 8, 2026

Both LED headlight running day lights went out together.

Incident date: Feb 1, 2026

Tail light not working, was replaced, replacement also malfunctioning.

Incident date: Dec 31, 1969

I have messages on my instrument panel stating I have airbag malfunction going on I also have tail lights that are not working and after trying to replace the bulbs it still don't work so obviously it's the light bulb panel so I went and looked at recalls and says that these are all recalls on my car but that they were fixed. so I don't know why I have them all bad again so I need to know what to... Read more

Incident date: May 8, 2026

Passenger side headlight went out. The problem was not the bulb or fuse. This issue seems to perfectly match Safety Recall 94G8, but for some reason my car is not covered in that recall notice, even though safety recall 94G8 is for "some" 2012-2013 VW Passats, which is what I drive.

Incident date: May 8, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 JEEP Wagoneer. The contact stated that while towing, the vehicle experienced a serious and recurring safety failure where the trailer lights would function for approximately five minutes before a portion of them would blackout. This failure renders towing unsafe and illegal, as it compromises visibility and traffic law compliance. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Numbe... Read more

Incident date: Feb 9, 2026

I bought my vehicle around May 2024. Initially, everything seemed fine. However, I noticed that my car was starting to slow down and would enter limp mode, preventing me from exceeding a certain mileage. Subsequently, all the lights on my dashboard began flashing, prompting me to pull over and call a mechanic shop. I had all the necessary maintenance and repairs performed as per the plan. After st... Read more

Incident date: May 4, 2026

The center high-mounted stop lamp (CHMSL / third brake light) fails on 2021 and newer Tesla Model S vehicles (including Plaid). This is a common issue reported by many owners, particularly as vehicles exit the warranty period. No redesigned or corrected replacement part has been made available by Tesla. Pre-2021 CHMSL units are incompatible and will not fit. Repair requires removal and replacement... Read more

Incident date: Mar 23, 2026

My 2022 Mazda CX-5 Signature began producing a loud whirring/rattling noise from the driver-side front headlight assembly. After investigation, the noise was identified as coming from the internal cooling fan located inside the LED headlight unit. The cooling fan, which is integrated into the bi-LED headlamp assembly, appears to be failing prematurely due to bearing wear. This is a known widesprea... Read more

Incident date: Jul 16, 2025

The headlights and dashboard lose power intermittently while driving at highway speeds, specifically triggered by using the turn signal. This is ongoing since January when I started having to take it for a recalls.More things kept happening. I kept having to have more repairs. Every time I went, I told them about this and it just keeps going on. Today I took a huge list of things they should check... Read more

Incident date: May 6, 2026

Gas. Leaking car smoking and cutting off

Incident date: Mar 6, 2026

The low beam headlight assembly failed on my 2019 Kia Optima LX with no prior warning, while the high beams and LED daytime running lights continue to function normally, indicating an isolated component failure within the assembly. Notably, the headlight assembly shows no physical damage whatsoever, and both independent licensed repair facilities that inspected the vehicle were unable to identify ... Read more

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

Read more from our blog