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: Mar 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the headlights became inoperable, without warning. The contact pulled over on the side of the road, after turning off and turning on the headlight switch, the headlights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the lighting control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Apr 14, 2023
Incident date: Apr 6, 2023
The sensor system for my car are malfunctioning when the car is off. This causes the fuse system to malfunction and power the vehicle without keys being located near the vehicle. The car tries to start as well as the lights flash, dash turns on, and also the horn blares. The fuse system located under the steering wheel sounds like it will spark or blow fuses. The dealer is unable to fix the proble... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Impreza. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V624000 (Exterior Lighting) 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 ex... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2023
The headlights will flicker on and off randomly. They will also go from low beams to high beams randomly. This is with the headlights switch set to automatic. I've never tried any other settings.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
Water in center section of factory brake lamp assembly. This causes less to burn out and are not replaceable bulbs. Only fox is to replace the light completely.
Incident date: Apr 8, 2023
after taking my 2015 sonata eco to the dealership for campaign 993; campaign 210; and, campaign tww 15-17 I have experienced the following issues: RIGHT TURN SIGNAL STOPPED WORKING ALARM GOES OFF 5 MINUTES AFTER LOCKING THE VEHICLE DASH INDICATES MY REAR DRIVER SIDE DOOR IS AJAR WHEN IT IS LOCKED Prior to having the service done my vehicle did not have any of this issues. RUSNAK Hyundai Inland Emp... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2023
1. (Lighting) The front lights of the car kept turning off and on. We would always go to the repair shop every time the lights began to malfunction. (Engine) the oil was sticky which was not normal and the water entered inside. (Brakes) When you turned on the car, noises came from the brakes which were concerning and risky to drive in. 2. This car was risky to drive due to the problems with the oi... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Apr 12, 2023
Incident date: Mar 24, 2023
OEM high beam bulbs continuously explode. I’m not saying they just burn out, these bulbs shatter, and send shards of glass on the inside of the headlamp housing. I believe it’s a big safety risk, because for me, it happened while I was driving late at night in the dark where there are deer nearby. Brights are essential to see far and when you’re driving through hills, going up a hill you nee... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2023
Daytime Running Light(DRL) passenger side color yellow burnout. I called Honda dealership they told me it will be out of pocket. My vechile was 63k mileage. One of my friends have the same issue i have.
Incident date: Apr 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Terrain. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V137000 (Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
Vehicle parked under the sun, temperature reaching 85 degree, hotter inside the cabin. Vehicle started with no issues but "Check starter system" warning comes up and all the electrical component shut off its power, including all the gauge in the dashboard and radio. Headlight is not working as well after few min. Car drives (manual transmission) with no issues. When the car is placed under the sha... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2007
The contact's husband owns a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact's husband had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer for the recall repair. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact was made aware that only the light control module (LCM) module harness was replaced and not the light control module itself. The... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2023
Hi my vehicle is very dangerous and unsafe when driving at night. I can't see at all when I drive at night. The factory headlight bulbs has not burn out but they was so dim. I replaced them with new ones and still could not see. I WANT AND GOT THE BRIGHTESS headlight bulb for my car and still are dim. I clean the headlight and still did not fix the problem. I drive at night with my high beams on a... Read more
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2019) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Apr 12, 2023
Incident date: Apr 12, 2023
Rear tail lights have a bulb socket and a 6-pin connector that have a tendency to burn at the brown ground wire where the connector and bulb socket meet. Requiring replacement of both parts and disabling the rear tail light (brake, turn, and reverse lights). It requires rewiring the 6-pin connector and replacing the bulb socket. About $60 in parts. When this occurs it an alert comes on the das... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2023
The map light on the front passenger side would intermittently turn on while driving. This was concerning at night as it was quite distracting. It required driver intervention when operating the vehicle alone and limited visibility in the cabin at night while driving.
Incident date: Mar 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 GMC Terrain. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V137000 (Exterior Lighting) 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 e... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2022
I, along with many others according to the internet, am experiencing very low, unsafe visibility at night due to poor low beam performance. New bulbs make no difference and most of the time the vehicle must be operated using the high beams, which is a safety issue for other drivers.
Incident date: Apr 10, 2023
Both the left and right headlights are cracked. There is no reason for the headlights to be cracked, which is a safety hazard.
FREIGHTLINER
CASCADIA
(2022) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Apr 11, 2023
Incident date: Jan 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, the vehicle stopped independently. Additionally, the contact stated the headlights failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the f... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2008 Pontiac G6. The contact stated that while her fiancé’ was driving behind her, he notified her that her rear driver’s and passenger’s side brake lights remained illuminated while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the rear passenger’s and driver’s side brake light bulbs we... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2023
High beam headlights failed. Internal display indicated they were on, but they were not. They have never come back on. Dealership states entire assembly needs to be replaced - not covered under warranty.
Incident date: May 1, 2022
Car was returned from VW dealer Friday for door harness replacement. Saturday night around 930pm we were driving on the toll road when the car starts malfunctioning at 75mph. Various warnings flashed and beeped. My husband was trying to keep control and merge over to slower lanes so we could pull over to safety. During this time the speedometer showed we were going zero which we clearly were not, ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 7, 2023
Headlights randomly turn off while driving. To get them back on you have to switch on and off before they turn back on. Very dangerous for my 17 yr old daughter driving down a highway at night. The lights will also turn on in the middle of the night and if we happen to notice, we have to go to the car and turn the lights on and off to get them fixed. There are numerous reports on this when Google.... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2023
The Tesla computer and especially the USER INTERFACE IS UNSAFE. More accurate to say I hate the UNFRIENDLY user interface. I am surprised NHTSA OKed this computer interface. It needs a GOOGLE quality voice activation feature. The current one is deaf to most words normally used to drive a car. E.G., to turn the lights on while driving on a road where “LIGHTS ON” is required. I must hit... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2023
The high beam lights failed to turn on and will not turn on at all..
Incident date: Mar 30, 2023
The side markers and all the tail lights stopped working. Plus the drivers rear blinker will not work. Leaving you without any tail lights. Also the trailer plug does not work so you are unable to connect towed vehicle up do to not having power to the plug.just had the motor home in shop and they went through the vehicle before I picked it up 2 days ago. Went to leave and had no rear lights
Incident date: Apr 9, 2023
After driving in heavy rain. During the following day started having electrical issues the parking lights would stay on even when the switch was turned off the driver's side headlight would also come on. and the parking lights would either turn off or flash when the high beams were turned on this happened with front and back parking lights the only way to fully get them to stay off was to pull the... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2023
We brought our vehicle into Mazda Dealer in 2021 for campaign 20V-063(2016 CX-5 – Daytime Running Lights May Fail - Safety Recall 4320A). Our vehicle had one of the lights completely inoperable and the other flickered intermittently. Upon inspection by the dealer, they only repaired the inoperable light-unit and was unable to replicate the issue with the other light. However, the previously i... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2023
My car will turn on the lights in the middle of the night, without anybody in it. Battery is continuously dead, even after replacing with a new battery. The alternator and starter have been checked and are good. The passenger door ajar is always on. When I lock the car with my key fob it honks twice and the lights inside the car remain on. The car will die while driving it, when I am at a stop li... Read more
Incident date: Apr 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V827000 (Exterior Lighting) 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... Read more
CADILLAC
ESCALADE NA
(2021) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Apr 7, 2023
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
Bright headlights stopped working.
Incident date: Dec 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Impreza. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V624000 (Exterior Lighting) 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 ex... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2021
Both the center digital cluster screen as well as the center radio screen have gone dim back in November 2022 and have not come back to normal brightness since. Both are not able to be seen during the daytime hours. I have had my vehicle at my local dealership twice and was told to wait for a recall and that there was nothing they can do. I cannot see my gas milage or gage during the daytime. I ca... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2023
Hello, I have reached out to Modesto Hyundai and consumer affairs since May of 2022. I have been shunned and told nothing is wrong. The message below was sent last year in May. I was turned away because I could not afford the diagnostic even though it was covered under a past warranty recall. I had to complain. A few months later I came up with the money and was told I was given the wrong informat... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Impreza. The contact stated that the headlights failed to provide adequate illumination while driving at night. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the driver’s side headlight recently became inoperable. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 2V624000 (Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repai... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2023
Notice 2-3 years ago the low beam headlight is so dim, you cannot safely see at night. Even changing to new light bulb does not fix the problem. Dealer says this is normal but if you drive at night this is not normal. I found out this is well known issue with this generation of RDX that everyone is having the problem with. And I was told changing the entire light assembly housing is the only solut... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2023
Hello, The projectors on the inside of the headlights on my 2013 Acura RDX have failed, creating a VERY dangerous condition in which the low beam headlights are extremely dim. It is to the point in which driving at night is dangerous, and no longer emits enough light to be considered legal by state and federal guidelines. This is occurring on both the driver side and passenger side headlights. Th... Read more
HYUNDAI
ELANTRA HYBRID
(2023) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Apr 6, 2023
Incident date: Apr 6, 2023
CENTER CLUSTER ON DASH (FUEL LEVEL, ECO SAVE METER, ETC.) IS STUCK IN NIGHT TIME MODE. I'VE TRIED EVERYTHING TO RESET SO I CAN SEE MY DASH DURNING THE DAY. ITS SO DARK THAT I RAN OUT OF GAS DURING THE DAY BECUASE I COULD SEE MY FUEL LEVEL! DEALERSHIP WANTS MY VEHICLE FOR 5 DAYS TO FIGURE IT OUT AND THEY DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO. FIX THIS PLEASE! IT STARTED A MONTH AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR. (9 MILES FIRS... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2023
Recall was announced back in August of 2022 and a stop sale was issued on all unsold vehicles due to safety concern. Here we are seven months later and my vehicle still hasn't been repaired. If it was to unsafe to sell then we shouldn't be driving it unfixed. Not sure why the NHTSA isn't forcing this issue to be fixed. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2022/RCMN-22V544-1970.pdf
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2020) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Apr 5, 2023
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
Since the previous recall associated with the turn signal sometimes signaling in the wrong direction, I have noticed for months that when driving at night when the turn signal is on in either direction the lights function will start moving from on to auto to off causing the lights to turn off when signaling. This is very dangerous especially at night.
Incident date: Feb 2, 2023
CHECKING ENGINE LIGHT ON AND OFF SLIDE DOOR NOT WORKING PROPERLY
FREIGHTLINER
MT55
(2011) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Apr 5, 2023
Incident date: Nov 26, 2022
The heating and cooling controls are not backlit for nighttime use. I have to take my eyes off the road to feel for where the temperature control is located to adjust it. While doing this, it is very dangerous and difficult to do. I have put myself and passengers at risk trying to find the controls. All VW ID4s are not backlit. Dealers are not bound to do any correction since the manufacturer... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Apr 5, 2023
Incident date: Apr 5, 2022
Car came from factory with non-functional fog lights in 2022. Fog lights are installed and steering column has fog light switch, but lights do not come on. Have heard from other owners that their cars also had non working fog lights and upon inspection at dealership, it was found that a relay was not installed in the factory. This issue has caused reduced visibility in foggy and heavily rainy cond... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2021
The hazard light button has gotten stuck several times. I went to my dealer and we compared my car with a similar 2023 Compass. Same problem. Then we checked the 2022 Compass and the hazard light on this model does not get stuck. The 2022 is more sturdy than the 2023 version of the hazard light button.
TOYOTA
COROLLA CROSS
(2023) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Apr 5, 2023
Incident date: Apr 5, 2023
In 2020 my driver side headlight assembly stopped working then in 2023 my passenger side headlight assembly stopped working. This includes the day time running light as well as headlight and turn signal in each assembly. No warning was displayed. This can cause confusion for other drivers and pedestrians through the inability to indicate my location or intention of travel. The first time this happ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2003 GMC Envoy. The contact stated that the headlights ceased to operate as needed. Upon taking the vehicle to a local Pep Boys, it was diagnosed that the electrical wiring harness was burned and needed to be replaced. Additionally, the bulbs needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back the loc... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2023
I have two issues with my vehicle. The first is the lighting on the instrument panel. As of February 7, 2023, the center display in my vehicle appears to be stuck in night mode, resulting in an inability to see the fuel gauge or warning lights during daylight hours. I have taken it to my dealer to report the issue, and they said that is a known issue with 2022 jeep compasses but they are not aware... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact received notification of Voluntary Service Campaign: PC861 (Front Combination Lamps (Headlamps) – Halogen Only). The contact stated that the front headlamps failed to illuminate. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that the Voluntary Service Campaign had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of... Read more
COOPER
MASTERCRAFT SENSYS 01
(9999) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Apr 3, 2023
Incident date: Mar 24, 2023
Low beam headlights are so dim. I cannot drive at night. I’ve had the bulbs replaced twice and within a month they are Still too dim to safely drive at night, particularly in the rain. I live in the PNW and that means half the year I can’t safely drive at night. It’s very dangerous and other drivers tell me they can’t see me. I’m over 55 and very concerned, and the cost to replace the he... Read more