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: Dec 14, 2022
Windshield wipers and stability control and other electrical problems occurred while driving thru the rain.
HYUNDAI
KONA ELECTRIC
(2021) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 15, 2022
Incident date: Dec 15, 2022
The headlights even though they are LED they have a terrible beam pattern with noticeable dark spots in your field of view. Also I get flashed from oncoming traffic because of the low mounting position of the head lights easily blinds on coming traffic with the slightest bump or incline in the road. I had the dealer check out their alignment and was told they are fine. I myself have been dazzled b... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2022
The front low beam headlights are very dim, due to a leakage defect in the headlight housing. (I have been told that is the reason for the defect by a Cadillac dealership) I feel that it is dangerous for me (I am 78 years old) to drive at night with this situation. There are many other complaints about this same problem as reported on The Cadillac Forum website. I don't know if there has ever be... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2022
For the last 2 weeks I’ve been hearing weird engine noises. Like metal pieces being grinded. The car has issues accelerating. Will not change gears properly causing the car to redline on the tachometer. Just today I hear noises a lot more frequently and as I’m driving and coming to a slow turn the car stalled out on me. I quickly put the car in park and started the car and it started back up. ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2022
Headlights are so dim it is unsafe to drive at night. Seems many others complaints of this online and due to reflective film backing material inside the headlights could delaminate The reflective coating on the headlight housing has disintegrated resulting in virtually no low-beam headlight illumination on the roadway Acura changed headlight design in 2015 but no formal recalls on earlier veh... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2022
The headlight position on the 2022 Traverse is horrible and a tremendous safety hazzard. Driving in rain, at night, the headlights being lower on the front end dramatically inhibits visibility. Unless you drive with the high beams on, you can't see at all. Last week I drove in falling snow at night and visibility was again inhibited due to the position of the headlights. But also, I had to keep... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2022
Starter/Generator Alternator failed and caused the battery to die ultimately leading to losing full power of the car on highway. Warning lamps were present and indicated "electrical system malfunction and contact the dealer for service." Car lost full power on the way to dealership and almost resulted in a crash. Component has been inspected by the Audi Dealer and confirmed to be the issue. Sy... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
At approximately 65-68K miles, my low beam headlights started becoming very dim. My car now has approximately 78K miles and I cannot drive at night without using my high beams. The low beams are so dim that unless I am on a lighted street or another car is riding beside me, I simply cannot see. I've replaced the bulbs and had the headlight housing cleaned to no avail. The local Acura dealer ma... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH at night, the low-beam headlights turned off inadvertently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact immediately veered to the side of the road and parked the vehicle. The vehicle remained on the side of the road while the contact returned to his residence with the assistance of his fiancée. The contact return... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2012) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 12, 2022
Incident date: Dec 8, 2022
My airbag light is on. Had a test done and it also indicated airbag problem. My car was supposedly repaired of this defect some time ago, but here we are. Also when entering my VIN for any recall; it lists defective light. Previous work done by Audi/VW of Jackson, Ms. On 12/9/22 the airbag indicator light and service light is on.
Incident date: Dec 12, 2022
You just cannot see with these headlights. I cannot drive the car at night. No crashes but we live in the country with no added light and these light don’t work. This is a proble since we bought the car a year ago.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
Premature failure of TIPM, multifunction headlight switch and multifunction switch.causing no wipers or turn signals engine shuts down randomly. Faulty rollover valve in gas tank that leaks fumes and gas spits from fuel fill when full
DODGE
CHALLENGER
(2018) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 11, 2022
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
Electrical system is going completely haywire. The display screen beeps as if being touched constantly causing driver distractions. Bluetooth hands free function makes random phone calls, hangs up and redials repeatedly causing driver distractions. The display also flashes from one setting to another, pulling up the navigation system and changing the route repeatedly causing driver distractions.... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2022
Purchased 2012 Prius used. Replaced low beams and high beam headlights shortly after. Passenger side low beam is no longer working (bulb was replaced 3 months ago). Upon googling causes saw 2010-2011 Prius had a recall for recurrent headlight issues, the wiring harness was replaced in them. It seem the 2012 is having the same issue in the 8 pages of complaints on exterior lightning that I saw. Toy... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2022
The low beam headlights are dimming and the bulb replacements or headlight cleaning aren't helping at all. It's dim to the point where the road lines are barely visible in the dark with the headlights on. I've read online that RDX 2013-2015 models have similar low beam headlight issues due to the defect in the headlight housing's reflectors. I believe this is the case for my car and this is a s... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2022
Moisture has been collecting in both headlight assemblies for the past 3 years, whenever the car is outside or driven in the rain. Recently, this caused both high/low beam headlights to burn out. Replacing the bulbs is not enough, as the bulbs immediately burn out/smoke and blow out because of the water accumulation. On the driver side headlight, there was actually standing water in the headlight ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2011) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 10, 2022
Incident date: Dec 5, 2022
Lights coming on by themselves while in park position and draining the battery. Replaced battery 3 times in the last 7 months.
Incident date: Dec 9, 2022
I have had two problems worked on by my dealer and neither of them were fixed. The first problem is a leaky oil pan which they attempted to repair the leak 3 times but it still leaks. This may not be a safety recall but I do feel like it is a hazard and I would bet there are probably 1/2 of the 2015-2017 Ford F150 owners with the 2.7 engine with the same problem. If nothing else I would say this i... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2022
Low beam headlights very dim/unusable. My wife came very close to having what could have been a fatal accident on Dec. 8, 2022. We have replaced bulbs with original and higher intensity LED with no improvement. There are hundreds of people complaining about this same issue, one only needs to do a google search or visit one of the multiple Acura forums to validate the need for a recall!
Incident date: Dec 5, 2022
All of my lights on the back of my vehicle are out due to water damage. This is a known problem with these vehicles. The vehicle has less than 50,000 miles. The cost for a replacement is $1500. Dodge has known of this issue for many years has done nothing to correct it. It will not pass the state safety inspection with the lights out. It is a safety issue because I have no rear lights. We c... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The headlights on this car are dangerously dim. Like the turn signals overpower them levels of dim. I’ve replaced the bulbs, the battery, cleaned all the connections, replaced the alternator, nothing makes a difference.
Incident date: Nov 27, 2022
Headlights will randomly turn off and flicker on and off. Has happened multiple times and on dark roads
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at night, the headlights were extremely dim. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact notified the dealer of the failure and confirmed that the failure was a known issue; however, there were no recalls for the failure. The contact was given an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was also contacted but no ... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA CRUZ
(2022) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 8, 2022
Incident date: Dec 7, 2022
Headlights are dismal low beam is useless
HYUNDAI
SANTA CRUZ
(2022) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 8, 2022
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low beam headlights were not illuminating as needed. The driver used the high beam headlights while driving. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contact but provided no assistanc... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2022
The headlights randomly turn off or switch between high and low beams. This is dangerous especially at night because high beams can impair another driver's vision or having the lights turn off completely makes me unseen on the road. My car is available for inspection upon request. When I have gone online, I have seen other Hyundai customers have experienced the same thing.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
I keep getting a automatic emergency braking malfunction alert
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE 4XE
(2022) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 7, 2022
Incident date: Dec 7, 2022
When making left or right turn using the turn signal, the headlight related to that turn signal goes off. This happens when the headlight control is set on "auto" for the headlight to come on at dusk. This is an extremely hazardous condition not only for on coming traffic but also for the driver because of elimination of lighted visibility to the area turning into. Jeep mechanics have repeated... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2022
Around Thanksgiving of this year (2022), I noticed that my taillight housing for the center LED Racetrack lighting on my 2016 Dodge Durango was retaining water. I found this odd because light housings are supposed to be sealed and not allow water to enter. If water gets in, the electrical is at risk and lights can be shorted out or even cause an electrical fire. I conducted research and have found... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
Exterior Lighting. Low beam headlights are too dim. Due to the flawed design the reflective film backing material inside the low beam headlights delaminates. The vehicle no longer conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108. Please investigate.
Incident date: Dec 4, 2022
I recently purchased this vehicle used, while driving the lights go off and the vehicle shuts off while moving. Not displaying any warning indicators at the time. Luckily vehicle is a manual, so I have been able to coast to a stop safely. Situation could be very dangerous. Once off the vehicle will go dead and won't restart. After a few moments vehicle will restart until the problem occurs aga... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
1.Auto Highbeam lighting continuously flashes when sees reflection from street signs which confuses and blind coming drivers 2. Phone wireless charger not working properly, reported to honda several times. ALL this issues are since purchased.
Incident date: Nov 29, 2022
A substantial amount of water has made its way into the headlight housing. This has caused the driver side light to go out. There is no evidence of any damage, cracks, or failure otherwise. It seems, like thousands of other Mazda3 drivers, the seals have failed. My particular model has the auto leveling and turning headlights. Cost to repair will be well over $1,000. This is a well known problem ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2022
Regular headlights are excessively bright. Oncoming traffic is constantly flashing their bright lights with implications that my Ford Ranger's lights are on bright and not normal setting. This seems to be dangerous to oncoming traffic. It happens repeatedly every morning I am driving in the dark (5:00am-6:30am) Dealer said that there is nothing they can do. No indications that the bright ligh... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Sentra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V135000 (Exterior Lighting) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) remained illuminated after the repair. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where an unknown repair was completed but the failure persisted. The vehicle was ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2022
I drive down the road and the brake lights come on I hit the brake then they go off. Randomly when I drive service esc service traction come on but as soon as I turn the car off and back on it is gone. Cruise control stopped working as well.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Impreza. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V624000 (Exterior Lighting) 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2021) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 6, 2022
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The front headlights (low beam) are aimed too high resulting in blinding of oncoming drivers. More than half of all oncoming cars flash their lights suggesting. This has occurred for a year and a half since the vehicle was purchased. While a small adjustment was made to the headlights by the vehicle owner, this type of adjust was denied from the Toyota service department, and should never have bee... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2022
No accident to report. This will will be my second time replacing suspension springs and brake light assembly. I have reason to believe that the 2013 Kia Forte EX model has a recall on these item because my car isn't the only vehicle in for these exact issues. I wish to have these investigated because this is becoming most costly than expected.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
Rear taillight covers are deteriorating. Discoloration and fog
Incident date: Nov 2, 2020
The headlights for 2014 Acura RDX dimmed so that they were ineffective. Lightbulbs were replaced. No difference. Premium lightbulbs put in. No difference. Dealer said they saw no problem. Headlights continued to dim more. Google search revealed other 2014 Acura RDX owners had the same problem. Appears to start after 80,000 miles. I asked the dealer who offered to replace entire headlight ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2020
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 20V436000 (Electrical System, Forward Collision Avoidance, Exterior Lighting) and 22V626000 (Trailer Hitches) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The check engine warni... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2022
While running some errands, I put my left turn signal on to change lanes, and I immediately got a dashboard indication that the rear turn signal lamp was out. Curiously enough, I also had a running light out, back up light out, and brake light out indication. I went to a local parts store and purchased two correct bulbs and upon returning home, I replaced them. Didn't fix the problem. After some t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2022
Low beam headlamps very dim and no longer provide visualization of the road. Per online forums, this is a known issue.
Incident date: Aug 30, 2022
The passenger-side daytime-running headlight (aka, "signature light" or "accent headlight") failed at approximately 66,000 miles and four years. This makes the daytime-running headlight ineffective. I have since noticed many Tesla Model 3's with the same issue. To fix this problem requires replacement of the entire headlight assembly. This was a very expensive repair (~$1200) and will likely be ig... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2022
I recently purchased a 2015 Nissan Altima for my 17 yr old son as a first time vehicle at a local dealership. Unfortunately and unbeknownst to me, this vehicle had a class action lawsuit in which the deadline ended prior to me purchasing the vehicle for having "halogen headlamps (“Class Vehicles”) defect that causes an interior reflecting surface of the headlamp to deteriorate, resulting in di... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 3, 2022
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
All lenses on the front headlights have stress cracks forming in the corner of the housing. This has allowed moisture and condensation to build inside the housing and is altering the light output.
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2022) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dec 3, 2022
Incident date: Nov 27, 2022
When I drive at night time, the opposite driver complains on low beams that looks like high beams. They are too bright.
Incident date: Dec 2, 2022
Air did employ when it hit a deer at 35 mph , inside light go so dim on the radio and the front, you see the dashboard or the radio
Crash