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: Sep 22, 2022
Highlights are to dim too travel after dark. There has been a settlement, however Nissan is not suppling dealerships with enough lamps to match demand. This should be a national recall and treated as much.
Incident date: Sep 22, 2022
Driving down a dark highway tonight and headlights just randomly went out completely. Had to switch them on and off several times to get them back on. Safety risk is obvious for myself and other cars on the road. Has not been inspected, just happened tonight. I have noticed my lights cutting on and off during the day randomly lately but I just assumed it was the auto mode picking up shady areas bu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2014
Most owners complain to Cadillac but not to NHTSA Cadillac is aware. Low beam headlights on these vehicles are un safe. Especially in drizzle or darkness. This should be urgent!!!! Head light bulb is so hot, it burns the chrome plating off the inside of the headlight assembly. Once chrome is gone, so is the reflectivity needed to project the light through the magnifier and on to the street. Extrem... Read more
Incident date: Sep 21, 2022
Have trouble seeing where I'm going in the dark. Nissan knows about this problem, but says it could take 9 months to get replacement headlight assembly. How did Nissan get away with not getting a safety recall? Did they line the right pockets?
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
break lights burn out in less than 3 months after replacing the light bulb
Incident date: Sep 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer and the contact was informed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V709000 (Exterior Lighting, Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware o... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting). The contact stated that the recall repair was performed twice however, the vehicle experienced an unknown computer failure. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the seats moved independently. The contact was unaware of a ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2022
When i turn left or right stereo shuts off all my warning lights come on and steering gos out.and sometimes it shuts down.Almost got hit a cause it did this .This is a serious safety issue.Nobody can pin point the problem.then a code says open and close drivers window.If i get killed cause this car does this .and getting worse .chevy will be sued .can you get chevy to repair this possible faulty .... Read more
MERCURY
GRAND MARQUIS
(2005) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Sep 19, 2022
Incident date: Sep 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving, the front headlights intermittently failed. The contact stated that he replaced the headlight bulbs, but the failure recurred. No warning light was illuminated. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting). The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or... Read more
Incident date: Mar 8, 2022
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 unavailable. The contact experienced a failure and was stopped by the police due to the glare from the headlights. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The man... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
While headlight switch is in Auto mode, it will frequently turn off the headlights at night while indicating that I changed the headlight mode even though I haven't touched it. This happens on dark rural roads with no other vehicles around so oncoming headlights isn't the issue. This happens multiple times a week and I am forced to quickly turn the headlights manually to the "always on" position b... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2022
This has been an ongoing issue, headlights set in automatic mode will turn off at night with no warning. They will also turn on in direct sunlight. This is an intermittent issue. Have taken to Kia service on two separate occasions, told they can not find issue or replicate problem. Have video of lights at night turning completely off set in auto mode.There is no warning when headlights turn off, w... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2022
The headlight high beams do not function, leaving me unable to see.
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
My 2017 Kia Sorento, While driving (at night) the head lights will shut off in auto mode. turn the switch off and back on lights come ON, SAFETY TO ME AND OTHERS WHEN YOUR HEAD LIGHTS GO OUT ON A DARK ROAD
Incident date: Sep 17, 2022
The headlights have condensation inside them. I had them replaced in December of 2019 as were under warranty at the time. Two and a half years later, I noticed I’m having the same issue as before. There is condensation inside the headlights. The dealer told me I needed to contact their corporate office to see what can be done. I called Dodge Corporate office and was told they weren’t going to... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
I have contacted the Hyundai headquarters several times, about what I believe to be an electrical problem in my vehicle. The lights (break and drive) in my vehicle continue to blow out, even after being replaced numerous times. My break light casing has melted, as a result of what I believe to be associated with a previous recall. This recall, caused break lights to remain on, which caused overhea... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2019) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Sep 16, 2022
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
When going fast real quick the car start to smell like something is burning. My right light isn’t working right
Incident date: Sep 16, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH at night, she noticed that the high beam headlights were significantly dim. The contact later received a notice for Nissan Service Campaign Number: PC861 for the halogen headlamps replacement. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed that the headlamps needed to be replaced; however, t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2022
Head lights. Not working. It's not the bulb or fuse. This is a safety issue. It looks like it's an issue with most make, model and year. My family's safety was put a risk drive when the lights when out. No to Q 3 No to Q 4 No warning intel i could see the road anymore then warning lights came. For the suspension the tire shop says there's an issue with suspension due to manufact Airbag Sensor wa... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
Tesla software update 2022.24.6 is an update that forces the vehicle to use Tesla Vision for Autopilot adaptive cruise control. The driver does not have the option to disable auto high beam features and the software is not accurate enough to prevent flashing and high beaming of other drivers. This hazard has occurred at least 5 times within two days of receiving the update. A hazard is created in... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2022
On this model car, the low beams get so dangerously dim, that (my case for example), I literally could not tell if the low beam headlights were on or off if I were driving on a street where any street lights (even just residential neighborhood street lights) were anywhere within eyesight. The only time I could make out that they were on would be if I were on a pitch black section of a street, in w... Read more
Incident date: Jul 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 GMC Terrain. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V165000 (Visibility) and 22V137000 (Exterior Lighting) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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 is... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
When headlight switch is set to automatically come on, the light will sometimes randomly turn off. No warning or indicator on the dash appears showing that they are off. Technicians are unable to reproduce the issue in the shop. Have recommended replacing the entire headlight switch on the turn signal stick.
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2022) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Sep 15, 2022
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
Twice, upon starting the vehicle, the front panel said "Warning and information not available. Drive with greater care!". No speedometer, no headlights, no indication of charge left (mileage available for travel). Electric key fob did not open or lock door. I had to pull out the manual in the dark to read how to turn off engine, as it did not turn off in the normal fashion. The first time it happe... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2021
The visibility of the headlamps at normal brightness are very dim. I have read about numerous lawsuits regarding this, including a class action, but when I have gone to the dealer with the information postcard that I received in the mail, I am told by Nissan that I am "outside of the window" to have them replaced with newer brighter lamps. Per the website for the class action lawsuit, it should be... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 18, 2019
I have had continuous issues with the electrical system in the front drivers side headlight with burnt plastic housing to the main headlight and the plug for the blinker system. Sometimes it will work and most of the time it won't. I cant tell you the amount of times it has stopped working in the middle of using the blinker. Every time I attempt to change it out, the bulb ends up still in good sh... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2022
Electric Power Steering locked up. Almost killed me my fiance. And my 2 kids.
Incident date: Jan 20, 2022
My car will shut off as I’m driving it. I was going thru a busy intersection and my car turned off, I was in my car with my 3 babies traffic backed up and almost got slammed into. I had to get out and push my car to the side of the road. The check engine light started flashing then the whole dashboard started flicking
Incident date: Sep 9, 2022
While in Auto Lights mode, the headlights will randomly turn off while driving. Also, while in auto mode, while the car is parked the lights will randomly turn on- causing the battery to die within a few days of the car not being used. It appears to be the Auto lights mode that causes the problem. This is extremely dangerous to this car and other cars on the road, for obvious reasons. Issue ha... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2022
I have had multiple headlights, turn lights and brake lights burn out - started less than a year of car ownership; with at least one outage every 2-3 months - both driver and passenger, and rear lights. Not just bulb replacements, I’ve had Expensive replacements for harnesses on both sides too, but issue keeps returning. Currently driver brake light went out, can’t see a Hyundai mechanic for a... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
In the last month, I've started noticing issues with my headlights/icons. My lights are always set to auto in my 2018 kia sorento. First issue: when driving during the day, the dashboard will show the icon that appears when you turn on the lights manually. I'm assuming the lights actually come on as well, but it's daylight so I can't actually see if this is happening or not. Once when this happene... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2022
I received a letter from GMC dated December 2019 warning of brake lights intermittenly not illuminating. I have periodically checked the lights for failure over the last 3 years. On September 8, 2022, a motorist pulled beside me and informed me that my brake lights were not working. I confirmed that the lights were not working and called GMC regarding the letter I had received in 2019 and was told... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2022
Low beam headlamps very dim causing poor lighting. Had headlamps replaced per law suit settlement agreement. Still problem unresolved. Returned to dealership to complain and was told headlamps pass their testing. Still low beam lamps are so dim its creating a safety hazard, so, I drive with high beams on. Dealership refused to drive my car at night to verify hazard. Dealership told me to buy after... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer after receiving notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V936000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and 12V354000 (Air Bags). The dealer diagnosed the vehicle that the brake lamp switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that while driving, the TPMS, passenger se... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated that the front driver’s side marker light message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed the contact about the repair fees, and that the light was dim and might become inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer. The contact sta... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
ML350
(2014) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Sep 12, 2022
Incident date: Jan 26, 2022
After driving the car, the right/left turn signal switch fails to work (no signal is given both in the panel of the car and the external turn signal lights do not flash). However, the emergency flashers still work. I have searched the issue and found many occurrences on the Internet. Such a common issue should be a manufacturing quality issue and deserves a recall.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
This is the same issue we are seeing with our other Subaru where we come out to drive and the battery is dead. We would jump the battery and be able to drive for the day and the next day the battery is dead in the morning. I replaced the battery several times over the last few year and the battery would die with a less than 2 month old battery. I was driving around in both cars with jumper cabl... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
This is the same issue we are seeing with our other Subaru where we come out to drive and the battery is dead. We would jump the battery and be able to drive for the day and the next day the battery is dead in the morning. I replaced the battery several times over the last few year and the battery would die with a less than 2 month old battery. I was driving around in both cars with jumper cabl... Read more
FORD
CROWN VICTORIA
(2004) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Sep 12, 2022
Incident date: Sep 7, 2022
Taillight failure and corner light failure likely caused by faulty wiring as mentioned in 2015 lcm recall
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
This problem is all over the internet and Acura refuses to recall. My lights have dimmed over a period of time and now I have to run my lights on high beam to be able to see. This is a safety concern for anyone because of bright lights in faces of other drivers. This started happening about a year ago and now I can't drive my car at night. The dealer has confirmed this in other Acura vehicles a... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2022
The headlights are cloudy and therefore producing less light a safety issue.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2017) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Sep 12, 2022
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
Driver side low beam head lamp is dim, no high beam. No accident nor damage to assembly
Incident date: Sep 5, 2022
While driving on the highway my headlights didn’t illuminate the roadway. I pulled over to check them and it appears the headlights were so dim, and possibly stuck somehow. They’re telescopic lights. The issue continued the entire 11 hour drive. The lights would work then go off again. I thought they might be stuck in the wrong position. I couldn’t see the highway well and we had inclement ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
Vehicle has Bi-Xenon Headlights which have started to intermittently fail while driving. Sometimes one light lights up alternating side to side and sometimes both will not light,. Sometimes one will come on immediately and the other will take up to 5 minutes to light. On two occasion both have shut off while driving at night. Definite safety issue. Occurs irrespective of the headlight switc... Read more
ALFA ROMEO
STELVIO
(2018) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Sep 11, 2022
Incident date: Mar 6, 2021
Water discharge on the passenger side whenever the AC is switched on and the car is driving. The water leak led to electrical malfunction with electrical lights switching on even when the car is switched off or the lights switching off when the car is in motion. The water on the passenger side was a nuisance for a long time but when the electrical system went haywire, it became a safety risk espec... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2022
Headlights on my 2013 Altima are dangerously dim. I filed several complaints with NHTSA several years ago about this problem but nothing was done. A few months ago I received a notice from the SUAREZ V NISSAN SETTLEMENT ADMINISTRATOR stating that my vehicle qualified for free replacement headlights as part of a class action suit settlement stemming from defective headlights on 2013-2016 Nissan A... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2021
The headlights are so dim the vehicle can not be driven at night. My mechanic tells me this is a known issue for the RDX and I will have to replace the headlights at my own expense. The estimated cost is over $2000. Its hard to say when I first noticed the issue but it is at the point that if I am driving at night I must use my high beams.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
Taillights habitually fog up (in moderate Southern California weather) and block the visual braking visibility. Tesla says having lights you can’t see when braking is normal
Incident date: Jan 12, 2022
Rear taillight assembly gets filled with water over time. LED lights fail as water rises. Some drivers report it causes the rear view camera to short out but I have not experienced this. Yet.
Incident date: Sep 7, 2022
Low Beam Headlights are extremely dim and do not safely light road for night time driving. Took automobile into Cadillac Dealership and requested that headlights be tested. Mechanic documented that both headlights were below standards and recommended that both headlight assemblies be replaced. The Dealership mechanic explained that simple replacement of light bulb would not remedy problem and t... Read more