Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 42,495 complaints — component: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Incident date: Jan 3, 2020
We took our Nissan for repair of recalled Headlights and was told they had no more headlight assemblies, they have to reorder. I got on waiting list. I called a couple of times to check on headlight shipment. Theni finally went back and they told me they stopped repairing headlight assemblies. I kept getting the run around! NOW MY HEADLIGHTS ARE SO DIM I CAN NOT SEE ROAD AND I WORK NIGHTS. I HA... Read more
ALFA ROMEO
STELVIO
(2018) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 21, 2026
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
Got a post card stating that the headlamp covers were recalled I called Nissan to make an appointment and Nissan has fought me every step of the way. I am unable to see at night with my headlights on and I have to turn on high beams at night just to see. It's very frustrating to not being able to see and very expensive to pay tickets for driving with high beams on.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
When the automatic dimming headlamp is turned on, the headlamps do not perform as expected. When the bright lights finally did turn on, they didn't dim with an approaching vehicle. I reported it to the dealer, and they told me of a fix but that was for turning the headlamps on at dusk not dimming the headlamps
Incident date: Jan 21, 2026
Vehicle has ongoing issues with headlights prior to purchasing, they claim to have repaired & satisfied recall, however, they replaced headlights with the same faulty part the replacement lights are the same, with same issues, no high beams they have a steel rod operating a plastic gear that operates a shutter to dim & operates high beam. The problem is with the heat of halogens the rod gets hot ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2026
LED Low beam headlights failed while driving at night from a long distance trip. This presented a major safety issue for my family since we could not see the road. This is a common problem facing many VW Atlas owners with low milage too Also, VW will not cover the costs involved since each headlamp costs $1200 and is not covered under their highest tier warranty plan (Platinum Warranty) that we p... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while driving at night, the headlights failed to properly illuminate the roadway, limiting the driver’s vision while driving. The contact stated that the passenger’s side headlight was inoperable, and the driver’s side headlight was very dim. Due to the failure, the contact was forced to use the high-beam headlights while driving ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
The taillights on this vehicle are defective. I have already had one taillight replaced and now the other side needs to be replaced. These taillights are $300 each for parts only.
Incident date: Jan 19, 2026
DRL on the passenger side of my truck is half burnt out. I have seen many of the same style headlight with the same daytime running light halo burnt out or partially burnt out on at least 1 side of the truck.
MERCEDES-BENZ
ML350
(2015) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 19, 2026
Incident date: Jan 19, 2026
In mid-trip as we were going down the highway went to change lanes and the turn signals were no longer functioning. No errors, no alerts, no warnings they just stopped working. After pulling over and turning off the vehicle and turning back on they work for a time then stop working again. After researching with other owners of these and similar model Mercedes Benz vehicles this is a prevalent and ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
Vehicle: 2022 Ford F-250 Super Duty Component: Door latch / door ajar sensor system This complaint concerns a latent manufacturing defect involving the door latch / door ajar sensor system on a 2022 Ford F-250. The defect causes the vehicle to falsely indicate that doors are open when they are fully closed, triggering alarms and safety warnings and impairing normal vehicle operation. This failur... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2025
Light from recessed LED headlights becomes obscured by packed snow when traveling in a snowstorm. LED lamp does not emit enough heat to keep clear. Loss of light is gradual and can reach an unsafe level almost without notice.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
Headlights were brushed clear of snow prior to driving. While driving in snow conditions, the headlights became covered in snow and would not provide illumination to the road ahead. This put me at safety risk making road visibility extremely poor at night. While driving I couldn’t understand why the road was so difficult to see. Upon arriving home, I inspected the headlights to see the snow had ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2022) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 19, 2026
Incident date: Oct 19, 2025
This complaint is for the tail light center light, race track light. Water has built up inside the lens after multiple times draining. The water has cased the racetrack light to completely burn out.
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
The daytime running lamp assemblies on both headlights are failing. On the driver's side, the entire LED array around the outside of the headlight has failed. On the passenger's side, the vertical LED array is extremely dim and will probably fail soon. The topmost horizontal LED array on the passenger's side is currently the only array still working. Obviously this poses a safety risk as these lig... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
The problem is when the weather turns cold my car a Volvo 2003 S 60 turn signals do not operate, or if they do turn on sometimes the turn signals won't stop flashing until you turn the ignition off. The head lights also will not turn on at any setting during this time. When the weather turns warm again everything works until the weather turns cold again. It appears to be related to the CENTRAL EL... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2013) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 18, 2026
Incident date: Nov 25, 2025
Water had accumulated in the racetrack led light in the center of the trunk. Causing light to short circuit and lose taillight, license plate light, and back up lights as well.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
Passenger side headlight quit working, except on high beams. Also, dashboard warning came on about headlamp not working. Tried to get new bulbs and was told that the whole headlight assembly had to be replaced and dealership charges $1500+
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
I’ve gotten my vehicle fixed four times now thinking it was an electrical issue, not aware of the recall. Did my research this fifth time when my brake lights completely went out and smoke at some point in times come through my air-conditioning. I’ve spent more money trying to fix the vehicle with no idea that there were issues already about it.
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
Drivers side LED headlight cooling fan is making a loud buzzing noise 100% of the time when the headlight is turned on which indicates that the fan is failing. If fan fails, it will lead to overheating and failure of the headlight. Vehicle was inspected by Mazda to confirm the issue. Mazda issues Service Alert SA-013/23 and Technical Service Bulletin 09-015/23 have been issued for this problem.... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2025
Alt/Gen failure stopped the truck in the middle of an intersection No transmission power steering lights. Had to walk back home to charge the battery in a driving rain storm leaving the truck in the intersection.
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2022) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
My vehicle has experienced repeated and unresolved software/firmware failures that cause loss of essential vehicle functionality and repeated vehicle immobilization. Since purchase, the vehicle has been taken out of service multiple times for software-related repairs, including firmware updates and system resets, yet the problems persist and the vehicle cannot be relied upon to operate normally. ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
This is to bring attention to the hazards associated with the LED car lights in new cars. You must be aware of complaints that these car headlights are beyond too bright and pose risk to drivers at night. I specifically try not to drive at night because of this hazard. These light are blinding when viewed from oncoming traffic. This is a hazard and must be addressed.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2014) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 15, 2026
Incident date: Jan 28, 2024
Water condensation within the driver side headlight which caused the complete headlight unit, control unit, and module to fail. This is a huge safety issue due to unable to operate vehicle safely during the when it comes to making left turns due to no signal indicator and a safety issue/hazard when driving at night. The issue has been inspected with a local dealer and with corporate being aware of... Read more
TOYOTA
CAMRY HYBRID
(2026) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 15, 2026
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
When using the headlights there is a shadow across the top half of our windshield. The dealership was not able to fix, they acknowledged they could see what we are referring to. They are going to file a report with BMW. I do not know what to do in the meantime. This is our main transportation. This definitely needs a safety recall.
Incident date: Oct 29, 2025
Headlights will appear to flicker during lite rain. Light reflected off of objects flicker. On coming traffic interpret the flickering as flashing lights trying to signal an emergency. This is caused by the location of the projector headlight light path being directly under the seam where the hood meets the fenders. During rain water is directed right in the path of the narrow beam beam thrown by ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
LIGHTING--DTR warning light stays on an they don't work but then I was pulled over 1 morning on the way to work because the both taillights stopped working. Checked everything no idea what it could be but the wiring. Because if you piggy back off a hot wire they will work. SUSPENSION-- there is a constant popping noise coming from the front, it's either ball joints, stabilizer bar, or could be t... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2025
2014 Honda pilot touring--ENGINE-is running through oil faster than it should. The spark plugs/coil packs have all been replaced now. Starting with 1 an 3.I was driving down the road and it started stalling out while I was in traffic about 8 mo.ago . The vehicle didn't want to go anywhere an when it would get some power to go it was slow an the engine was shaking so hard the whole time even at idl... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2026) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 15, 2026
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
I'm not exactly sure on what happened but when using the lane stay assist it doesn't read the lines correctly causing the car to abruptly jerk in a unexpected direction! doing this during certain scenarios would cause an accident for sure. also the headlight auto switching for high beams malfunctions often causing the lights to flicker
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLS450
(2017) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 14, 2026
Incident date: Aug 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS450. The contact heard an abnormal humming sound when the vehicle was started, and the humming sound grew louder over time. The contact believed that the humming sound was coming from the driver's side headlamp. The contact stated that the headlamp was equipped with a small internal fan to dissipate heat. Additionally, other electrical failures were occurri... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
While driving in the dark this morning with my eight year old in the backseat, my headlights shut off, my entire dash including my speedometer, warning lights, radio, heat, heated seat and steering wheel, lost electricity.
Incident date: Oct 4, 2024
problem since day 1. Instrument cluster goes dark frequently. no speedometer or gauges are illuminated. may stay dark for long periods of time and other times it is shorter periods. sometimes smacking it will bring it back up. sometimes not. cluster changed 2 times by dealer. problem continues. code read problem with harness connector showed up once but they cleared it and it hasn't come back. pan... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V322000 (Exterior Lighting) and 25V767000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that intermittently, the engine was running rough. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start occasionally. The cont... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
Right turn signal auto cancel activates the left lane change signal resulting in oncoming traffic assuming a left turn to be performed but this vehicle continues straight resulting in a collision hazard. This has been happening since the purchase of the vehicle 2.5 years ago but dealer is unwilling to fix.
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V322000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) and 25V767000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLC300. The contact stated that the passenger’s side headlight was developing fog, causing the light to be dim. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the headlight needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact learned of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V261000 (Exterior Lighting); however, the VIN was ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
Passenger daytime running lights stop working. Vehicle has low mileage but beyond warranty due to years owned.
Incident date: Nov 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. The contact stated that the headlights suddenly illuminated without the vehicle being turned on, causing the battery to be drained. The contact recharged the battery to start the vehicle. The contact stated that the light switch failed to turn off the high beam headlights; however, the headlights and the indicators were no longer illuminated. The veh... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
I experienced the brakes squeaking on and off for a few weeks this past summer. When at the dealership for an oil change, I was told the brakes pads were still good and the squeaking is common, especially during hot humid weather. Since then, I have lost the brakes twice. Both times, the pedal went all the way to the floor without resistance and after a few seconds, they came back like nothing hap... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2025
The exterior lights such as head lights and brake lights aswell as all interior electronics shut off at random intervals while driving posing a serious danger early in the morning and at night.
Incident date: Nov 5, 2025
These lights are TOO bright! Outlaw them before MF like me just simply start breaking or shooting them out. Get off your ass government, you're allowing automakers to cause uneeded accidents.
Crash
Incident date: Jul 31, 2025
Around a two years ago the headlight brights failed and have yet to come back. Kia refuses to fix the issue stating normal wear. This is an incredible hazard to safety in night operation of the vehicle. We are told it is due to a motor in the headlight assembly failing. There are many forum post about this issue and the only known fix is to replace both headlight assemblies at a cost of upward of ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V657000 (Back Over Prevention), 25V322000 (Exterior Lighting), and 25V767000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, 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 contact stated that whi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2025
Auto dimming headlights, regardless of any changes settings will only engage the high beams a few seconds at a time regardless of current lighting conditions or light on the road. Even in the total lack of any extension light source the lights will change to high beams and a few seconds later revert to low beams
Incident date: Apr 30, 2025
Headlights are incredibly blinding, causing other drivers to struggle with driving. This has put both me and other drivers in danger.
Crash
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
Low beam Headlights degrading from reflector delamination. Car is unsafe to drive at night. Changing lightbulbs does not improve light quality. Issue has been getting progressively worst each year to a point where the car is not drivable at night
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
The low beam headlights on my 2015 Acura RDX have become dangerously dim, to the point where nighttime driving is unsafe. The issue is not related to the bulbs. I replaced the bulbs with new, higher output units, but the light output did not improve. The problem appears to be caused by deterioration of the internal reflector bowls inside the projector housing. The reflective coating has degraded, ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2025
The supernovas you use as headlights are ridiculously blinding. Stop designing vehicles on flat roads. Real roads have cuuurves and hills. It's a matter of public safety
Incident date: Dec 31, 2025
Headlights are way too bright. They blind other drivers and make it difficult for other driver to see at night. This causes a dangerous situation in which a crash is possible.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE L
(2021) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 11, 2026
Incident date: Jan 11, 2026
The headlight system is critically deficient when operating the vehicle at night whenever the roads are wet, especially during active precipitation, and especially in poorly lit areas when there is oncoming traffic. The headlights cannot penetrate the water on the roadway and fail to reflect back lane markings most likely due to inferior strength and poor choice of color since White and Blue wave... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2025
12/16/25 I almost was hit by a Mac truck the car kept saying my blind spot was temporarily unavailable and also states auto high beam unavailable service required, in which my screen went black, and the car completely turned off. I took the car into have services on 12/19/25. My car was kept for a week and the service department stated they were unable to created it. My car kept having the servic... Read more