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
CHEVROLET
TRAILBLAZER
(2005) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jun 16, 2021
Incident date: Jun 15, 2021
My lights come on and turns off at night sometimes and now My right low beams stopped working. I noticed when I was getting in my car at night.
Incident date: Jun 15, 2021
The room fcm power distribution module corrodes and causes electrical problems. Headlights can go out while driving, taillights, break lights etc. There is many complaints on the web about this issue and dodge has not fixed the problem. I was driving at night and my headlights went completely out. Luckily I was able to avoid any accident and come to a controlled stop. If I had been on a curve I wo... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2021
IN THE PAST YEAR FROM FEB LAST YEAR TILL TODAY I HAVE BOUGHT 2 SET OF LIGHTBULBS. THE 1ST SET LASTED A YEAR THE 2ND SET I BOUGHT 2/1/21 AND IT JUST BURNT OUT AGAIN. I AM NOT BUYING CHEAP BULBS EITHER.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2018
The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model X. The contact stated the MCU home screen intermittently failed to operate while driving at various speeds. The contact then received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2021
tail lights on both sides constantly fill with condensation blocking the visibility to drivers behind me. I have reported the problem to Tesla but they keep saying it's within specs. the manufacture is only looking at pictures to make the judgment and not actually allowing me to come in to correct the problem. I have two model Y's and they are having the same problem.
Incident date: Jun 13, 2021
I feel that there should be a more visible notification or warning if the headlights are not on at night. While driving at night on the highway a car in front of me rapidly switched lanes to avoid exiting the highway and nearly caused a major high speed accident. He didn’t see us because the headlights weren’t on. All of the dashboard lights come on even though the headlights are off- so it gi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2020
I was in a "at fault" accident in Sept 2020 in my new car because the instrument panel failed to stay on started glitching while on the freeway hit tire in the road. Car insurance went up because of the points against my record. The Chrysler Corp has a recall on the same make and model but not my VIN number. My car is experiencing the same problems as the recall. I need the insurance company to ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 14, 2021
Drl sockets melted safely issue A service bulletin was issued but not a recall , gm will now not fix it unless I pay 2,600 This is a fire hazard
Incident date: Jun 11, 2021
Low beam lights extremely low, I almost hit the median because I could not see it ahead at night , even when the low beam lights were turned on. I notice the low beam light are very dim and I often have to use the Hi beam lights to be able to see the road at night. This extremely low light issue has been going on for years even after I replaced the light bulbs with brighter light ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2021
I have complained since 2020 about the noise in the rear area, this started when the right rear light was rewired. I can't pinpoint what triggers the noise to start, sometimes it happens when the SUV is off ,and idling and driving but not consistently. I left with an unresolved issue. I went to the dealership today( 05/14/2021) @ 11:00 @ Greenway Kia West 3407 West Colonial Drive Orlando Florida 3... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 65 mph, the cruise control failed to operate as designed. The contact stated that the ESC warning light was illuminated. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V114000 (Exterior Lighting) however, the Vin was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2017) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jun 14, 2021
Incident date: Dec 1, 2019
the low beams are dangerously dim, for a car of just 4 years old with the original OEM Lights, the light bulbs were replaced, and the lights are still low, I have to use the high beams in order to see anything.
MERCEDES-BENZ
SPRINTER 3500
(2018) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jun 14, 2021
Incident date: Apr 28, 2021
On or about April 27, 2021 the driver's side rear taillight assembly randomly fell off between Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona on Interstate 10. The assembly is large, containing the taillight, brake light, turn signal light and back-up light. It could have (and may have) hit another vehicle or at least caused it/them to engage in a dangerous turning maneuver to avoid hitting the large assembly while ... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2021
I bought my Rav4 in September of 2017 brand new and within 6 months I had a dead battery needing replacement so I replaced it via AAA. Since then, I have had the battery replaced an additional 3 times! I always serviced my car at the dealer and took very good care of it. Then after 50k miles, I started having odd lighting issues…both headlight bulbs had to be replaced within 3 weeks of each othe... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 12, 2021
My vehicle has the symptoms listed in NHSTA 12V-042. The dealership would not complete the recall due to my VIN number not being included or my manufacture date not matching the dates. They directed me to email the NHSTA to get this resolved
Incident date: Jan 11, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V035000 (Back Over Pretention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amoun... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2021
Just purchased this car used from a dealer. Upon driving it at night I’ve found the low beam headlights are significantly dim. This is a serious safety concern.after doing research on this issue I’ve found that the reflector bulbs inside the headlight assy burn off the reflective coating thereby rendering the bulbs ability to broad at light very poor.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, 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 available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the reca... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2019
I purchased a new 2016 KIA Sorento Tow Package that stated on the invoice it included a Mobius part number C6061 ADUS9 (Tow Hitch Harness) –Sorento. They part failed June 2019 and was reported to the KIA Kearny Mesa dealership. They initiated a request for the part and it was not received to date. The KIA Customer Care Irvine center said the vehicle was not listed as having the part and there... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2019
The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the center console screen was blank which caused several other electrical failures. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting). The dealer was contacted and informed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had e... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2021
This automobile has had the Tesla recall completed, replacing the 8GB with the 64GB. However, this fix is temporary and after a few months the control and information screens are malfunctioning and with ever-increasing frequency. I understand Tesla’s recent update ensures basic driving functions will continue to be operational during a screen blackout but it’s at best distracting and at worst ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2021
Third brake light cracked and letting water in my trunk. Where my battery and other electrical components are located.
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2013) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jun 9, 2021
Incident date: Jan 13, 2021
The right headlight has not worked since I bought my car. I bought new headlights and it still wouldn’t work. So I seen a recall on the lights of the car I have.
Incident date: Apr 11, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the contact noticed that the passenger rear tail light was inoperable. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with the tail light unit needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to an... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2020
The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac G6. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the rear brake lights stayed on continuously even when the brake pedal was not depressed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and an unknown switch underneath the dashboard was replaced however, the failure recurred. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to take the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2021
While pulling a trailer, integrated trailer brake controller stopped working and disabled the trailer brakes. All trailer lights worked, just no brakes. Showed red warning in dash and "CF" on brake controller after failure. No warning before failure. Checked connections and tested with another trailer. Even with no trailer, warning is on and trailer brakes are not functional. Created hazard ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
The venzas headlights, while on low beam only, have 2 shadows or blobs in the drivers view. It is very distracting especially while turning or cornering. It appears as if things are running out in front of the car. The issue is discussed by Venza owners on the Toyota nation blog. https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/shadows-in-2021-venza-xle-headlamps.1695536/
Incident date: Jun 15, 2016
The headlights are so foggy that night driving is dangerous. I applied a liquid to the exterior of both lights and that improved visibility for about a year. I believe this is caused by a reaction to the plastic used on the lenses. The vehicle is available for inspection however I have not taken it to a dealership for this problem. I have noticed this headlight problem on other vehicles.
Incident date: Jan 23, 2021
On the dark evening of 23 January 2021 a deer from the side of the Ohio Turnpike came onto the edge of my lane of roadway, did a Uturn and kicked the front fascia of my car. I slowed but couldn’t avoid the collision because of NHTSA rule Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108. I did not see the deer in time to slow further, which would have allowed emergency maneuvers. If I was dr... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 6, 2021
The lights on the vehicle are too dim which are a safety hazard, making it difficult to see at night.
Incident date: Jun 3, 2021
Low beam headlights stop working while driving.
Incident date: Jun 11, 2020
Headlights are dim causing it hard to see at night.
Incident date: May 3, 2021
The contact owns a 2005 BMW 645CI. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the independent mechanic for the front driver’s side bulb replacement, the mechanic informed the contact that the headlight wires were brittle and burnt. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to buy new headlamps. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the fai... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 29, 2021
I have a 2015 subaru legacy 2.5i engine. The problem i have is a blown fuse in the main compartment F26 (backup). I have read subaru forum(s) and in earlier years this is same issue that I current have in my car. In the older models this was recalled and the issue was reworked at subaru repair centers at their cost. This issue also said it could cause a over heating and possible cause a fire.... Read more
Incident date: Apr 13, 2021
The daytime driving lights are too hot causing the plastic housing to melt, crack and, in some cases, break. My research has found that this is a common problem in Toyota Tacoma trucks from 2005-11. In April 2015, Toyota replaced the headlight assemblies with a supposed "redesigned" assembly to address this issue. However, now in April 2021, the "redesigned" assemblies have again melted, cracke... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
While driving in the freeway; the low beam lights went out and would no longer work. For visibility purposes, I was forced to use high beam lights to make it home while impairing the driving ability of others. The low beams and high beams run on the same light bulb. While using the high beams, the bulbs work as intended. The light bulbs and relays were promptly replaced and the issue is not fixed.... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2021
The 3rd brake light broke(high mount stop lamp) which caused water leakage into the trunk and filled the compartment where the spare tire goes.
Incident date: May 30, 2021
The high Beam Assist feature of vehicle is malfunctioned and yes it's available for inspection upon request. If the vehicle speed is above 40mph the high beam is turning off and setting the low beam by default even if there are no vehicles insight. In the night the vehicle will be always in low beam mode and hence affects the visibility in the night putting in high risk. No, the problem hasn't bee... Read more
HIKARI TECHNOLOGY
LED HEADLIGHT BULB
(9999) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jun 1, 2021
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
The contact owns a set of Hikari LED 9006 H4 bulbs. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign number: 21E002000 (Exterior Lighting). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The part was not available for the repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconn... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when he noticed that there was water in the rear tail light assembly. The dealer recommended that the rear tail light assembly be replaced prior to the brake recall repair. The contact stated that he should not be responsible to pay for the defect of the rear tail light assembly filling up with water. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2021
Vehicle's LED Daytime Running Lights no longer operational. This is a known issue among owners and affects the visibility of the vehicle when operating during daylight hours. Further, the nighttime visibility is significantly decreased as those LES lights add to the roadway illumination capabilities.
Incident date: May 26, 2021
My vehicle has suddenly shown warning lights for brake light out, head light out, both turn signals out, running lights out. Basically saying all my lights suddenly burnt out. There is a recall on 2017 Jeep renegades for the exact problem I’m having but it doesn’t show my vehicle included, it says no unrepaired recalls. They have determined this can cause an accident as the lights are not r... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2021
I had to have a leaking third brake light assembly replaced for water pouring into the cab. The total cost for repairs were 496.00. My truck has only 40,000 miles and it has been leaking for a long time from the previous owner. It would have been replaced by Toyota if under 36,000 miles. There is multiple complaints on the website and a Toyota service bulletin involved with this repair. I thi... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2021
The seal used in the headlight housing is of cheap quality. It rained yesterday and both the headlights of my car were filled with moisture. The car has never been in an accident not there are any dents or broken parts around the headlight housing that will cause this issue. The headlights stopped working and it became hazardous driving condition. This has been a common problem in this year and ge... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2021
Driver side Day Running Light doesn’t work. A lot of owners have this problem. Not safe at all. Honda should recall that to fix that problem.
Incident date: Apr 23, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that the passenger’s side taillight was inoperable. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V761000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Service Brakes, Electronic Stability Control) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the instrument panel went blank and the contact was unable to control any electronic features inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the Back Over Prevention warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he experienced the failure several times per week. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and was... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2016) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
May 27, 2021
Incident date: Apr 1, 2020
Headlamps started leaking water into them a year ago, problem is getting much worse. Unsafe to drive in rain as headlamps dim badly with water inside.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving at night, the high-beam headlights were activated but failed to adequately light the roadway. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.