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
MERCEDES-BENZ
S 450
(2020) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Oct 17, 2025
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at night, the driver's side headlight failed to illuminate as intended and the failure was progressing with the passenger’s side front headlight. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed an abnormal buildup of condensation inside the front driver's side headlight. The message "Driver Side Headlamp Out" was displayed... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2025
My headlights went out completely and without warning on a dark highway. No brights or even the orange running lights. Not even the front hazard lights would go on. There was no warning until after they went out. I pulled over as best I could but there was very little shoulder and semi trucks speeding past me at 70 mph about a foot away from my car. There was a ditch about a foot to the right. I s... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2025
I have been to the dealership twice because the driver's side headlight points way to the left, it's not centered. They said there is no adjustment for bringing it to center position. It's a hazard because there is no lighting in front of the driver. There's an obvious blind spot.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
Put vehicle in reverse camera camera on then went black and the backup lights went out while trying to move resulting in hitting a pole.
Crash
Incident date: Oct 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while reversing, the reverse lights failed to function as intended. The contact exited the vehicle, and someone pointed out that the rear passenger’s side reverse light failed to activate as designed. The contact stated that the rear light bar had failed to function as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independen... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
THE HEADLIGHT LOW BEAMS ARE DANGEROUS AND NEED TO BE RECALLED ASAP? After his death, I acquired this vehicle from my father who had stopped driving at night thinking he had developed a vision issue. The first time I drove it at night I discovered the low beams are defective, and that was the problem, not my dear old Dad’s vision. The light emitted does not extend far enough in front of the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
This is getting ridiculous. Every time my vehicle is washed at the dealership with the high power jets, water gets into the vehicle from the third brake light and blows the bulb. As a disabled vet, it is getting impossible to climb into the bed and replace. This time, I took it to the dealership, which they replaced. They solution? The third brake light unit needs to be sealed, including on all th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
This vehicle has a safety issue with the headlights. Basically, the low beams for both, driver and passenger sides are not functioning at all. Several diagnostic have been done to repair the existing issue such as replacing new light bulbs, new OEM turn signal switch, replacing whole new headlight assembly for both driver/ passenger sides, checking the relay, replacing new fuses, though, the issue... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, there was smoke coming from the front driver’s side headlamp, prompting the contact to have her son disconnect the headlamp wiring harness. After a visual inspection, the contact observed that the wiring harness showed signs of burn damage. The headlamp warning light was illuminated. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
After my purchase of my 2025 Subaru Forester, I finally drove it for the first time at night. I was driving on local roads which have no street lights and is very hilly and dark. My headlights were on and I was shocked to see how poorly they were operating compared to my former 2016 Subaru Forester which I never had a problem with. My headlights even had strange dark marks projected onto the road... Read more
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
Electrical System problem //I am writing to formally raise a complaint regarding a recurring and serious issue with my 2019 Honda CR-V. Multiple dashboard warning lights turn on simultaneously without clear explanation. These lights are extremely distracting while driving and present a significant safety concern. What’s even more troubling is that we have no idea why these lights are coming on. ... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2019) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Oct 16, 2025
Incident date: Nov 30, 2024
Water intrusion into rear lightbar/back up/brake light assembly that has caused shorting of the back up lights and flashing of the brake lights. This is a known issue, NHTSA campaign 23V418000. Ford is refusing to cover replacement of this part.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2025
The passenger side DRL/turn signal is dim causing the vehicle visability to be reduced and other drivers unable to see turn indications, increasing the risk of crash. The design of the unit places undue heat near the circuit board causing the unit to fail. The driver's side does not have this issue. This is a known issue with many post on forums on it.
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
Earlier this year, I filed NHTSA ID 11663872 when I noticed moisture collecting in the brake light assembly on my truck and Ford called this "normal", despite earlier issuing a recall for this very thing happening under NHTSA action 23V-418. Now, the brake light has failed completely, and Ford is denying coverage of this under my extended warranty with the following explanation: "your claim is d... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2024) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Oct 16, 2025
Incident date: Oct 8, 2025
My 2024 Volkswagen Atlas SE began collecting visible moisture inside the rear tail light assembly less than 18 months after purchase. Over time, this led to intermittent lighting failure, sometimes the lights function, sometimes they don’t. This is a safety concern, especially at night or in poor weather. After researching the issue, I found that this is a widely reported problem among VW Atlas... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2025
While driving at approximately 15–20 mph, my vehicle suddenly started beeping and displayed a quick warning message on the dashboard before the brakes locked up on their own. The incident lasted only a few seconds, but it was extremely alarming. This same issue has now happened twice, both times in the exact same location on the same road, driving at about the same speed. The first incident was ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2025
Backup camera is not usable at night, you cannot see anything on the camera unless it is a brightly it area. This causes safety concern for people and property. Dealer confirmed no issues with the camera and that is how it is. Had to add external light to ensure I could see at night.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
Headlights work intermittently. Driver side comes on but passenger side doesn’t or vise versa. Also sometimes neither come on. No warning messages or anything. Yes the jeep dealership saw the issue with the lights and so did an independent mechanic.
Incident date: Jun 7, 2025
Both left and right front vertical LEDs which surround the headlights failed. Ford dealer advised both entire headlight assemblies would have to be replaced at a cost of approximately $3600.00
Incident date: Oct 12, 2025
Can not see when driving in reverse in the dark. Camera image appears as a red fog and I can't see a thing. I tried using the rear view mirrors and again could not see anything. Totally driving in reverse in the blind. Absolute safety issue that needs to be addressed. I don't know if this is a camera issue, a lighting issue or both. I have an appointment with the dealership I purchased the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2025
Headlights have become very dim, to the point where it is dangerous to drive at night and high beams need to be used for most of my nighttime driving. Exterior of the headlights have been cleaned, but the issue is with the lights themselves. It is a hazard, as I cannot see properly at night while driving. This has been a problem for at least one year.
Incident date: Nov 29, 2024
The drivers side headlight does not work. If it does work initially upon turning on, when the car brakes, the light flickers and then goes out. I have replaced the light bulb three times and it doesn't fix the problem. My mechanic said there is no way to fix it and sometimes this happens with the type of light bulbs this car uses. It seems to be electrical that the brake or motion of the stopping ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2020) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Oct 15, 2025
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ram Promaster 2500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the headlights were not producing adequate lighting while driving at night. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called Mopar and was referred to the dealer for assistance. The manufacturer was not contacted. ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
We were notified of a recall in Nov 2024 with a first quarter of 2025 fix. We are now 1 year later and still no fix, clearly a safety issue and I cannot trade in or sell legally without the fix. I am stuck with a vehicle with known safety issues and Chrysler is being allowed to just ignore it.
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
I find that the headlights on my 2025 Subaru Forester pose a safety concern. When on dims there is a distinct black line above which you have no light and cannot see. There is also some black shadows in the line of sight that bounce up and down as the car moves causing a major distraction. I complained to the dealer who said there wasn’t much they could do, however they adjusted the lights on... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2025
I recently purchased, 9/12/2025, a 2025 Harley FLTRX. The turn signals operate erratically. When approaching a turn I energize the appropriate turn signal and it may or may not stay on for more than 3-4 seconds before reaching the turn. I am trying to concentrate on the traffic and not looking to see if my turn signal is still energized. I recently had a near miss with another vehicle due to this ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
Parking lights are illuminated and not head lamps for daytime running lights. Was sold by Ford Certified Dealership. Also has no interior lighting for security. BCM replaced, and still has same issue, along with the 3rd row seats not functioning, interior overhead lights not functioning, trailer socket not functioning.
Incident date: Oct 4, 2025
Defective rear light bar allowing water intrusion causing some reverse lights and brake lights to malfunction including a running rear white light shining into the face of drivers causing a safety hazard
JEEP
WRANGLER 4XE
(2024) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Oct 14, 2025
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
Daytime Running Lights- the drivers side daytime running light has stopped working-like many other people have reported repair under warranty is being denied by Dodge FCA as a wear item, it is an integrated system and not a bulb as they are saying. It creates a safely issue that they refuse to repair under warranty.
TOYOTA
SIENNA HYBRID
(2024) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Oct 14, 2025
Incident date: May 1, 2024
Condensation has appeared in the driver side headlight. It has caused the headlight and blinker to stop working. In addition, several warning lights have appeared on the dash indicating the following operations are no longer working.... Driver Attention Warning System, Forward Safety System, Lane Change Assist system, Lane Departure Warning System and High Beam Assist. While the driving assist sys... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
Problem (repeat failure / prior warranty replacement): This vehicle has a recurring headlamp defect involving moisture ingress into the headlamp housing/connectors, causing electrical shorting and warning messages, with risk of headlight failure. Mercedes-Benz replaced this same headlamp under warranty in 2021 for the identical issue (moisture/shorting). The defect has recurred on the same vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2025
My car shuts off Battery drains, burning smell Rear camera gives out Clicking noises
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2024) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Oct 14, 2025
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
During an early season wet snow storm within minutes of driving the lights had become covered with snow and deflected the light in such a way that created a very unsafe driving environment. There was zero snow on the road because of it not being cold enough to stick but the deflection of the light and limited light on the road it was nearly impossible to see the road markings and lines to stay in... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2018) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Oct 13, 2025
Incident date: Oct 8, 2025
Headlamp Multi-Function Switch Service Campaign Hazwewdiouse may cause colition or vision impairment. from ongoing traffic and or insufficient illumination While driving lights will flicker, causing drivers to high beam you, it does not matter if the high beams are on or not, the light will randomly flicker and turn off, very dangerous in southern and eastern areas, there is limited to no street/... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2025
2021 Dodge Durango with 40K miles on it. Like many other drivers of this specific SUV and year the front driver side LED Daylight Running Lights have suddenly stopped working. The same applies to the rear 3rd brake light. Based on discussion boards this seems to be a common issue.
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
Left front headlight is so dim I cannot drive my car in the dark. I have spent money replacing the bulbs, cleaning the lenses through professional shop(s) and still goes dim and unsafe. After researching this I see this is a ongoing problem with this vehicle. I am now having to spend over $1,000 to replace the entire headlight assembly and I don't even know how long that will last. From resea... Read more
HYUNDAI
IONIQ HYBRID
(2019) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Oct 12, 2025
Incident date: Oct 3, 2025
Kept getting a Check Headlamp System See Manual for a couple days then the headlight went out
Incident date: May 21, 2025
The push type turn signals for the model 3 almost caused when accident when I had to enter and exit a roundabout. The orientation wasn’t clear and I was trying to signal to not exit instead - another car misunderstood my intent. this miscommunication lead to a close call. I’ve been driving for over 20 years - this is an unsafe implementation of something basic.
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
LED LIGHT ISSUE. PASSENGER SIDE LOW BEAM. LIFETIME OF LED SHOULD BE 45,000 HOURS OR 12-15 YEARS. IT IS NOT WORKING. FORD NEEDS TO GENERATE A REPAIR ALSO CURRENT WARRANTEE WORK NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED INCLUDING THE REAR CAMERA.
Incident date: Oct 4, 2025
Initially, the component that was failing was the rear wiper blade. The wiper blade would not perform a proper rotation. It wouldn’t move at all when I would turn the switch, but anytime the car was unlocked or locked. The door was open or closed the blade would move. A few days later, one reverse light was out. The rear wiper doesn’t really pose any risks but with my reverse lights, failing a... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
Humming or moaning noise from the passenger side headlamp. Inspected by dealer mechanic and mentioned the TSB 09-015-23B bulletin. Dealership replaced headlamp covered under warranty.
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
Vehicle did over the air software update overnight. First drive the vehicle after approximately half a mile engine stalled out electronics went off. Vehicle lost communication with key would not restart. MIL light showing many codes on reader. Several power cycles vehicle run, but cut out further three times once on a freeway underpass. The hazard flashing lights would not work dead on key. Restar... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
The information center on my 2020 Jeep gladiator will go out and will stay off for months at a time, as well as all warning lights. I consider this to be a serious safety hazard.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
Since purchasing the vehicle, I have experienced a serious and recurring safety issue: when towing, the trailer lights work for approximately five minutes before a portion of them blackout. This failure renders towing both unsafe and illegal, as it compromises visibility and compliance with traffic laws. To date, my vehicle has been into the dealership three separate times for the same issue: 1.... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
The daytime running led lights on the headlights stopped working on my vehicle. First it was the passenger side and a few weeks later the driver’s side. As that happened to my vehicle, I noticed that many other Ford F150s have the same issue. When I took my vehicle for service, I was told by Ford Maxwell here in Austin Texas that this issue is not covered by my warranty. This is a safety issue b... Read more
HARLEY-DAVIDSON
VRSCF
(2016) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Oct 9, 2025
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
I custom ordered a rear fender with LED lights included to GR Customs tel. (949) 395-8888. However, the turning lights are barely visible. Contacted the Company and sales person Aaron rebutted that they has sold hundreds of those without a problem. I send pictures and videos. He says “they are clearly visible”. When motorcycle is running, rear tail lights are On (running lights). Even when the... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2024) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Oct 9, 2025
Incident date: Oct 4, 2025
I custom ordered a rear fender with LED lights included to GR Customs tel. (949) 395-8888. However, the turning lights are barely visible. Contacted the Company and sales person Aaron rebutted that they has sold hundreds of those without a problem. I send pictures and videos. He says “they are clearly visible”. When motorcycle is running, rear tail lights are On (running lights). Even when the... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
When I was driving on the highway I was going about 65 mph in 6th gear and then without warning my 2012 Ford f150 3.5 truck shifted all the way down to 1st gear which almost caused me to wreck on the highway and other cars to almost slam into me. Now when I try to drive the truck it keeps throwing a wrench and the wrench blinks and my truck will not shift hardly at all between the gears. After I h... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2022) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Oct 9, 2025
Incident date: Sep 30, 2025
The 2020 (and possibly 2019) Porsche Macan passenger (right) side headlight (low beam only) is failing. About four months ago the right headlight on my Macan went out and after taking to the dealer, I was informed that the critical headlight failed (the car was less than five years old. Taking the problem to the internet, I found the EXACT problem has occurred to many 2020 Porsche Macans, and se... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
My Mini Cooper has been showing repeated warnings stating “Start-off assistance inactive. Caution: vehicle may roll back!” for some time. This issue appears to relate to an existing recall involving potential electrical and starter/rollaway defects. The vehicle also has a persistent front parking light malfunction and intermittent electrical issues with the windows, which stop mid-way and roll... Read more