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
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2020) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 9, 2026
Incident date: Jan 8, 2026
DRL partially out on the truck seems to be an ongoing problem with these models that cause a safety issue similar to the flicker. My lights went into a hyper flash and when they stopped the DRL went partially out.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2018) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 8, 2026
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
Headlights are too bright. I've seen reports that headlights are at a minimum, twice as bright as they were a decade ago, up to 10 times as bright directly from the manufacturer. While it may be your opinion that it is within regulations, makes roadways brighter, etc., the fact remains that it increases driver fatigue. Staring at headlights 10 times brighter then they were 10 years ago, for hours ... Read more
TOYOTA
LAND CRUISER HYBRID
(2025) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 8, 2026
Incident date: Jan 8, 2026
Wiring for headlights, and break lights has been malfunctioning. It is not a fuse and i have tried changing them to the point i keep extra in my trunk and still won't work. yes, available for inspection, I have been pulled over multiple times and was written a citation yesterday.
Incident date: Dec 28, 2025
The contact owned a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while her nephew was driving, the nephew made a left-hand turn, and the vehicle was hit on the front right quarter panel. The contact stated that her nephew had turned on the left-hand signal and was halfway through making the left turn when the accident occurred. The other vehicle drove on the opposite side and stated that the left-hand... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
The rare brake light is working fine but the car dashboard computer keeps on saying „Check rare brake light“ intermittently. It either needs a repair (although brake lights are working) or a replacement. Please resolve this issue because other Elantra owner have reported the same.
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
headlights are too bright
Incident date: Dec 13, 2025
Left Front side marker light faulty. is the warning on the dashboard - I have noticed there is a recall I believe 2017 2018 for the same part and this is on a 2019 so it's obviously the part it actually says if there's a software fix
Incident date: Apr 13, 2025
Headlights are blinding and are unsafe. Caused me to stop in middle of road for vehicle to pass before I could see again.
Crash
Incident date: Dec 28, 2025
This vehicles headlights are too bright and too high up on the vehicle. I am blinded anytime one is in oncoming traffic or behind me. It is a hazard while they are around because I can not see in my mirrors and have lingering spots in my eye sight long after I am away from these vehicles.
Incident date: Sep 6, 2025
I recently purchased this vehicle from a dealer in FL, but unknown to me at the time was the headlight adjuster on driver side was broken, causing the aim to drop to the bottom limit. This causes only the passenger side light to illuminate the road. I discovered this problem about a week after purchase. The dealer does not seem to be willing to correct this issue. This is a common problem for thes... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
LED Headlights are too bright and cause temporary blindness from being dazzled.
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
The headlights are blinding every driver on the road! These headlights do not belong on the road! Where is the regulation for headlights blinding people and making it difficult to drive at night?
MERCEDES-BENZ
EQE SUV 350+
(2023) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 8, 2026
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
The rear 3rd brake light above the back glass started leaking because the seal/gasket went bad. Water leaked into the cab and now the headliner has to be replace as well as that seal. I works for a glass company and this is a known problem for this year. There should be a recall or service campaign put out for this. I'm not the only one with this issue.
Incident date: Dec 13, 2025
Rear tail light not working filled with water and burned out led
Incident date: Jan 7, 2026
Tesla removed the lighted emergency frunk (front trunk) release button and its wiring from this vehicle and other similar newer builds. The elimination of this key safety feature is a clear violation of the U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard FMVSS 401 for Interior Trunk Release; requiring all new passenger cars with trunk compartments (rear and front) to have a way for someone trapped insi... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE L
(2022) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 7, 2026
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
Unit used as a rental from Avis. Night time driving will cause on-coming traffic to flash high beams while my lights are in low beam mode. This is a daily problem with a multitude of on-coming drivers as the LED headlights are perceived to be extra bright / blinding.
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
on coming lighting blinded me which caused the vehicle to go off the road onto the shoulder since I could not see the roadway
Incident date: Aug 25, 2025
The LED lights are dangerously, blindingly bright, causing oncoming traffic to lose sight of the road.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2016) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 7, 2026
Incident date: Dec 17, 2025
The vehicle is experiencing repeated failure of the Footwell module (FRM), a known defect acknowledged by MINI/BMW. During the two years I have owned the vehicle, the FRM has required four separate reflashes due to recurring malfunctions. The failure causes loss of proper power window operation, including the passenger window reversing or rolling down unexpectedly, and loss or malfunction of other... Read more
LAND ROVER
DISCOVERY
(2023) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 7, 2026
Incident date: Dec 8, 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 local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2025) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 7, 2026
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that under previous vehicle ownership, the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V252000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting, Vehicle Speed Control, Electronic Stability Control (ESC); however, the recall repair failed to prevent a failure. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the rear brake light fai... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
I am reporting an unresolved safety defect involving the 12.3-inch instrument panel display on my Toyota RAV4 Prime, which is the subject of NHTSA Recall 25V595 (Manufacturer Recall 25TB08). The defect affects the LED digital display that provides critical driver information, including vehicle speed, warning indicators, and operating status. Initially, the display would intermittently go blank at... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2026
I have a 2016 MDX. The big red light on my tailgate on the passenger side stopped working. I had been driving at night and only found out when a friend mentioned it to me. I al concerned driving due to safety issues with being less visible to other drivers. I tried changing the bulb with two new ones (correct size 7440) and it still does not work. I noticed online that there is a safety recall fo... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
My right headlamp/ turn signal assembly began flashing at random intervals. The high beam would come on and off randomly. The entire assembly would randomly flash along with the turn signal. The headlamp would go on and off randomly. This included switching between setting. High beam, low beam, daytime running light, and completely off with no warning. This causes blinding conditions for oncoming ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2026
1)I purchased my car during daylight hours. A few days later I drove my car in the evening and could not see street signs or the road 1/3 of the way up through my windshield. There is a definitive line where the windshield turns black. It is extremely dangerous. The Toyota engagement center told me to take my car to the dealership where it was purchased. I also took photos of what I could not see ... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2021) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 6, 2026
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The headlights on this car are pointed too high. When driving on the road at night vehicles coming the other way often assume you have your bright lights on and flash you with their bright lights which can temporarily blind you - obviously a big safety problem! If this only happened once in a while I'd say no big deal but it happens EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU DRIVE THE CAR! I've spoken with other 20... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2026
known issue with Driver side DRL going out and whole headlight unit has to be replaced according to dealer.
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE HYBRID
(2025) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 6, 2026
Incident date: Jan 4, 2026
Daytime running light fails to illuminate.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
Passenger side head light stop working little over when car is out of the factory warranty at approximately 55,000 miles, to fix is very expensive, over $4000.00 because you cannot just change the bulb the entire unit need to be replaced. This seems to be a common problem with this model.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2026
Brake lights, hazard lights, and turn signals in the back of the car stopped working. Took vehicle into Glenbrook Hyundai dealer in Fort Wayne, Indiana and the dealer confirmed the problem is caused by the open safety recall. No remedy exists yet, so dealer charged me diagnostic fees for recall-related work.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2026) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 5, 2026
Incident date: Nov 11, 2025
The impact on the car is we no longer have cruse control (basic feature) and every time we turn on the car we see many warning lights turn on. Some other feature that does not work is lane assist does not work. According to what shows up to on the dashboard there are problems for "road departure mitigation system Problem", "Auto high-beam problem", "Adaptive cruse control problem", "Lane keeping ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 13, 2025
The OEM projector halogen headlights on the 2022 Kia Forte provide insufficient illumination for safe nighttime operation. On unlit or poorly lit roads, the low-beam distance is inadequate to identify road hazards, pedestrians, or signage in time to react at standard posted speeds (45+ mph). This creates a "dead zone" where the driver is effectively over-driving their headlights. This is a known ... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLE 400 E
(2024) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 5, 2026
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
Way too bright
TOYOTA
SIENNA HYBRID
(2025) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 5, 2026
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
Car would randomly die while I was driving, causing my children and I to be in severe danger in the middle of a busy road multiple times
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
Passenger side DRL (daytime running light) has dimmed and turned purple. Upon further research, this is happening to thousands of Ford Expeditions specifically on the passenger side. The only repair is to replace entire housing.
Incident date: Dec 3, 2025
Mazda has messed up headlights and it is very dangerous. I have to drive with high beams on continuously! The low beams point straight down to the road, looks like even with the bumper, you cannot see anything. It looks like you don’t have lights on. Took it to dealer and they say it’s the housing and it’s a Mazda thing and don’t do anything to fix it. I have tried every bulb available f... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
Driver side daytime running light failure. The entire headlight assembly must be replaced. There is reduced visibility, which is a safety concern. The cost to repair is $1,800, which is outrageous for a single headlight assembly. LEDs should not fail at 80K mileage on a car that is less than six years old. This appears to be a known defect on Dodge Durangos.
Incident date: May 11, 2025
1-Driver side LED inside the headlight burnt out doesn't work anymore can't replace LED in the headlight must replace the unit. Vehicle can be ready on request 2-the safety of me and my family are at risk of crashing or going off the road at night time because the lighting of the LED light doesn't put out a bright light of the road and objects in front of my vehicle like the other side that works... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
I don't understand this vehicle is still fairly new and my daytime running light on the driver side stop working for some reason and I don't understand I also noticed all the lighting system in the rear all has water in it now I'm worried is all the lighting in this car going to go bad because I see it in a lot of cars out here on the road. I tried everything in the settings I've tried everything
Incident date: Dec 24, 2025
My Prius suddenly malfunctions and goes berserk randomly. No other way to describe it. I've taken it into the dealer twice, and I'm not confident I'm driving a safe car. I've not done anything to the car and it has not been in an accident. It's unclear why it does it. When it has an episode it is not safe to drive, won't turn on and won't turn off. The alarm goes crazy. Nothing works, all the ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
There is a common problem with 2020 Porsche Macans that I believe is a Porsche responsibility to fix. This is being reported by many 2020 Porsche Macan owners. The issue: Right Side Low Beam failure. To fix it, you need to replace the entire headlamp assembly (roughly 5k in US dollars). No warning of it failing by a sensor, etc. I believe this is an electrical issue and not a lamp issue. O... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE HYBRID
(2022) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 5, 2026
Incident date: Dec 18, 2025
Over the past few years, the headlights will intermittently go out when driving. The problem usually resolves itself the next time the vehicle is started. However, over the past couple weeks, both drivers side low beams have gone out and stayed out a well as one passenger side low beam. This happened while my wife was driving through a snow storm, so you can imagine how fun that drive was. I’ve ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2025
About 1000 feet after merging onto a 4 lane freeway with sparse traffic, we were driving the car in the 3rd lane from the right. Suddenly the car's steering wheel took a hard right turn, forcing the car through multiple other lanes and onto the shoulder of the freeway, through an unpaved area, nearly colliding with freeway signs. I was able to regain control of the car before a collision and get b... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 24, 2022
Issue Type: Intermittent Electronic System Failure / Critical Safety Hazard Description of Incident: A severe safety-related incident occurred while driving at night on 12/29/2025, at approximately 5:48 pm. Under fully dark winter conditions in MA, while the vehicle was in motion with the headlights set to AUTO, the following events occurred: Total System Blackout: All interior and exterior lighti... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 4, 2026
Incident date: Oct 29, 2025
The daytime running lights only partially work and are very dim, blue, or completely off.
Incident date: Jan 3, 2026
My passenger headlights keeps going in and out. The wiring harness has been replaced twice and it still does it. My check engine light keeps coming on for the evap system even though its been replaced.
Incident date: Mar 26, 2025
Daytime Driving Lights Are disabled due to an electrical defect.
Incident date: Dec 10, 2025
The headlights are a danger to everyone else on the road.
Incident date: Dec 26, 2025
The headlights of this car, and many cars of this modern age, have headlights that are blinding and make it significantly more difficult and dangerous to drive at night.