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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 42,929 complaints - component: EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Incident date: Jul 23, 2026

Our 2020 Defender's halo light on the driver's side has become inoperable & poses a safety hazard. After researching this issue, it appears that this has been reported widely online. This malfunctioning halo light renders overall lighting very dim at night, creating a safety hazard for my vehicle & other drivers on the road. While looking online this is a rampant problem with this model, with the... Read more

Incident date: Jul 12, 2026

On my 2017 Acura MDX SH-AWD with approximately 112,000 miles, the engine experienced a sudden catastrophic failure while I was traveling at highway speed. The vehicle abruptly lost power, the accelerator became unresponsive, smoke came from the vehicle hood and exhaust area, and multiple warning lights illuminated. The failure occurred with no advance warning and created a serious safety risk beca... Read more

Incident date: Aug 20, 2026

On August 20 i received an update for the Uconnect blue screen in reverse recall. In doing this update it created a new problem with the u connect screen creating a blinding/distracting light in night time driving. They removed a setting theme mode which would keep the screen in dark mode. Without this setting the screen is in white mode. No other setting within the u connect settings will red... Read more

Incident date: Apr 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 Ford F-250 SD. The contact stated that while driving at night on several occasions at various speeds, the LED headlights showed vertical lines projected from the headlight lenses that created blind spots. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the vehicle operated as designed. The manufacturer was not notified of t... Read more

Incident date: Jul 5, 2024

2023 Kia soul purchased brand new. Vehicle does not display speedometer, blinkers don't work, reverse camera doesn't work, nothing displays on dash, continuous alarm sound while vehicle is on. Having no indication of speed traveling or ability to signal turns is a safety concern. failure at approximately 1 year after purchase. Has been in the dealership for repair multiple times without success... Read more

Incident date: Jan 2, 2024

The passenger headlight low beam does not work.This has been identified by an Independent service center. The Check Headlight System message shows on dashboard. Bought the car in 2023 and the headlight has not worked for 2 years. When driving at night I only have one headlight that works this poses a risk to myself and others. The entire headlight assembly must be replaced.

Incident date: Aug 23, 2026

Headlight LED DRLs went out on passenger side at only 60k miles. To fix, the whole headlight would need to be replaced which is >$1k. LED bulbs should last much longer and there are many other instances of the same problem from other owners across various forums. Seems like this is a VW issue and should warrant a recall.

Incident date: Sep 1, 2025

Taillight is retaining water and causing my taillights to go out. This is a very well known issue as the dealer was aware of this issue with a lot of Durangos. The dealer offered no repair as there’s not be a recall and the warranty on my Durango is up. My rear hatch/lift gate is also off and rubbing near the bottom causing the paint to be worn and now beginning to rust. There’s are definitely... Read more

Incident date: Aug 8, 2026

Subject: Safety Complaint – 2025 BMW X7 LED Headlights Provide Insufficient Road Illumination Vehicle: 2025 BMW X7 Category: Exterior Lighting – Headlights Issue: Severely inadequate nighttime visibility Complaint: I am reporting a serious safety concern with the LED headlights on the 2025 BMW X7. The headlights provide poor road illumination, especially at night and on unlit roads. The be... Read more

Incident date: Aug 22, 2026

The factory-installed driver/passenger side LED headlight assembly suffered a sudden, total internal electrical failure while driving at night, causing an immediate loss of forward visibility and creating a severe crash hazard. This is a known, systemic manufacturing defect affecting premium trims (SX/SX-Prestige) of the 2020 Kia Telluride. The housing seals degrade prematurely, allowing condensat... Read more

Incident date: Jan 26, 2026

Backup camera image was too dark to see a tree behind the car. Driver backed into the tree. Dealer refuses to address faulty backup camera or backup lighting; claims this VIN is not subject to recall, so not their problem. Driver cannot drive this vehicle at night without functional backup camera visibility.

Crash

Incident date: May 15, 2026

When driving at night the driver side map light will turn on randomly momentarily blinding the driver only way to turn off is to turn on interior lights and turn off may happen again with in seconds or can be minutes but does it 8-10 times in a 30 minute driving time dealership says it’s not covered under warranty because it’s a light issue however acknowledges it’s a common problem and want... Read more

Incident date: Aug 7, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V059000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that only one part was shipped to the dealer per week. The contact then stated that while driving at highway speeds and towing a trailer... Read more

Incident date: Jun 9, 2026

The truck when put in parking it still roll forward a little bit. Back up camera can’t not see during night time. Dealership stated they will not solve that problem and tell us to do manually by turn around look back. The suspension really bouncy but the tech stated that is normal. Spoke to other 3rd party tech they said that not normal at all.

Incident date: Jul 6, 2026

I purchased a brand‑new 2026 Jeep in June 2026. Shortly after taking ownership, I began experiencing significant condensation and visible water buildup inside the tail lights. This is not minor moisture — there is standing water and heavy fogging that I have documented with clear, detailed photos. Despite providing this evidence, the dealership refuses to replace the tail lights, stating they... Read more

Incident date: Feb 2, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 Ram 3500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The message that the trailer was not connected was displayed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V059000 (Exterior Lighting, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 31, 2025

The contact owns a 2025 Ram 1500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 26V059000 (Exterior Lighting, Electrical System) and 26V495000 (Seat Belts); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving and towing a trailer, the brake pedal was depressed, but the trailer brakes failed to engage, causing the vehicle to drif... Read more

Incident date: Jul 8, 2026

The contact owns a 2008 Kia Spectra. The contact stated that all three brake lights failed to illuminate as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the brake light switch assembly multi-connector wiring harness needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The contact found information on other Kia recalls for other years, makes, and models that described the same part... Read more

Incident date: Feb 5, 2025

There is a daytime running light (DRL) malfunction with both headlights, it started with the drivers side slowly going out and now the passenger side is slowly going out. This is happening to several Dodge Durango owners of the 2021 model and can be found in the Dodge Durango forum online. The dealer stated it’s an out of pocket expense because the DRL is out and the entire component needs repla... Read more

Incident date: May 27, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

Incident date: Aug 8, 2026

The right head light went out at night while car was in motion

Incident date: Aug 11, 2026

The high beams would turn on by themselves, and no matter what I did, they wouldn't turn off. Each time the high beams turned on, I would have to fiddle with the control stick for a few minutes until the high beams turned off. Sometimes they would turn off for a second and then just turn back on. This is dangerous as it can blind other drivers. This has happened ever since I bought the car a few m... Read more

Incident date: Jul 25, 2026

The Mazda cx5 2026 I purchased has a white film behind both headlights. Mazda refuses to replace headlights stating this is normal. However it is a manufacturing defect. This is a structural problem from outgassing causing a permanent haze on inside of each lens which is considered to be a night visibility hazard. I bought vehicle second week in XXX.Took it back to service dept on XXX. They said n... Read more

Incident date: Mar 13, 2026

1) Both screens (driver display and infotainment) go black intermittently. Sometimes the infotainment comes back on, however, you cannot use all the buttons. The hard buttons under the screen for climate control (aside from the on/off ) wont work. The climate will automatically go to 76 degrees on Max Defrost. The rear climate will shut off when this happens. It also causes the radio controls on t... Read more

Incident date: Aug 19, 2026

This vehicle 2016 ford F150 is known to have shorting issues. From literally all wiring harnesses. I had a small fire in my truck due to this issue, caused melting of the ribbon cable in my seat heater control module, which is a known issue from Ford. I have shorting in my turn signal switch (no wipers). Is that safe? I am a research scientist and engineer, I can tell you now it is not safe. If i ... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Aug 1, 2026

On two separate occasions my doors have locked on there own while I was inside the car and I was not able to open the doors or manually unlock the door. My front lock levers are long enough that you can get a decent grip to pull them up and in normal cases they unlock pretty easy. But when they lock on your own I don't think you get pul) them up with a pair of vice grips. Both levers on the back d... Read more

Incident date: Apr 2, 2026

Low beam light failed, was replaced under warranty. Now the other side low beam light is out, there is clearly an issue that VW needs to address here, I can't keep replacing headlights every couple years, this is crazy.

Incident date: Aug 14, 2026

The instrument cluster on my 2011 Mercedes-Benz S550 (W221) is locked by a persistent red “Battery Not Charged” warning message. This message appears even though the charging system is working correctly (normal charging voltage, new battery, and new battery sensor installed). Because the cluster is locked, I can no longer: • View or reset tire pressure (TPMS) • Access the digital speed d... Read more

Incident date: Jul 10, 2026

Insufficient dampening on front headlight mounting, causing excessive shake/ jitter of headlights at night. This design issue allows the headlight cut-off level to hit the eyeline of oncoming traffic. Aside from the safety issue of occasionally blinding other drivers, the shaking/flickering also causes headaches on long drives at night.

Incident date: Feb 23, 2026

My RAM vehicle has several open safety recalls. For more than six months, I have repeatedly contacted my local authorized RAM dealership (Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram FIAT of Winter Haven, Address: [XXX], Phone: [XXX]) to have these safety recalls completed. The dealership has advised me that the required recall parts are unavailable and therefore they cannot perform the repairs. I also contacted RAM/... Read more

Incident date: Feb 10, 2026

I have had several malfunctions in the past year with my brand new 2025 atlas. It started 6 months into my lease when it threw 7 different lights while driving down the street. I stopped at a light and put the car in park. After that it would not go back in drive. I had to get pushed out of the road with all my kids in the car. And have it towed to the dealership. They stated it just needed an upd... Read more

Incident date: Aug 13, 2026

What happened: Vehicle has experienced failure of the Footwell Control Module (FRM) and associated wiring harness in the driver footwell area, consistent with NHTSA Recall 23V-337. Symptoms: • Exterior lights (headlights / taillights) remain illuminated far longer than normal after vehicle shutoff, sometimes not turning off at all. • Inspection revealed melted wiring, melted connector plugs ... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Aug 3, 2026

Tesla’s replacement of physical steering column turn signal stalks with capacitive touch buttons on the steering wheel face creates an active safety hazard. First, the capacitive sensors frequently become entirely unresponsive. If a driver rests a finger near the buttons, the system triggers a timeout/lockout, rendering the signals non-functional for several seconds when pressed. They also fail ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 15, 2026

Passenger side vertical LED drivers running light bar is out on 2023 Ford F-150 XLT Supercrew. Have heard and seen many Ford F150 trucks that have had this issue. Faulty LED diod heats and burns the light tube from which the light is generated. THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE, IS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECTIVE PART THAT MUST BE RECALLED AND REPLACED.

Incident date: Jun 8, 2026

Driver Side Daytime running lamp illumination failed at 45 thousand miles. There is no internal notification of the failure and it failed prematurely. Its outside of the JLR warranty and they are not supporting any repair nor is the dealer who wants to replace both lamps at the cost of $6,000.

Incident date: Aug 15, 2026

The contact owns a 2009 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front headlights became inoperative. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the daytime running light module needed to be replaced. The dealer stated that the part needed to do the repair was discontinued. The vehicle was not repaire... Read more

Incident date: Jul 30, 2026

Component and System Failure: The front headlamp assembly's internal LED Daytime Running Lamp (DRL) circuit board failed prematurely. The component is not available for inspection upon request, as the failed headlamp assembly is currently still installed on the vehicle. Safety Risk: The sudden loss of the DRL severely reduces the vehicle's forward visibility (conspicuity) to oncoming traffic and ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 10, 2026

The DRL a safety feature fails on the Defender L663 models 20-23 and LR will not fix. I have 40k miles on my 22. They want $3200 for a headlight but to me its a safety offering for daytime running lamps. Looks how many reporting it.

Incident date: Aug 15, 2026

When driving at night over most roads, a slight bump will cause the headlights to jitter appearing to turn-off momentarily. This is a re-occurring incident

Incident date: Aug 14, 2026

On August 14, 2026, I brought my Volkswagen, with approximately 7,500 miles and still under warranty, to Bay Ridge Volkswagen, an authorized Volkswagen dealership in Brooklyn, NY. At approximately 8:00 AM, the dealer informed me that my vehicle had an applicable recall/service campaign and that several updates would be performed, in addition to scheduled maintenance. I was instructed to leave the... Read more

Incident date: Aug 4, 2026

We were on our way to a campground. Approximately 40 miles from the campground the RV shut down. All chassis systems failed including the engine and electrical systems. It is available for inspection. Our safety as well as the first mechanic on the scene and tow truck driver because we were only partially off of the roadway. There were no hazard lights working. The problem was confirmed by Westl... Read more

Incident date: Jul 1, 2026

This problem was observed about 1 month ago: While driving and headlights set on AUTO, during the day, and the light switch NOT on, the dashboard would indicate the lights were ON, for just a second or two, and would go off. At night with the headlights set on AUTO and the headlights ON, while driving, the headlights go OFF and ON briefly (1-3 seconds) causing a dangerous situation as visibility ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 8, 2026

Vehicle is brand new and when driving at night it is incredibly distracting the way the light from the headlights bounce and shake/jitter all over the place. Other drivers think I'm flashing lights at them because the roads aren't even that bad. These headlights need fixed.

Incident date: Aug 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle stalled and then failed to return to normal operation. The failure reoccurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not found. The messages "SOS System Inoperative" and "Battery Charging Failure" wer... Read more

Incident date: Jul 31, 2026

Left front running light is not working. This type of issue prevents car from passing a State inspection. Issue is a halo DRLs failed. Issue is due to a failed LED module. The repair for this $40 module by the dealer is around $2,400. There were no warning lamps, messages or symptoms. A Police officer stopped me in a parking lot and pointed it out. It is not an infraction since it was daylight. Ho... Read more

Incident date: Jul 27, 2026

The multifunction/turn signal switch in my Hyundai has failed and causes the left turn signal to operate intermittently. While driving, I am unable to reliably activate the left turn signal when making a left turn or changing lanes. The signal may fail to engage when the turn signal lever is operated, requiring repeated attempts to activate it. College Station Hyundai inspected the vehicle and di... Read more

Incident date: Aug 10, 2025

The vehicle’s headlights are malfunctioning, creating a safety concern. The issue was reported to the dealership and GMC Customer Care, but it remains unresolved. The dealership offered repair assistance, but GMC Customer Care stated that no additional assistance is available.

Incident date: Feb 4, 2026

Incident date: Jun 6, 2026

The headlights jitter and shake while driving on normal road conditions, due to poor mounting inside the bumper. You can push on the headlight housing and notice it move. This causes very districting conditions while driving at night, oncoming traffic flashes high beams often thinking that I'm flashing them or something. I took it to the dealership to get it looked at after seeing numerous owner... Read more

Incident date: Jul 31, 2026

LED DRL headlight stopped working on the passenger side at 90k miles

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

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