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: May 9, 2026
While driving at night, the LED headlight beams on my 2026 Subaru Uncharted GT exhibit excessive vertical oscillation/shaking after normal road impacts and bumps. The movement is significant enough to create a distracting flickering/bouncing effect within the driver’s field of view and reduces nighttime driving comfort and confidence. The condition is reproducible at all speeds and on normal ro... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2026
All 4 tail lights are filled with water, therefore they stopped working due to corrosion. I had to replace all 4 or I couldn't get my car to pass inspection. No warnings or anything telling me my brake lights have failed. This is a huge problem in the 2017 Ford Escape SE!
Incident date: May 5, 2026
The third brake light is not working on my 2022 Gladiator. It was working, but shortly after purchase it stopped working. This seems to be quite the issue as I have seen many Gladiators of all years with the third brake lights not working. This is a safety issue and will not pass inspection if not working. Since there are so many years of Gladiators with inoperable third brake lights it shows that... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2026
There is an active Taillight (Lid Lights) Safety Recall (25V-259) on 2014-2020 Acura MDXs. When I enter my VIN it claims I am not part of this recall but there is sitting water inside my drivers side tailgate lid light assembly. It's only in the one, therefore I am unsure why my vehicle isn't listed/registered as part of this active recall.
Incident date: Apr 23, 2026
Both LED headlight running day lights went out together.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
Tail light not working, was replaced, replacement also malfunctioning.
Incident date: May 31, 2025
I have messages on my instrument panel stating I have airbag malfunction going on I also have tail lights that are not working and after trying to replace the bulbs it still don't work so obviously it's the light bulb panel so I went and looked at recalls and says that these are all recalls on my car but that they were fixed. so I don't know why I have them all bad again so I need to know what to... Read more
ALFA ROMEO
GIULIA
(2021) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
May 8, 2026
Incident date: Jan 29, 2026
Passenger side headlight went out. The problem was not the bulb or fuse. This issue seems to perfectly match Safety Recall 94G8, but for some reason my car is not covered in that recall notice, even though safety recall 94G8 is for "some" 2012-2013 VW Passats, which is what I drive.
Incident date: Mar 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 JEEP Wagoneer. The contact stated that while towing, the vehicle experienced a serious and recurring safety failure where the trailer lights would function for approximately five minutes before a portion of them would blackout. This failure renders towing unsafe and illegal, as it compromises visibility and traffic law compliance. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Numbe... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2016
I bought my vehicle around May 2024. Initially, everything seemed fine. However, I noticed that my car was starting to slow down and would enter limp mode, preventing me from exceeding a certain mileage. Subsequently, all the lights on my dashboard began flashing, prompting me to pull over and call a mechanic shop. I had all the necessary maintenance and repairs performed as per the plan. After st... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2025
The center high-mounted stop lamp (CHMSL / third brake light) fails on 2021 and newer Tesla Model S vehicles (including Plaid). This is a common issue reported by many owners, particularly as vehicles exit the warranty period. No redesigned or corrected replacement part has been made available by Tesla. Pre-2021 CHMSL units are incompatible and will not fit. Repair requires removal and replacement... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2026
My 2022 Mazda CX-5 Signature began producing a loud whirring/rattling noise from the driver-side front headlight assembly. After investigation, the noise was identified as coming from the internal cooling fan located inside the LED headlight unit. The cooling fan, which is integrated into the bi-LED headlamp assembly, appears to be failing prematurely due to bearing wear. This is a known widesprea... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2025
The headlights and dashboard lose power intermittently while driving at highway speeds, specifically triggered by using the turn signal. This is ongoing since January when I started having to take it for a recalls.More things kept happening. I kept having to have more repairs. Every time I went, I told them about this and it just keeps going on. Today I took a huge list of things they should check... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2026
Gas. Leaking car smoking and cutting off
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The low beam headlight assembly failed on my 2019 Kia Optima LX with no prior warning, while the high beams and LED daytime running lights continue to function normally, indicating an isolated component failure within the assembly. Notably, the headlight assembly shows no physical damage whatsoever, and both independent licensed repair facilities that inspected the vehicle were unable to identify ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
One of the headlights failed at 80,000 miles (the other headlight was replaced due to car accident years ago). Volkswagen Atlas models are consistently experiencing a failure of LED headlights prematurely when they should last 10-15 years. There is a class action lawsuit against Volkswagen to force them to recall and correct the issue as they have known and failed to correct this critical safety i... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
My life turn signal and parking light stopped working, my problem is the whole headlight assembly needs to be replaced just because these two items don’t work. The dealer wants over $800 for the part. Why don’t they issue a warranty or a recall on this item? It’s too much to pay just because turn signal and parking light doesn’t work.
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
The vehicle experienced repeated electrical and no-start issues believed to be related to the RF/electrical communication system. The truck has been returned to the dealership repeatedly for this issue and recently spent approximately two months at the dealership for diagnosis and repair. After finally being returned, the vehicle was completely dead the very next morning and would not start. The ... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2025
This vehicle is equipped with LED Daytime Running Lights. These are designed to be long-life, however, as has been noted multiple times in this forum, half of the passenger-side DRL on my vehicle has stopped functioning. The repair cost for this item is in excess of $2,000 as the front bumper needs to be removed and the entire headlight assembly replaced. Most drivers will choose to defer repl... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2026
While using Full Self-Driving on my 2023 Tesla Model Y, the automatic high beams repeatedly activate in active traffic conditions, including when following other vehicles and when oncoming traffic is present. The system does not consistently dim the lights, creating glare that could impair visibility for other drivers. The driver is unable to permanently disable automatic high beams while FSD is e... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2024) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
May 4, 2026
Incident date: May 3, 2026
Vehicle exhibits persistent, intermittent failure of Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay connectivity. Phone fails to pair, drops all connection mid-drive (all displays including speed, navigation, etc go dead), and disconnects active calls and navigation prompts during operation. Defect requires repeated manual re-pairing attempts that draw driver attention from the road. The same phone pairs reliably wi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2021
Rear turn light visibility, turn signals are a foot off the ground and hard to see by cars following due to location on the bumper. This is only pertaining to the 4th generation Tucson (current), not any other generation. We didn't realize the issue when we bought the car, nor did we realize the placement in the bumpers. However someone stated it was hard to see the blinkers, especially in the rai... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
My 2021 Ford F-150 Lariat has a repeated failure of the front LED daytime running/perimeter lighting (Driver's Side). The light was intermittently dim before failing completely. This occurred around 94,000 miles. Because this lighting is part of the truck’s front visibility system, the failure creates a safety concern, especially in daylight, rain, fog, and low-light conditions. Based on owner r... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2023) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
May 4, 2026
Incident date: Apr 26, 2026
vehicles rear tail and signal lights failed, no rear signaling to traffic behind said vehicle. Lincoln has a recall on 2024-2025 corsairs for this issue but earlier models do not have this recall but the same issue are on the earlier models. The vehicle has been inspected by a ford dealer and confirmed. there are no warning indicators to the driver of this failure, lights just quick working.
Incident date: May 3, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 YAMAHA YZFR1. The contact stated he noticed his motorcycle headlights were out, during replacement of head lights bulbs the contact stated he noticed that the bulb inside the socket was completely melted. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V044000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) however, the VIN was never included in the recall repair. The dealer was notified of the failur... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2024) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
May 4, 2026
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
Trailer Brake Module recall was completed. Now getting random error messages and lights advising trailer disconnected, etc. even without a trailer being hooked to the truck.
Incident date: Apr 7, 2026
My car will be running fine but the lights on the AC panel wont work. My car will stop and shut down while driving. Ive taken it in for service and they told me my battery cabels were lose. The second time it happened I got a notification of low battery level and it shut off and will not start. I just replace the battery 2 years ago. The service department tested my battery and said it was fine
Incident date: Apr 28, 2026
While driving on the highway with my child in the vehicle, all dashboard warning lights suddenly turned on at once. Immediately after, the vehicle began to shake, lose power, and would not accelerate properly. The vehicle was jerking and pulling back and forth, creating a dangerous situation in traffic. I took the vehicle to a mechanic, and they diagnosed a failure of the high-pressure fuel pump a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
2024 Dodge Durango (SXT Plus, GT Plus, RT trims) Update to my prior complaint regarding a dangerous shifter defect. Defect Description: While driving and pressing the accelerator (no brake, no shifter button pressed), the transmission shifts into Neutral without warning. The vehicle loses propulsion. The instrument cluster does not display or warn that it is in Neutral — no chime, no message, no... Read more
TESKE
UTILITY TRAILER
(2025) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
May 3, 2026
Incident date: May 2, 2026
I purchased a brand new utility trailer. On the first day of use, while towing with a 2-inch ball, the coupler mechanism failed and detached from the trailer tongue. The coupler fell off and was lost on the road. The separation destroyed the electrical wiring on my Honda and the trailer. Safety chains prevented a crash.
Incident date: Feb 16, 2026
Daytime Running Lamps, vertical beam on driver side does not function after 4 years. Research shows it's likely melting the headlight assembly components during overheating and burnout.
Incident date: Apr 2, 2026
I am writing to file a formal vehicle safety complaint regarding recurring, dangerous, and complete electrical system failures in my Hyundai Palisade. These failures have rendered the vehicle undriveable on multiple occasions, created a direct safety hazard for my family — including a young child — and have caused significant financial harm. The manufacturer's and dealership's failure to provi... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2026
Brake lights did not appear to be working while car suddenly slowed.
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
I am filing a complaint regarding repeated failures of the LED tail light assemblies on my 2016 Kia Rio. This vehicle uses combination tail lights that include both standard bulbs and integrated LED brake lights. The LED portion has failed multiple times over the life of the vehicle. I am now experiencing failure again, requiring replacement of multiple tail light assemblies. Each assembly costs... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2026
Rear passenger taillight assembly, specifically the turn signal light failed. Currently unable to utilize the right signal light when turning causing a safety issue for others. This taillight assembly is a sealed unit with LED lights that cannot be replaced. To fix you must purchase a new taillight assembly. These are very costly $790 from the dealer. This is an exorbitant expense for most peop... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
Motor suddenly failed after a required update while driving, nearly causing a crash with multiple commercial vehicles and pedestrians, leaving brake lights dangerously always on and alarm sounding, killed 12v as well.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
The vehicle is a Jeep Wrangler 4xe with approximately 43,000 miles experiencing a recurring electrical system malfunction involving the Body Control Module (BCM) and LIN communication network. The vehicle is currently at the dealership and is available for inspection upon request. The failure involves multiple electrical circuits and communication loss between modules, confirmed by dealership dia... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2022) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
May 1, 2026
Incident date: Apr 18, 2026
Headlight system malfunction, Pre-collision system malfunction and LTA malfunction
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2022) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
May 1, 2026
Incident date: Apr 18, 2026
PKSB malfunction, LTA system malfunction, SRS system malfunction, Per-Collision system malfunction, Headlight system malfunction and Front camera unavailable.
Incident date: Apr 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac XTS. The contact stated that several codes will intermittently illuminate on the vehicle, such as code 813, which refers to a transmission communication failure; a malfunction with the Instrument or Cluster (IPC); and code 62, which refers to the Body Control Module (recalls 13 and 158). The Power Steering, Drive Carefully, and Suspension warning lights would ill... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2026
The low beam is too dim, making it difficult to see the road clearly at night.
Incident date: Apr 30, 2026
LED passenger daytime light malfunctioned, and now LED driver's headlight has stopped working. Cost to replace each headlight was quoted by 3 dealerships at $3,000 EACH. Cannot afford to fix this major safety issue. LED lights should not be going out! It should not cost $3,000 to replace headlights! I will need to drive without lights!!
Incident date: May 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V767000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 25V322000 (Exterior Lighting); however, the parts for 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 while driving 50-60 MPH, the vehicle... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 2500
(2026) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Apr 29, 2026
Incident date: Apr 17, 2026
The head lights are too small and too dim to drive at night. I completely ran off the road on one occasion and never drove at night again. This is a serious problem at least with my motorhome since new.
Incident date: Apr 29, 2026
The tail lights have a design flaw that results in micro cracks appearing in the lights. This is similar to the issue related to the rear light bar, however it applies to the rear tail lights. (for reference the ford recall for he light bar is here: Recall Reference Number 23S30. The result in my vehicle is that the left tail light is now filled with moisture, full water droplets. This is both ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 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 contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
Where the Hyundai place tell that I don't need drive that because recall on the light shower! on my car and how electric part in the car. I still a note the balance 14,700. The paying balance need be 9,900. Because the wiring and light show balance I would owe. 6,000.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2026
Both headlight assemblies on a 2021 Lexus LS 500 show external lens delamination, along with visible condensation inside the sealed units. The vehicle has been garage kept, has not been involved in any accidents, and has no external damage to the headlight assemblies. The outer lens surfaces are deteriorating, and moisture is present inside components that are designed to be sealed. The condition... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2026
I am driving the vehicle and suddenly the information center and entertainment center will suddenly go black without warning. This will stay black for approximately 10 seconds. Followed by 2 chimes. A series of 4 lights on the drivers side front dash will come on. I believe this is related to the forward collision system(the lights that come on). The entertainment and information center then come ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2019) — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Apr 29, 2026
Incident date: Apr 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Yamaha FJR1300. The contact was informed of the unrepaired NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V814000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). After contacting the local dealer and the manufacturer, the contact was informed that the recall repair was previously completed at the local dealer, even though the VIN update indicated that the recall status was incomplete. No further information was available.