Consumer Safety Complaints

Search 2,192,899 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 137,559 crashes, 55,854 fires, and 8,555 deaths.

2,192,899 Total Complaints

137,559 Reported Crashes

55,854 Reported Fires

8,555 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 2,192,899 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 42,142 complaints — component: EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Incident date: May 15, 2024

When vehicle was 3.5-4 years old, the LED "halo" around the headlight assembly went out. This part is a fixed part of the assembly and unrepairable and requires the owner to replace the entire headlight assembly. An LED headlight should not be going out after only 3.5-4 years. I have noticed this is a common complaint on online forums for the Subaru Ascent. Normally, this would just be a cosmetic ... Read more

Incident date: Dec 17, 2024

I keep on getting a message that states that my right side marker light is defective even though it is working just fine. I looked online and see that it is a common issue with 2017 Q7 in particular but not exclusively. The cost from the dealer is more than $7,000.00.

Incident date: Dec 27, 2024

Getting error message again regarding "Front Right Side Marker Light Defective". This issue was already addressed back in late 2024 by my local Audi service center, but has popped back up again for the second time. My car has a little over 100K and has no other problems. There was an Audi recall Campaign 97CB (NHTSA campaign ID #16V642000) that addresses this exact issue and applies to some affect... Read more

Incident date: Jan 14, 2025

After charging my car from ~20% to 80% over the course of ~8 hours, I powered on the car, reversed out of my parking space, and began driving. Shortly after (<1 min), I noticed that both my Instrument Panel screen and my Infotainment screen had shut off and were black. I continued driving for another 2-3 minutes before pulling into a parking lot. In the lot I powered the car on and off many times,... Read more

Incident date: May 27, 2021

I bought my vehicle in May of 2019. In May 2021 my car had 34,000 miles on it and the passenger side headlight was out. I took it to the dealership and they replaced my left headlight assembly (vehicle was under warranty). In October 2024, I noticed that my headlight on the passenger side was out again. My vehicle had 56,426 miles on it. I called the dealership (South Point Dodge Chrysler Jeep R... Read more

Incident date: Dec 23, 2024

My 2011 Mini Cooper had to go to my mechanic because I have no turn signals, no dash or interior lights and my front windows will not go up or down. My mechanic determined the problem to be the Footwell Control Module. My mechanic did not/can not repair because it has to be programmed at a Dealership. My dad also has a 2011 Mini Cooper and he has been notified that there is a recall for his VIN #... Read more

Incident date: Dec 10, 2024

Instrument cluster failure and turn signal malfunction while highway driving. No interior sounds, including no lane change warning or near collision warning signals, and no audible confirmation of signal; no exterior blinker activated despite use by driver. Instrument cluster went blank. Safety at risk and accident occurred: approaching car from rear passenger side hit front right side of our car ... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Jan 14, 2025

Taillamps are inadequate at night. You can barely see these cars ahead because the taillamps are only lit up by a tiny dot of red light at the corner of each taillamp at night. Drivers of these vehicles are in danger of being rammed at night.

Incident date: May 1, 2024

I’ve been having issues with my Gas Gauge not recognizing how much gas I have in my car. I can fill my tank up, and the gas light constantly stays on. I’ve been looking online and came across other Hyundai owners having the same problem. I also have been having what seems to be an electrical issue where my passenger door, does not open and it’s intermittent which also seems to be connected t... Read more

Incident date: Jan 13, 2025

All Toyota Highlanders with the LED projector headlights come from the factory with the lights aimed far too high.

Incident date: Jan 13, 2025

The Daytime running LED lights are commonly known to go out in this years 2021 VW atlas cross sports. The car gives a check light for these lights and each light had to have the entire headlight replaced. 1500 a peice. This causes issues with being able to get inspection stickers. I can’t even get a headlight bc this part is on back order bc this is such a common problem with this car. These par... Read more

Incident date: Jul 23, 2024

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH at night, the high beam headlight became inoperable. The contact stated that the high beam on the sign was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed that the high beam headlights had failed due to a shutter in the headlight housing that opened and cl... Read more

Incident date: Jul 10, 2024

My screen is delaminating on a 4 year old vehicle. This should not be happening and was told by my local Dodge dealership that it is not covered under a warranty, nor my extended warranty or a recall. This is poor manufacturing. My vehicle does not sit in direct sunlight.

Incident date: Dec 11, 2024

"Front left side marker light failure" notification. Appears to be a common issue with 2017 Audi Q7's as there was a recall with limited vin support. Audi Recall Campaign Number 97CB NHTSA Campaign ID 16V642000

Incident date: Jul 1, 2024

Failure of defective and dangerous head and tail lights - total of six. Luckily, I identified the problem before a serious accident. This was previously reported without details or supporting documentation under NHTSA Complaint 11600823 by a family member. The uploaded documents show the actions of the dealership (Art Hill Ford) and Ford Motor Company.

Incident date: Jan 8, 2025

I'm having to replace the low beam headlight in my car more times than a lil bit! I hate that I'm constantly spending $60+ everytime on headlights cause of i replace one side imma replace the other! I have brought the replacement harness for the lights and the low beam still blows!

Incident date: Jan 12, 2025

FAILURE BREAK SYSTEMS, FAILURE BREAK SYSTEMS

Incident date: Nov 25, 2022

A cable going to the driver's side headlamp assembly was intermittently shorting and causing the headlight to turn off while driving. The cable and entire headlamp assembly had to be replaced to fix the issue. There are other reports of this issue on [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident date: Jan 10, 2025

Instrument panel failure when driving over any small bumps. Randomly turns off while driving. Complete loss of electrical system.

Incident date: Nov 11, 2024

Low Head Lights do not work. High beams and fog lights work. This seams to be a KIA problem across makes and models. Why has a recall not been issued?

Incident date: Dec 7, 2024

In the beginning of December 2024, the low headlight warning light started coming on for the right light, intermittently. I took the car to the dealership to get the light fixed, I was told there were some loose wires and they fixed it. 2 weeks later it started happening again, I returned with the car and got another appointment, before the appointment date, the left low headlight warning light ca... Read more

Incident date: Mar 5, 2024

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V148000( EXTERIOR LIGHTING) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconn... Read more

Incident date: Nov 29, 2024

The contact's son-in-law owns a 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that the vehicle had been gifted to her grandson by his father, however when the vehicle was being inspected the contact noticed that the rear tail lights had not illuminated when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 8, 2025

The headlight and tail light went out unexpectedly. I brought my vehicle to a shop and they told me that my headlight got water inside of it. The shop informed me that this is a known issue with multiple BMW models. The headlight seal will slowly fail allowing moisture inside the housing which damages the electronics. The taillights have to have their electronics replaced due to some defect form t... Read more

Incident date: Jan 6, 2025

Right turn signal in front and rear went out

Incident date: Aug 1, 2024

An alert often shows up on the dashboard "check headlamp system. See manual". This is occasionally associated with one headlamp not working. This happens on and off. The alert spontaneously turns on, may stay for days or weeks and then spontaneously turns off. Ford dealership service were unable to fix this problem. This has happened multiple times since we purchased the car

Incident date: Jan 4, 2021

Front right side marker light defective error shows up on console. No fix available but Audi seems to be aware of the issue but not willing to fix. Many 2017 Q7's seem to have the same problem.

Incident date: Jan 3, 2025

Front left side marker defective fault code. Same issue was part of an existing recall but did not include this VIN. Fault first occurred on January 3rd, 2025. Was taken to Audi dealer who assessed there was in fact an error code in effect. The result is a $6,200 replacement of the entire left headlight. Related recall: Manufacturer's Report Date: September 06, 2016 NHTSA Campaign ID Number: 16... Read more

Incident date: Dec 6, 2024

Headlight performance on this vehicle is extremely dangerous when driving at nighttime. Unless you keep your high beams on constantly, these headlights offer only extremely limited visibility during night driving. From the top of the windshield down about16 inches it's totally black. You can only see out of the bottom half of the windshield. The road in front of you is only lit up for about 60 ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 8, 2025

The vehicles turn signal inductors did not work. After I left my home and began to signal a lane change, I discovered that moving the turn signal stalk did not activate the signal indicator. Additionally, the instrument cluster shows 0 mph even while the vehicle was moving. Video: [XXX] Later while on the freeway, received a warning that front radar unit was not working: [XXX] INFORMATION R... Read more

Incident date: Dec 28, 2024

both fog lights have cracked due to placement and cheap plastic covers on the outta fog light.

Incident date: Jan 8, 2025

The passenger side headlight assembly has a led daytime running light strip that has burnt out and is a common issue with this model car

Incident date: Jan 7, 2025

Both screens suddenly turned black while I was driving. I had no way to restart the screen, even after shutting off the car and turning back off. The two black screen remain on, but no way to see charging status, speed, control lights, etc.

Incident date: Jan 7, 2025

Headlights go out randomly usually when using turn signal. Because this happens at night all visibility is lost temporarily. This also confuses other drivers. I haven’t taken the vehicle to the dealer because the symptom is very sporadic and difficult to duplicate. Dealerships will not fix anything unless they can witness the issue. No warning lights or messages were displayed. This problem h... Read more

Incident date: Nov 1, 2024

Headlights are so dim, it is dangerous to drive in the dark. The only solution is to purchase new headlight assemblies. $1,000+. This is a known problem amongst owners of the same vehicle. Driving with the dim lights is equally as dangerous as driving without lights on.

Incident date: Jun 12, 2024

Passenger and or driver side low beam headlight continues to go out. Mechanic has found connector keeps burning out the socket. Light is fine but connector is shorting out. Fire and safety issue. This issue is on a lot of chevrolet malibu and needs a recall fix.

Fire

Incident date: Jan 2, 2025

I purchased a 2015 Acura RDX used for my kids to drive. A year after owning it, I noticed the headlight output was poor. Things came to a head when my 16 year old son came home and told me he felt unsafe driving. The car currently has 120,000 miles on it. I tried multiple headlight restoration kits and several replacement bulbs but nothing helped. After digging deep into various forums, I learned... Read more

Incident date: Jan 7, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 BMW R1200 RS Motorcycle. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed that the rear reflex reflectors were inoperable. The contact was informed by another motorist that the reflector lights were not illuminating as needed. The motorcycle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear reflex reflectors had failed and needed to b... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2025

Car seems to be having issues with its brake function, especially in traffic or when coming to a complete stop from a distance. Also I am in fear that the issue will emerge while I am driving and I will not use the car with my 10 month old daughter.

Incident date: Jan 12, 2024

The headlights on this vehicle are very dim. It's very hard to see when traveling at night in dark areas and even much worse when in inclement weather. Calls to the dealer have all ended with them saying they have had no complaints but many consumers across the country have filed similar complaints online. Please assist in any way you can. **The date entered below relates to the date I first leas... Read more

Incident date: Jan 7, 2025

This is not about my Harley. This is about the Tesla cyber truck. The bumper extends out past the hood and creates a shelf that collects snow or other debris and blocks the headlights. How is this allowed on the road? It’s stainless steel too so if it hits someone, it’ll obliterate them. It’s a death machine.

Incident date: May 1, 2024

Headlights are super dim, not lighting the road properly. My halogen headlights on my old 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander are much brighter than these Honda LEDs. To make matters worse, headlights are aimed a bit high. I took it to Honda service and complained and they acknowledged that the lights are aid a bit high and that they are weak, but cannot do anything about it. Honda should recall these headl... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2025

DRIVER-SIDE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS ARE OUT. THEY'RE LED, YOU HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE HEADLIGHT/DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT MODULE BECAUSE IT'S SEALED AND THERE ARE NO BULBS TO REPLACE. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ONLINE AND IT APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. A NEW ASSEMBLY IS REPORTED TO BE $9,000, WHICH IS RIDICULOUS. THIS SHOULD HAVE A FACTORY RECALL. THIS CAR ONLY HAS ABOT 40,000 MILES ON IT.

Incident date: Jan 6, 2025

The tail lights won’t stay on even with new bulbs in it. This was a recall and the recall disappeared. This is not safe for my car to be missing a tail light every night. Please help

Incident date: Jan 5, 2025

I've read a bunch of complaints about the drivers side daytime running lights having an electrical issue and the lights stop working. It's a common theme that it's only the drivers side which indicates faulty wiring which could possibly lead to a fire sometime. Ours is now not functioning. It just stopped working yesterday and I started to investigate it on my own.

Incident date: Jan 5, 2025

My car is undriveable at night due to headlights malfunctioning. They are so dim they barely illuminate a foot in front of the car.

Incident date: Jul 1, 2023

The headlight assembly failed and manufacturer accepts no responsibility and quoted astronomical repair cost. This should not have been an issue with such new components. I've seen many vehicles like mine with the same problem.

Incident date: Jan 6, 2025

Check Right Tail and Brake Lamps warning light will not go off for months. They are working fine but the light won't go off. Googling on MB World, it shows Mercedes is aware of this problem and a recall is needed to get it corrected being safety issue with warning lights not working properly. See all info. below from owners, conversations and work done by dealers, etc. People note it is a middle s... Read more

Incident date: Dec 16, 2024

I WAS TOLD BY TESLA THAT A COMPUTER SYSTEM UPDATE INSTALLED BY TESLA BURNED OUT THE AP4 COMPUTER ON THE CAR. THIS AFFECTS ALL CAMERAS, NAVIGATION, AUTOMATIC LIGHTS AND MUCH MORE

Incident date: Dec 15, 2023

The day time running light on the driver side is out and is a known problem for the 2021+ F-150’s with LED headlights that I have seen. It would be in everyones best interest if we could have this recalled and have Ford fix this issue that is not covered by warranty and without having to scavenge $2100 to replace one side of a headlight which is a safety feature for the truck.

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