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
Incident date: Feb 3, 2025
Racetrack Tail light burned out and can effect driving safety issues, water got in there and the automaker know about this problem and they won’t fix it , I have to pay out of pocket.
Incident date: Jan 20, 2025
I keep having both my low beam headlight bulbs burning out and one of them started catching on fire. The driver side caught some type of electrical issue causing it to start smoking and eventually melted the connector and lightbulb housing
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
The vehicle headlight at the low beam has a shadow with a notch, causing a distraction during driving. The shadow distracts during driving and takes the attention off the driver, causing hazardous situations for the driver and others around the car. Diagnosed with the dealer and recommended filing a complaint with the manufacturer for design issues. I would like to report to NHTSA for awareness an... Read more
CHEVROLET
SUBURBAN 1500
(2023) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Feb 3, 2025
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Genesis G70. The contact stated upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered water inside the headlights. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the headlights needed to be replaced. The contact stated that after the second failure, both headlights were replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reo... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
When driving in a winter storm, headlights quickly become snow packed rendering them useless. This is extremely dangerous driving in any snowstorm at night. The light bar does not provide sufficient visibility at night and also can become ice packed.
Incident date: Sep 25, 2024
The driver side Daylight Running Light went out prematurely.
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
1. If the brake light fuse blows due to a short it triggers abs light and locks vehicle in park results as I have experienced can result in truck being disabled anytime vehicle is put in park common cause is a short on trailer due to trailer lights and truck lights being on same fuse it affects the whole vehicle 2. Printed circuit board on guages can crack on battery check light circuit causing t... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
My name is [XXX] , and my wife and I own a 2023 Honda Ridgeline that we purchased in October 2023. The automatic headlight dimming function has not worked properly since purchasing. The automatic function is very erratic. The lights will not automatically brighten when on a really dark road, and at times have switched to high beam within 100 feet of meeting another vehicle and remain bright. The f... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
The headlights are failing despite replacing the bulbs. The vehicle can not be driven at night. The bulbs were replaced by a mechanics shop. There has been no warning light or error messages on the dashboard.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The component that is malfunctioning is the LCD dash screen that contains all of the dash indicators (Speed, RPM, gear indicator, etc.). The issue is that without warning, different colored lines flash across the screen. It is distracting and I am quite worried that if the screen goes out, I will not know how fast I am going, and I won't be able to see any of the dash indicators related to the sys... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
Was driving my 2023 GMC Sierra in a mild snowstorm after leaving the grocery store and heading home. It was about 10 minutes after dark and it has just started snowing. I was only 5 minutes down the road and the visibility in front of me suddenly & drastically declined. I could barely see the road. I could barely make out anywhere to turn out to. Once pulled over, I walked to the front of the tr... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2006 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH at night, the driver's side low beam headlight had failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that the high-beam headlights operated as needed; however, the driver's side low-beam headlight was inoperable. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a lo... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2024
Passenger low beam light is out. It is dangerous to drive at night. Confirmed by dealer. Component has not been inspected. The message center on the front dashboard said check headlamp system refer to owners manual. Owners manual tells you nothing.
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
After using the turn signal, instead of self-cancelling it will operate turn signals in the opposite direction for several flashes and then cancel. Since the turn signal over cancels it causes an increased risk of collision with other drivers who could easily misinterpret intended action.
Incident date: Dec 23, 2024
The turn signal light malfunction , when i turn the signal light to Rt. the dashboard signal light going LT. , and when turn to the lt. the dashboard signal going RT. This happen accidentally , not all the time . but when it happened it was very risky. At the same time a dashboard massage appear and reading (( Blind spot warning disabled)) First time happened to me; i pulled over , turned the... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2025
I am filing a complaint regarding a premature failure of the LED turn signal on my 2019 Honda CR-V at only 81,000 miles. The turn signal is a critical safety component, and its failure presents a serious risk of accidents due to decreased visibility to other drivers. Unlike traditional bulbs that can be easily replaced, Honda’s LED turn signals require replacing the entire headlight assembly at... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2010) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 31, 2025
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
Prior to May 2022, both of the quarter panel mounted tail light assemblies on my 2017 Ford Escape SE started taking in water due the seals on the tail lights failing. Soon after those started failing the same thing began happening to the tail light assemblies on the hatch. I have replaced all 4 tail lights with OEM parts sourced from a salvage yard. All parts sourced from the salvage yard had a... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
Check headlamp system see Manuel error message keeps coming up after replacing lighting modules. Led lights are working fine, but error keeps coming up. Dealership wants to keep replacing entire module which is around 2 grand per headlight. Replaced both modules and lights worked fine for about 24 hours before error message returns.
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
Two issues: 1. Low-beam headlights shine way too low on the road and unsafely prevent adequate vision of potential road hazards or oncoming cars, and my model "Limited" only has "automatic headlight leveling" without any way to manually set level to raise up the beam to a safe level. 2. Low-beam headlights cast on the road a distracting dark outline of an attachment or harness plug attached to the... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
Since late 2024, we have received notification via the Lincoln mobile app that "certain vehicle features have been disabled to conserve battery life". Those made known via that notice were lack of ability to remotely lock/unlock the vehicle and also lack of ability to remote start the vehicle. Lincoln has read on several occasions the battery charge ranging from 50% to 62% while sharing that the b... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2024
First the battery was drained and needed replaced. Then message on center navigation screen displays “System Off to Save Battery. Please turn ignition off or start engine” when entering the car before trying to start it. Then I was notified of a recall that needed to be done. The recall was for “the body control module bcm and powertrain control module pcm calibrations may be unable to detec... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle at night, the front headlights were extremely dim, causing a visibility hazard for the driver. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact stated that the front headlamp assemblies were previously replaced due to the same failure; however, the failure reoccurred. The local dealer was notified... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2025
The bulbs had originally been replaced in 2021 at the dealer. We took the car to the dealer November 26, 2024 having noticed how dim they were around May 2024. The dealer states no problem was found, lights appear to be working normally. These are HID lights. The DS1 bulb color is white, and the composite lens color is clear. The dealer has no idea what the problem could be. Called the xenon... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD BOTH HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING. NOT PARK LIGHTS JUST HEADLIGHTS. HAD TO DRIVE ALL THE WAY HOME WITH NO HEADLIGHTS. CALLED DEALERSHIP THEY SAID MY VIN DIDNOT HAVE A RECALL. IT WAS SOME 2015 BUT NOT MINE. THESE HEADLIGHTS ARE FAULTY. MY 2015 WORK CRUISER IS DOING THE EXACT SAME THING WHICH IS A FORD EXPLORER. I NEVER HAD A CAR OLDER FORDS AND OTHERS THAT HAVE FAULTY HEA... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2024
Turn signal, the turn signal just goes out and does not work. This is a know issue with kia. I have almost bin hit several times do to this. I have 2 exact cars and they have both the same issue. You cannot just have the bulb replaced, the whole headlight asembly has to be replaced, the front bumper has to be removed to replace the headlight asembly, very costly, this is not so much the cost ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
Both low beam head lights stop working while driving. This is the third time in 18 months this has happened. The temporary fix has been to replace an electrical harness that has been burnt from heat. I understand a safety recall has been issued for other Ford Escapes with this condition.
Incident date: Dec 24, 2024
2024 gmc Yukon with less than 2,000 miles decided not to start one day. Had a tow truck come to the house and pick it up to take to a local shop to get a new battery. Replaced the battery and the battery shop delivered to car back to our house and was totally fine…the next day we went to start it and again the battery was toast. So, got another tow truck to deliver to the dealership and had it c... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2014) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 27, 2025
Incident date: Feb 26, 2024
The electrical system and start/stop system has went blizzark and began loosing power going in and out of limp mode the headlights no longer work on one side and high beam isn't bright anymore I've replaced the auxiliary battery and the normal battery has begun to short circuit and cannot decide if it's full charged or down to 8volts when their began happening it was during a rainstorm and I was ... Read more
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER
(2022) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 27, 2025
Incident date: Jan 26, 2025
The fuel gage/odometer light in the vehicle cluster goes in and out and turns off randomly, particularly during cold weather/high humidity. It seems like there is a faulty electrical connection behind the fuel cluster. It will go out sometimes for long periods of time without warning.
Incident date: Jan 23, 2025
Rear Tailight internal stress cracks causing condensation moisture and dust buildup. Dealer says this is normal, vehicle is only 2 years old, 20k miles and under warranty. Seems like there is a seal issue with the moisture and dust due to the internal cracks of the taillights. I've read on Rennlist and seen on YouTube that this is occurring for others as well that own 992 911's. The taillights we... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2018) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 27, 2025
Incident date: Nov 27, 2024
The indicator buttons randomly disable and also disable if the user rests their finger lightly on an indicator button for some number of seconds. The car is available for inspection on request. Tesla looked at it and said it's "normal" and "expected" for the buttons to disable if you simply rest your finger on the button for too long prior to clicking it in. When this occurs, BOTH indicator butt... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE HYBRID
(2025) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 27, 2025
Incident date: Jan 18, 2025
The headlamp wells fill up with snow rendering the headlamps useless. You then have to exit the vehicle, and clean them out. All while trying not to get hit by other vehicles.
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis The contact stated that both the headlamps and the taillights intermittently failed to operate as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed. The dealer placed a processor on the vehicle and rewired the lights however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure.... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2020) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 27, 2025
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
Occasionally after indicating and making a right turn, the turn signal stalk will snap back far enough to cause the left turn signal to be enabled for three flashes (i.e. "lane change" mode). This has happened to me at least a dozen times since I've owned this car, and as far as I can tell, only happens after right turns.
Incident date: Dec 30, 2024
Prior to taking delivery of this car (new, March 2017) the selling dealer replaced the tail/back-up light assembly on the tailgate because it had moisture in it. After I had the car for about 3 months the moisture came back and I called the dealer. They said it was a know problem and they would get back to me when they had the part to fix it. They never called me and I forgot about the problem. In... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2024
On Wednesday [XXX], at [XXX]. I started to drive to work. I noticed the instrument cluster on my 2024 Kia Seltos SX was completely dark. I couldn't see the speedometer, fuel gauge, engine temperature, or any other function that should show on the instrument cluster. I turned around and returned home. I called the Kia dealer's service department and got an appointment for the car to be checked ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2025
The headlights, when put in "dim/low beam" are almost non working. One can see the lights are working, but it is almost like driving blind. The dealership people know about the problem and stated that the heat on the lens cover, inside the headlight assembly causes that cover to warp, deform and will not permit adequate light to shine out. They then told me the assembly parts and labor would be ov... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2020) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 24, 2025
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
While driving at night with multiple occurances the headlights, infotainment, and gauge cluster seemingly cut out and completely turned off for about 10 seconds before the infotainment system would reboot bringing back the headlights and gauge cluster. The conditions for this safety concern were [Headlamps were set to auto, Apple Carplay was wirelessly connected, and the vehicle was in motion.] Af... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
It's the same issue as Recall Notice 22S02/NHTSA Recall 22v011. The replacement part is MR3Z-7583-A 1X ($2-$5 part with 30 second install), but they do not show it under parts for my truck, they would prefer to sell me the whole brake pedal assembly ($50+ part and labor probably diagnosis charge in addition to part replacement). The part becomes brittle and breaks. This caused dead battery, 5 hour... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed with the cruise control activated, the contact stated that after depressing the brake pedal the cruise control briefly failed to disengage. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The Electronic Power Control (EPC) and power train warning lights were... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER SPORT
(2014) - EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Jan 23, 2025
Incident date: Jan 23, 2025
Steering wheel mounted turn signal buttons intermittently do not work - even when pressed multiple times, nothing happens. This is not a daily occurrence but has happened often enough to be dangerous ~5% of the time and happens randomly / unexpectedly. To be clear - this issue is separate and distinct from the poor design and placement of these buttons which - even when working as designed - are ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The license plate light bulbs keep burning out caused by moisture/ wetness in the connectors due to poor design of rear lights.
Incident date: Jul 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that on several occasions the front low-beam headlights failed and were no longer illuminated. The headlight bulbs were replaced but the failure eventually reoccurred. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions and the driver’s and passenger’s side headlights failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
When driving in winter, during a snowstorm, in the dark, the recessed headlights fill with snow. This makes the light dim because the LED lights don’t get hot and melt the snow. You have to pull over and clean them manually.
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front low-beam headlights and fog lights turn off and on independently. Additionally, after turning the vehicle off, the fog lights continued flickering off and on. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
The automatic high beams feature seems to work through the camera by the rearview mirror. But the issue is when this camera is blocked, all of the safety systems that use the camera will be disabled as they normally will be since the camera cannot see, but the automatic high beams function will still stay on, the indicator light for it will be green meaning that the system is operating normally. A... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
The front left headlamp assembly low beam light unexpectedly began to flicker repetitively until the vehicle was turned off. In addition, the left front turn signal was failed, but an indication of the failed turn signal was not always present. The headlamp assembly was taken in for replacement at a local GMC dealership promptly due to safety concerns of operating the vehicle on public roadways wi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
My brake lights are continuously going out. I replace them and immediately they are out again. There is nothing wrong with the bulb. There is something going with the car. Every time I change the bulb they go out and this has been a few times already
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
Headlights continue to go out causing reduced visibility. Google search shows a lot of people having the same issue. Available for inspection. Driving during dark hours puts myself and others at risk when the light randomly goes out. I have consulted local shop and they confirm it's a common problem and unsure of a fix besides guessing and replacing parts. No warnings or notifications that the lig... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2024
With right turn signal engaged and immediately after making every right turn, the vehicle's left turn signal flashes for a number of seconds for no reason. Dealers cannot fix this issue and have advised filing NHTSA complaint.