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 117,788 complaints - component: STEERING
Incident date: Aug 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring an increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The service power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failu... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
Manufacture defect, steering column rubbing against brake line causing brake line to rupture causing damages with possible danger of fire or possible collision
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power while depressing the accelerator pedal, and hesitated while accelerating after a complete stop. The contact stated that occasionally the check engine warning light illuminated, and the dipstick was checked, and the engine oil was low. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and an oil and oil filter change was per... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2025
Dear NHTSA, I am writing to formally report a serious safety issue involving my 2023 Jeep Wrangler. Recently, I experienced what is widely known as the “death wobble,” a violent and uncontrollable shaking of the steering wheel and front end while driving. This incident nearly caused me to lose control of the vehicle and crash, creating an extremely dangerous situation for myself and others on... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2025
I was driving on the road when suddenly the car started an alarm sound, with the message in the heads up display to "stop immediately and check the brake system". I pulled over into the nearest side street and parked the car. When I put it back in drive, I had lost power steering, and half of the warning indicators had lit up, including but not limited to: power steering warning, brake warning, ch... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2025
Sticking steering wheel. Does not return to center, stiff steering. If steering wheel is not manually return to center, vehicle will continue to turn.
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2025) - STEERING
Sep 4, 2025
Incident date: Aug 29, 2025
driving on [XXX] in NJ on [XXX] at approximately [XXX] my car just stopped in traffic and steering locked up and all lights came on dashboard along with a constant beeping sound-I was in the middle of a four lane highway traveling south-I could not get out of my car and feared someone would hit me as I was a "sitting duck" while cars were swerving around me-my only saving grace was that my flasher... Read more
Incident date: Feb 11, 2025
The primary component that failed is the brake caliper, which caused a dragging brake, overheating, and visible smoke after a brake pad replacement. This is a defect in a critical safety system, not routine wear and tear. The caliper failure, combined with rapid deterioration of the pads within only seven months of purchase, makes clear that the Jeep was sold to me with preexisting and undisclosed... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
I took my 2014 Dodge Ram 2500 (VIN: [XXX] ) to Glendora Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram on Lone Hill Ave. for Recall R46. The dealership kept my truck most of the day but did not perform the recall. Instead, they told me something untrue—that my upgraded suspension made the repair impossible—without ever attempting the repair. They then tried to pressure me into signing a waiver of liability stating t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2025
I am experiencing what is described as STICKY STEERING. This has been a consistent problem over the last several months. The ONLY time it sticks is when minute inputs to maintain straight are necessary. There is initial resistance to any input of the steering wheel (from straight ahead center) at the time of correction, and then that resistance breaks, resulting in over correction. Left or Right ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2025
Excessive front end vibration causing strain to maintain lane control.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
My Tucson was involved in a MVA. I was hit in the rear end by another SUV on the rear back passenger side of the vehicle. During impact, the steering wheel literally detached from the dashboard in my driver's hands leaving us with no way to steer or maneuver the vehicle. The result of this safety failure could have lead to serious injury or death of myself, my driver or anybody in the path of the ... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
I have a 2019 ford fusion turbo engine and everytime I accelerate the turbo is wicking into the pcm the control module which is causing hazards sucking as at random times whenever I turn left the steering wheel with get stuck and the brakes will lock for a couple seconds and then go back to normal. I had Meineke do a diagnostic on the car and they showed oil in the pcm aswell as the loss of connec... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2025
My car all of a sudden is having electrical issues. The radio is changing stations and volume all by itself. The steering wheel is getting hard to turn. The brake light fuse is burning out right away. I’ve replaced the fuse 3 times already in one week but it keeps burning out within 24hrs or less. My gages are going up and down fast motion. My battery all of a sudden is draining and it is brand ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2025
I am submitting a safety concern with my 2016 Chevrolet Colorado truck. This vehicle is experiencing intermittent loss of power steering assist, which poses a significant safety risk. This issue mirrors the defect described in the GM Recall 15595A, which affected 2015 Chevrolet Canyon and GMC Canyon models. The root cause appears to be a poor electrical connection in the torque sensor harness co... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
The electronic power steering failed.
Incident date: Nov 14, 2024
I was in a parking lot when the electric power steering went out. Couldn’t turn wheel at all
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
The power steering goes out randomly. While driving forward , backing up, parking, turning. Very dangerous to drive.
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
Truck does not want to stay in the road. It hops to the right with the steering not being turned. Cannot tell when it is going to do it.
Incident date: Jun 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 65 MPH and driving over a bump in the road, the steering wheel seized while going around a corner. The driver was able to avoid a crash and moved over safely. There was an alarm activated inside the vehicle. The message to check the power steering was displayed. After waiting approximately 5-10 minut... Read more
CUMMINS
C GAS PLUS ENGINE
(2001) - STEERING
Sep 3, 2025
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
Vechicle pulls to the right. This issue was noticed after the right side passenger tire was worn on the outside which normally indicates an alignment issue. Owner replaced all four tires and has a fron end alignment done at the same time. This issue continues and the Hyundai dealer is stating that there is not fix for this issue. Information available online indicates that there is a possible ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
This is the 4th time I am having issues with this car. Major safety issues. Yesterday during during on the 405 freeway. It suddenly started to rain, the wiper malfunction while in traffic and pouring rain. A week before this incident, the steering of the car kept moving suddenly out of my line. This time my son was in the car. These dealerships do not really care to even look at it, they drive the... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 1973
Bumps in the road caused steering wheel to shake violently (Death Wobble) until truck was stopped in the middle of a 4-lane expressway. Truck is now at the dealer for inspection of frontend steering components. If there was heavier traffic, there would have been an accident. no warning signs present, only bumps in the road which the truck was not able to dampen or control.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
The car has excessive play in the steering causing much vibrations in the seat and steering wheel while driving, the slightest movement will send you all over the road and presents itself extremely jerky and unstable handling. It should not have this much play in the steering. I see multiple complaints over the steering of this car model but oddly enough i have the opposite issue pertaining to the... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2007) - STEERING
Sep 3, 2025
Incident date: Aug 22, 2025
Almost daily now I'm getting a service power steering message and the power steering goes out. This is very dangerous! Something needs to be done!
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
Power steering failure identical to Recall #16V054000 (issued February 2016) on 2015 Colorado. Vehicle will unexpectedly lose power steering udden stiff steering and both “Service power steering” and “Service Stabilitrak” warnings appear on dashboard. Defective parts appear to be gear assembly (GM part #23228020) and revised torque sensor cover kit (GM part #84344239)
Incident date: Jul 31, 2025
The power steering rack failed on my 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 with only 36,000 miles. It is at the shop right now, waiting for the new power steering rack to come in. The power steering completely failed, as I was driving home from an appointment...making the truck extremely difficult to steer. The failure was diagnosed and confirmed by a service center (Golden Auto)They stated the entire power stee... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
I was driving long distance down an interstate and my electric power steering locked up. I wasn't able to steer. Got a tow to nearest gas station. After sitting for about 30 minutes a started the truck back up and the steering work surprisingly.
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2025) - STEERING
Sep 2, 2025
Incident date: Aug 11, 2025
While I was driving, my steering wheel was locking up, my dash lights were going off and on, and while my truck was on I wasn’t able to steer. It happened twice that day.
Incident date: Aug 28, 2025
The car was parked in a campground for a night and several systems issues came up, including traction control disabled, steer assistant disabled, staibility control disabled, and the car was keeping accelerating even though I did not step on the accelerate pedal. The acceleration was out of control. This was happening in a remote area when we drove half way out of the campground to a city. We call... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the ABS warning light illuminated, causing the cruise control mode and the 4WD system to become inoperable. Additionally, the traction control, the brakes, and the check engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while driving and braking or accelerating on a wet road surface, the vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2025
When I’m turning, the steering wheel gets sticky/stuck in place. Whenever it unlocks, it’s usually a very jerky movement:
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring the steering wheel to be manually returned to center after completing a turn. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring the steering wheel to be manually returned to center after completing a turn. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminat... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2025
- Steering and suspension were affected. The car is available for inspection upon request. - My safety and the safety of others were affected by the fact that the car was shaking rather intensely while driving at highway speeds. I was worried a steering failure could occur. - My licensed mechanic diagnosed the problem as a right front lower control arm assembly problem with torn bushing. (Please s... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH and coming to a stop at a red traffic light, the messages "Power Steering Failure" and "Service Advancetrac" were displayed. The contact was able to drive to the residence; however, the steering wheel was jerking slightly from left to right while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it w... Read more
Incident date: Jul 21, 2025
Within six months of purchase, the power steering on my 2025 Kia EV9 failed while I was driving, creating a sudden and dangerous loss of steering control. I brought the vehicle to the Kia dealership for repair, but it was returned to me without the problem being resolved. On the very first drive after service, the power steering failed again. This is a recurring safety defect that poses a serious... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
Was in a car Collison not wherein setbelt and airbags did not deploy or come out at all
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: May 22, 2024
My extended warranty expired. I got my oil changed at valvoline and then 2 days later my power steering stopped working and I’m getting multiple dash messages of other systems malfunctioning. Did gmc cause this to get me to come back to their service center. It seems very suspicious
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2018) - STEERING
Sep 1, 2025
Incident date: Jul 25, 2025
While driving a EPS light came in and the steering was extremely hard to drive. I was on the highway so I had to pull over to turn off the car and then turn it on. After turning it on it worked ok for a little and then messed up again and I couldn’t turning the steering wheel again. While driving in the highway my safety was at risk because I could have crashed into another car and hurt my self ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2025
After purchasing my 2016 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 (approx. 113,000 miles) from Avalon Honda in New Jersey, steering began to exhibit an intermittent, jerky, “cog‑like” feel—almost as if slipping or catching. It’s unpredictable but recurrent, raising serious concern for sudden loss of control and potential collision. A repair shop replaced the front passenger‑side control arm, but the iss... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2025
EPS system light coming, steering pulling off to one side ocassionally
Incident date: Aug 31, 2025
The system that warns the driver that you do not have both hands on the steering wheel. It turns on while I have both hands on the wheel and sometimes I can not get it to acknowledge that and the car begins to stop on the interstate, in traffic and in a dark tunnel wiht no shoulder. The dealer can not reproduce the proble,. I have had it to them now for the third time.It has been inspected by the ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
About a week ago I was headed to work and I noticed that the steering was HARD (no grinding or otherwise noticeable noises), like trying to lift bricks every time you make a slight turn. Obviously a pwoer steering issue (I think!)... After a few minutes though it went back to normal. After three days it came back. Today its 95 degrees outside, circuit board inside the eps couldn't take the heat so... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
Electric Power Steering shuts off while driving.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
DEATH WOBBLE FRONT SHOCKS, STEERING DAMPNER AND NEW MICHELIN TIRES HAVE BEEN INSTALLED VEHICLE WILL SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND HAVE TO BRING SPEED DOWN TO GET BACK UNDER CONTROL.
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2019) - STEERING
Sep 1, 2025
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
While driving at highway speed, all of a sudden I lost all power steering and multiple system failure warning lights appeared on the center dashboard including power steering failure, brake system failure and collision mitigation system failure, among others. With great difficulty I was able to steer the car off the highway and was towed to an Acura dealer. The car was 5 months old with just ove... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2025
The steering wheels on these Tesla Model S vehicles have a horn button instead of depressing the center of the wheel. This button is difficult to find when turning the wheel or when an incident is happening.
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
Rotor seems to have worn out much quicker than expected. When I break, I can feel certain vibration / bumps. When breaking while going down on a hill, front break also has made screeching noise. Steering feels stiff at times. generally, I have always been topping up gas more than the advertised mileage performance / EPA
Incident date: Aug 21, 2025
Borrowing this truck from my father. I turned the key off a week ago when everything was working fine. When I went to start it today it gave me a power steering failure warning and the steering wheel was impossible to turn. From what I understand, this is a common problem with this year model and line of Rams. I am glad this happened while I was parked. Otherwise it could have been disastrous for ... Read more