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: Jun 16, 2025
The electric power steering has malfunctioned. The malfunction of the EPS may cause the car to jerk or swerve. The dealership has said they have seen countless problems with the EPS. There is a recall on the EPS in the 2014 Rav4, however this vehicle did not fall under the previous recall. No warning lamps or messages appear for this particular issue with the vehicle. The vehicle is available for... Read more
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 2
(2022) - STEERING
Jul 11, 2025
Incident date: Jul 7, 2025
Truck EPS failed while driving creating a dangerous situation but turck falls outside of NHTSA 16V-167 recall.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) - STEERING
Jul 11, 2025
Incident date: Jun 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and attempting to make a left or right turn, the steering wheel made an abnormal whining sound. Additionally, the contact stated that while accelerating from a stop, the vehicle hesitate. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The c... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2025
My 2021 Kia Sorento (VIN: [XXX] , built July 2021) has a persistent scraping/metal-on-metal noise when turning the steering wheel. This noise comes from inside the steering column. It matches exactly what Kia documents in TSB CHA111, which identifies failure of the worm shaft small bearing inside the C-MDPS (Column-Mounted Motor Driven Power Steering) system. My vehicle uses the same steering colu... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2018) - STEERING
Jul 11, 2025
Incident date: Jul 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized with the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the N... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering assist was inoperable. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with DTC related to Customer Satisfaction Program: 15N01 (EPAS Steering ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-250. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle displayed the death wobble. The failure had occurred three times. There were no warning lights illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the contact was not able to speak with a representative. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. Th... Read more
POLESTAR
POLESTAR 2
(2024) - STEERING
Jul 11, 2025
Incident date: Jul 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became stiff and was difficult to turn to the left or the right. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving between 4O - 70 MPH, the vehicle experienced the "Death Wobble", causing the front end of the vehicle to shake and vibrate abnormally. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 75,00... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2025
My daughter was driving and her power steering went out. She lost control of her car because she couldn't steering it. She almost wrecked the car, but was able to get it off the road. Her safety, and that of others around him was at risk as she almost hit several other cars as she struggled to get her car off the road. Previous to this, we owned a 2008 Ford Escape, which the same thing happened wh... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Land Rover Range Rover. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V840000(Steering); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving at an unknown low speed, the front driver's side suspension failed, rendering the vehicle undrivable. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was confirmed that... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2025
The steering wheel has a piece of high-reflective chrome as does the entire front dashboard (and high reflective trim of the speaker on the top of the dash). When the sun is high in the sky, depending on the angle of car, the sun creates a BLINDING reflection in the driver's eyes. I almost got in to accident because of this. They need to find a solution to replace those high-reflective parts of... Read more
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2019) - STEERING
Jul 11, 2025
Incident date: Jul 5, 2025
While PARKED IN FRONT OF 7-11 WITH ENGINE NOT RUNNING, THE POWER STEERING ATTACHMENT IN THE WHEEL WELL BROKE AND RELEASED FLUID ON THE HOT ENGINE. PATRONS IN SORE ALERTED ME THAT THE CAR WAS SMOKING OUT THE HOOD. I RACED BACK TO MY SANTA FE AND NOTICED FIRE. THE FRONT LEFT WHEEL HAD TURNED RADICALLY AFTER I PARKED IT. FIRE EXTINGUISHERS WERE BROUGHT FROM THE STORE. I RETRIEVED AS MUCH AS I COULD. ... Read more
Fire
NISSAN
ROGUE SPORT
(2019) - STEERING
Jul 11, 2025
Incident date: Jul 5, 2025
Had gone shopping and the car suddenly had no steering. Managed to get it parked without causing a wreak, but without any warning a message appeared on the dash "Power Steering Fault". The car no longer has any steering, power steering fluid was good, no codes where shown. I have researched this before sending this message, seems there are a lot of Ford cars of various models having the same issue... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2025
- An audible "pop" when turning hard either direction. - rear windshield leaks on passenger side. The company i work for purchased 4- 2024 Ford F550's and all of them have the same issues, amongst others, however these ones are consistent and have been present since their addition to the fleet.
Incident date: Jul 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 - 60 MPH, the AdvanceTrac and power steering systems became inoperable. The AdvanceTrac and power steering warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent certified mechanic, where an unknown diagnostic was made. The AdvanceTrac system was reset, and unknown power steering system... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2025
Steering wheel will not return to center after making turns in any direction. Steering has gradually stiffened, but is immediately noticeable. This car is driven daily by my spouse. Our child with his new learner's permit noted how he had to turn the wheel back and it didn't happen automatically like the car he took driving lessons in. I drove the car and it was plainly obvious that the steering w... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) - STEERING
Jul 11, 2025
Incident date: Jul 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 60-70 MPH, the steering wheel turned to left and to the right independently. The traction control warning light was illuminated. An unknown local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 220,000.
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER SPORT
(2023) - STEERING
Jul 11, 2025
Incident date: Jul 7, 2025
The contact owned a 2022 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, a very loud snapping noise had suddenly occurred, and the message "Stability System Activated" displayed before the steering wheel suddenly turned to the right, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle to crash and roll over multiple times. The police and first responders were called to... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Jul 9, 2025
The stabilitrak notification comes on constantly. While we are driving/reversing and turn our steering wheel the whole car will shut down and the steering wheel jerks. It's happened multiple times. It takes forever for the car to turn back on.This is super dangerous and cause myself and my children to end up getting hit by another vehicle while on the road.
Incident date: Feb 4, 2025
Driving at highway speeds when the vehicle hit certain bumps the front end would wobble and cause significant vibration and loss of control steering (death wobble). This was reproduced by both and independent shop as well as mechanics at West End Volkswagen in Henrico Virginia. They replaced the entire steering rack to resolve the problem. They stated while I was there that this was the second ste... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
I am filing this complaint due to a serious and recurring safety issue known as the “death wobble” on my 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited JL. This defect causes violent front-end shaking at highway speeds when hitting bumps or making minor steering corrections. The issue began during the first week of ownership and has persisted through five separate service visits. Repairs have included steering... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2019) - STEERING
Jul 10, 2025
Incident date: Jul 9, 2025
When turning the power steering gave out and made the truck completely lose power while going and turning at a slow speed
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2024) - STEERING
Jul 10, 2025
Incident date: Jul 2, 2025
We purchased the vehicle in Jan 2025. As the weather or the car warmed the steering gets stiff and hard to maneuver, making it difficult to stay in the center of the lane. There are times when it gets so bad I think a cop could pull me over for swerving. As I researched the symptoms I found that recall SB18-102 matched the symptoms and was for the same year, make, and model; however, my car’s VI... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel suddenly became very difficult to turn in either direction, with the power steering failure message displayed. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the failure was self-corrected. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The cause of the failure was n... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2018) - STEERING
Jul 10, 2025
Incident date: Mar 31, 2025
Making a right turn and heard a pop sound. Pulled into a parking lot immediately found the steering arm dropped and shortly after a large bolt fell out. There is supposed to be 2 bolts holding up each side, one bolt was already missing. Event occurred without incident. Normal street driving at a low speed turn.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
Power Steering Failure Approximate date
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2019) - STEERING
Jul 10, 2025
Incident date: Jun 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the power steering module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle wa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
While driving on I-17 Southbound near mile marker 311 at approximately 75 mph, I experienced a sudden and dangerous malfunction of the Lane Keep Assist (Auto-Steer) system in a 2021 Subaru Forester. The feature was active at the time and unexpectedly veered the vehicle sharply toward the concrete wall on the left shoulder of the highway. I attempted to regain control, but due to the abrupt nature ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
MERCEDES-BENZ
C250
(2014) - STEERING
Jul 10, 2025
Incident date: Jun 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. In addition, the “Service Power Steering” warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled in the middle of a busy roadway. The contact stated that her small children were occupants of the vehicle during the failure. ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2025
Truck randomly shuts off and steering wheel locks up going down the road
Incident date: Jun 30, 2025
Ignition key solenoid would not release the truck key. chevrolet knew this since 2015 and kept using the same parts.
Incident date: May 10, 2024
Approximately three weeks ago my steering wheel started sticking when making turns. Normally it happens when I am traveling at least 30 mph/40 mph. It does not automatically return to the normal position. Sometimes I actually feel it lock and unlock while even driving straight.
Incident date: Jul 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle was restarted. The contact continued to drive, but the power steering became inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle became extremely hot, and the cells popped and damaged the battery. The contact stated that the check engine, power steering, and battery ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2025
At approximately 37,000 miles, the steering wheel developed a sticking issue. After researching the issue, we learned that Honda issued a recall involving the steering rack. Somehow, our VIN is not part of the recall. It falls under the years, and models, of the recall. This is a safety issue, especially at highway speeds. It appears to be the exact same issue as those on the recall. We have not ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2025
Toyota has had a long history of excessive frame rust. This truck has excessive frame rust. There was a recall to fix this frame rust and my truck has not been fixed. Toyota will not fix the current recall for the spring replacement because of the frame rust. My life and my children’s lives are in danger due to the possible leaf suspension failure that may puncture the gas tank.
Incident date: Jul 2, 2025
Steering wheel would bind up when returning to center after turning, requiring sudden additional force to go in the intended direction. Occurred on a regular basis, verified by the dealer and required steering gear replacement. Steering was also generally stiffer than normal.
Incident date: Jul 8, 2025
Car driven off the lot 06/14/2025 On Sunday 07/06/25 (21 days from purchase) while driving home from a 30 minutes away from home trip with 3 young children with me, the car gave multiple alerts and service warnings. "Service Brake Assist" and "Service ECS" Lights / Symbols related to the following were also displayed: Traction Control System (TCS)/ Electronic Control Stability Light, Anti-lock Bra... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. No warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an indepen... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2025
Took car to my local mechanic for a clunking sound when turning steering wheel side to side, while standing still. Mechanic states problem at steering knuckle. In addition he stated that there is a Hyundai recall for this problem. I haven’t been able to find the recall for the steering problem when submitting my VIN.
Incident date: Jun 25, 2025
When starting the vehicle a message displayed stating "Power Steering Fault Service Required". I was able to shut off the vehicle and restart with no issue. Currently, restarting the vehicle no longer has any affect and the power steering is out completely. An appointment has been scheduled with Ford in two weeks. Unfortunately, this is my only means of transportation. I was at work when the power... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2025
I parking my car in a parking spot at my work infront of a tree post the car jumped and hit the tree post by it self as crazy it sound I’ve never seen this before I was devastated. Scared I had called the insurance to tow the car to the Honda dealer and it’s been sitting there for a month now to get the manufacturing Honda come look at it and no one had contacted me yet.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2025
Car has broke down a total of 4 times since I have gotten it from Toyota back in December of 2023. I have a dash-cam now that has footage of the car breaking down. Toyota fails to acknowledge my concerns and comes up with excuses and tells me to wait until it happens more frequently. I would love to have this car inspected, but as Toyota has stated they cannot get the issue to repeat. My safe... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) - STEERING
Jul 9, 2025
Incident date: Jul 8, 2025
System said car will shut off soon. All system lights started blinking and the car turned off. Car would not restart and would not go into neutral.
Incident date: Jun 10, 2025
On 5/22/2025, I filed a complaint with NHTSA, complaint number 11662650. In the complaint, I reported issues regarding safety concerns that began around October 2023 and were shortly after reported to GMC. Some of the reported issues were concerns with oil consumption due to warning lights coming on; parking warning sensors intermittently coming on; and what appears to be suspension issues as th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2025
At highway speed the steering becomes erratic and jerky.
Incident date: Mar 19, 2025
Steering clunks left & right, feels like steering coupler or clock spring is broken or out of wack, steering column rattles on bumpy r thoughtoads
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2022) - STEERING
Jul 8, 2025
Incident date: Feb 14, 2025
The power steering failed on June 17th, 2025 At approximately 3 PM. The system has been replaced by the local dealership so it is not available for inspection (dealership did it's own evaluation/inspection and determined the need for replacement). The vehicle was being driven when the power steering failed, so my safety and the safety of others on the same roadways was put at risk (fortunately, ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) - STEERING
Jul 8, 2025
Incident date: Jul 3, 2025
this 2020 Jeep Gladiator has repeatedly experienced the infamous Jeep Gladiator "Death Wobble" related to front steering component defects/failures/poor design. It creates a very hazardous driving condition. The local dealer, Hilltop Jeep in Richmond, and Stellantis declined to make repairs and instead left us on our own to get the needed repairs done at a local Jeep 4x4 specialist shop and the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2025
Peeling steering wheel, eventually will need to replaced due to not being able to grab wheel and lose grip when I turn. Many others complain of the same problem with model x and Tesla wants $1800 to replace. I refuse to use my insurance to pay for this so they have not inspected it.