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: Dec 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Land Rover Range Rover. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The contact also stated that the vehicle became difficult to control. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front suspension upper knuckle joint had failed and needed to be replaced. The v... Read more
FORD
F-150 LIGHTNING BEV
(2023) - STEERING
May 13, 2025
Incident date: Aug 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly and seemed to be sticking, requiring the steering wheel be manually returned to center after making a turn. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The vehicle was not t... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2019) - STEERING
May 13, 2025
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
4 months after warranty and only 42,774 miles, I am being hit with a massive bill of almost $2,700 from Tesla service in Lyndhurst, OH. This to correct right and left front end basic suspension issues that should not occur. Clearly the front end is not designed to handle the weight of car. The service manager told me that he sees this every day!! The car is not safe to drive until repairs are... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Crown Victoria. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the contact became aware that the lower steering column bearing was detaching. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a visual inspection of the vehicle was performed under NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V385000 (Steering); however, no repairs were needed at the time. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2025
I was driving home in exceptionally heavy rain. Before getting home, I decided to stop at a coffee drive thru. It was still raining pretty heavily as I drove up to the pick up window. I had my foot on the brake as I waited for my order. A few minutes went by when suddenly the car shook a bit and completely shut off. A warning sign came up on the dash screen that read “engine stopped, steering po... Read more
Incident date: Apr 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and turning to the left or the right, the steering wheel was sticking and failed to return to center as designed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the steering gear box and rack and pinion were ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The truck has stiff steering at slow speeds. It experiences the same as the NHTSA recall 14V-316 or Ford Safety Recall 14S09. It is describe as "Safety Recall 14S09, issued by Ford Motor Company, pertains to certain model year 2014 F-150 trucks manufactured between May 26 and June 19, 2014, and equipped with Electronic Power Assist Steering (EPAS)." I have taken it to Sugarloaf Ford in Winona Mi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2025
When driving the car the steering column felt loose and when going over a railroad track or bump the steering column would jiggle. The car steering felt unsafe. Took it to the Lexus dealer in Austin Texas four or five times and they said they could not find a problem. This a a known issue on several models of Toyotas and Lexus vehicles since the early 2000’s. Toyotas/lexus continued to be manu... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - STEERING
May 13, 2025
Incident date: May 9, 2025
The contact owned a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH and making a turn on a curvy road, the vehicle lost power steering functionality inadvertently, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into a guardrail. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence; however, the power steering failure persist... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 29, 2024
At 76,000 miles the electric steering rack and pinion went out! Causing the steering to be stiff and potentially setting up for accidents since steering just got stiff. After spending $4,000.00 the problem has been replaced.
Incident date: Jan 24, 2025
The vehicle consistently pulls sharply to the right while driving, creating a serious safety hazard. As soon as I release the steering wheel, the car veers aggressively to the right, making it difficult to stay in the lane. The steering wheel does not center and requires constant correction. The issue feels mechanical and significantly impacts my ability to drive safely.
Incident date: Jan 4, 2024
Steering became difficult to turn to the right with the wheel sticking to the right when trying to turn or drive the vehicle. Tesla claims we had some kind of a large impact. Maybe a pothole. Tesla claims well this is a heavy vehicle. Out of no where we had to replace the entire steering rack. I've never had to replace an entire steering rack for a pothole. Seems ridiculous.
TOYOTA
COROLLA HYBRID
(2020) - STEERING
May 13, 2025
Incident date: May 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the steering wheel seized while turning. There was an abnormal creaking sound coming tfrom he steering and the steering wheel was loose. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was like the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V744000 (Steering). The vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2025
While driving, after being on the road for about 15 minutes the power steering went out and did not return. A warning notice for the power steering system came on with a notice for stabilink. It became extremely difficult to maneuver the vehicle. After returning home the vehicle was turned off. Later that night I turned the vehicle back on and the warnings were gone and the power steering had ret... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2025
On Thursday I was driving my 2010 Mini Cooper S with 75,000 miles on it and there was a total and sudden power outage on the high way. I was able to get to the breakdown lane and had it towed. My mini certified garage ran the computer on it and the car started right up. It was due for an inspection so we did an oil and filter and put on some new tires. No issues were found and car was running well... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 10, 2025
Vehicle has lost its ability to be driven. Car alarm has gone of a multitude of times at different hours of day and night. Finally we were told that the steering column needs to be replaced. According to tow truck driver, Auto lock person, this is common from the 300 series of Mercedes Benz. Obviously very costly. My car is worthless at this point. I believe that the Mercedes Benz should ha... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2025
When vehicle is placed in park the safety lock will not allow the key to turn to the "off" position and be removed. The vehicle will not turn "off" any further than the accessory position. Sometimes after turning the steering wheel back and forth while working the ignition the key will release. If this does not work after a minute or so, sometimes you can start the truck and immediately turn it al... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2014) - STEERING
May 12, 2025
Incident date: Apr 12, 2025
My steering wheel was sticking. At speeds above 45 it was much more noticeable. When I was driving in a strait line and had to move the steering slightly the steering wheel would stick. It would cause the car to pull to one side and when you adjust the wheel to in the opposite side it would do the same thing. You where driving in a straight road constantly over correcting , playing ping pong to k... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the instrument cluster and the radio turned off unintendedly. The contact stated that the power train, hill assist, and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to function as intended. The contact pulled ov... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2025
Dash panel started flashing all gauges went to zero. All warning lamps lit ABS failure, power steering stopped, service antilock breaks, service electronic stability control, auto park disabled and service shift warnings started popping up. I was going 70 mph on the highway when the power steering went out. Luckily I didn’t hit anyone.
Incident date: Apr 12, 2025
When making a left hand turn, the steering hangs up when you attempt to straighten out the wheel. You have to pull the wheel hard to the right to get it past its hang up spot. It seems to happen when the vehicle has been driven a distance and the components have gotten warm. The dealer couldn't replicate the problem (because it was not warmed.) No warnings given by the vehicle sensors. The 20... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds and turning the steering wheel, the steering wheel was sticking and returned to the center unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V663000 (Steering). The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2024
On 5/10/25, while driving 5 warning icons came flashing on after another. 1) emissions system problem 2)VSA systems 3) Hill assist problem 4)TSA 5)Power steering system problem . This 2019 Honda Ridgeline with 49272 miles ended stalling 3 xs in the middle of traffic!! Frank Brown Honda was called and not very helpful! I’m waiting to hear on expensive warranty what can be done. I don’t have tow... Read more
Incident date: May 8, 2025
Power Steering assist fault went out with no warning. Now steering wheel is locking up while driving. Also when trying to gain speed the vehicle bogs out.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2020) - STEERING
May 12, 2025
Incident date: May 8, 2025
When turning the steering wheel right or left going in a slight decline or incline the wheel seems to lock up or requires a hard pull to move the wheel, its now to the point my wife can no longer drive the car. I have almost run off the road one time and just this morning almost hit my neighbors mail box I am taking the car to the dealer but they say there is no recall, There are certain models... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2025
The issue I am having on my 2017 Honda Civic is steering issues. Especially when it is warmer, the steering sticks and is jerky when trying to keep it in a straight line. It feels very unsafe and unstable driving especially on a highway at a higher speed limit. When needing to make a slight merge, with the steering sticking, you feel it jerk when you have to merge. This has happened constantly sin... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2022) - STEERING
May 12, 2025
Incident date: Apr 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Land Rover Range Rover. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V840000 (STEERING); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had 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. VIN tool confirms... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2015) - STEERING
May 12, 2025
Incident date: Apr 17, 2025
steering does not work due to malfunctioning steering rack. it has 21,000 miles & is under 3 years old.
FORD
FUSION ENERGI
(2015) - STEERING
May 12, 2025
Incident date: Apr 15, 2025
Steering gets “sticky” on long mostly straight roads and resists small course corrections. This causes “jerky” steering corrections. This issue seems to be more prevalent in warm or hot conditions and occurs far less during colder times of the year. This issue is ongoing and has not been resolved.
MITSUBISHI
MIRAGE
(2020) - STEERING
May 12, 2025
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion Energi. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to turn to the left or the right. The contact stated that the ABS and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the electrical rack and pinion needed to be replaced and recalibr... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The thermostat and the sensor for the thermostat continues to go bad
MERCEDES-BENZ
CLA 250
(2020) - STEERING
May 12, 2025
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the rack and pinion. The vehicle was not repaired. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2022
I was driving at freeway speeds on the interstate when I hit a divot in the pavement. My truck started shaking violently and I could barely control the steering and/or hold onto the steering wheel. When I applied the brakes, the issue worsened. I was finally able to find a spot to pull off. The shaking stopped and I was able to re-enter the freeway. This issue has occurred on three separate occasi... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became stiff, and the vehicle lost automotive power. The check engine, seat belt, stabili-trak, and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was occasionally towed and taken to the same local dealer on several occasions, where it was diagnosed; however,... Read more
LINCOLN
CONTINENTAL
(2019) - STEERING
May 12, 2025
Incident date: May 8, 2025
The contact's son owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while her son was driving at highway speeds, the power steering assist failed. Due to the failure, the contact's son used excessive effort to steer the vehicle off to the left shoulder of the highway. The contact's son called for the vehicle to be towed to an independent mechanic. While the contact's son waited for the tow truck to ar... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2020) - STEERING
May 12, 2025
Incident date: May 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving on several occasion at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering assist functionality and the steering wheel became stiff. The contact stated that the traction control and another unknown warning light was illuminated during each failure. Additionally, the contact stated that on one occasion while his wife was driving ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel started drifting and the contact was unable to keep steering wheel steady. The contact stated that there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the steering wheel while turning the wheel in either direction. The contact stated that the "Service Power Steering Assist" and "Service Advanc... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2025
The power steering went out with no warning which could have caused a catastrophic accident with possible death or a deadly accident!
CADILLAC
ESCALADE ESV
(2023) - STEERING
May 11, 2025
Incident date: May 9, 2025
Subject: Inquiry Regarding Ball Joint and Control Arm Issues on My 2007 Jeep Liberty Dear support tech, I am writing to express my concerns regarding recurring issues with my 2007 Jeep Liberty, specifically with the driver-side ball joint and control arm. In 2019, I had the driver-side ball joint replaced at Firestone. However, on [XXX], I experienced a serious issue when the wheel became stuck... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2025
Power steering malfunction Car unable to drive I believe there is supposed to be a recall for this issue but not popping up when I put in VIN number Warning lamps come up. Sometimes every light on dashboard. Took it to Mercedes but it was when code was not popping up and they said I needed a new battery. Did that but still an issue. Has also happened when driving. Sometimes collision assist p... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2025
Steering wheel making a loud CLUNK sound. Possibly the steering wheel coupler. Concerned that steering wheel might malfunction while driving. Checking for any recalls prior to making an appointment with dealer. Vehicle has not been inspected. Noise started about a month ago and progressively has gotten worse.
Incident date: Apr 7, 2025
I literally got in my the truck and the power steering no longer worked no warning lights just no longer worked.
Incident date: May 10, 2025
Steering will make creaking/knocking noise any time the temp warms to 70 or more or if temp is below, after about an hours drive. Hundreds of reports online about this exact issue with dozens of videos, all with the exact same issue. Yet Honda has done nothing to solve the problem or investigate the safety impacts of leaving this issue unchecked. Happens when turning the wheel whether in motion or... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2025
I own a Tesla Model X, and for the past two summers I’ve experienced a repeating safety-critical issue during hot weather. After driving for a period in the heat, multiple systems begin to fail. The car displays numerous warnings including: •“Parking brake requires service” •“Traction control disabled” •“Stability control disabled” •“Steering assist reduced” •“Automat... Read more
Incident date: May 10, 2025
The electronic power steering rack went out making steering very difficult and upon doing research discovered there is a recall for this exact problem but by the recall doesn't include my VIN number
Incident date: May 10, 2025
Problem with the power steering. When turning, the wheel sticks.
KIA
OPTIMA PHEV
(2018) - STEERING
May 10, 2025
Incident date: Apr 2, 2025
Losss of powwr steering assist. Randomly would lose power steering snd the wheel would try to straighten. Around corners at any speed it did it randomly. Whe. It first happened i was turning going 40mph and it almost yanked me into a wall. Every bump.on the road tries to yank the wheel s different direction. When I brake it pulls the steering wheel another direction. Progressively getting wor... Read more
Incident date: Jul 7, 2024
The plastic coupling for the steering is broken in my 2018 Kia optima the same Issue that the 2011-2014 issue optima’s have my car has this same issue.
Incident date: May 10, 2025
Sticky steering when on center. Cannot make minor steering adjustments without overcorrecting left or right. This is an ongoing issue for the past few years.
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
I was sitting with the car in park. The car was running. My vehicle started shaking and said “Engine stopped, steering power low”.