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: Feb 10, 2025
Electronic power steering just shut off randomly a year after my extended warranty was up costing 3-4000 $ in repair bills this is absurd that this has not been recalled yet
Incident date: Feb 12, 2025
The power steering in my 2009 Chevy Malibu went out on . The car is available for inspection upon request. This is very unsafe because I am unable to turn the car quickly, if needed. This is a safety risk to not only me, but other drivers on the road. I took the car to Tire Rama in Helena, Montana on February 12, 2025. The receipt stated that there was a steering column internal wire issue. Th... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2025
I was driving to work one morning and my power steering just stopped working and the service power steering light lite up and luckily I was about to pass a gas station so I had to slow way down to turn the steering wheel to get into the lot I pulled to the gas pump to get fuel and shut the truck off and was hoping it would reset which it did but now when the truck is setting still running you can'... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2025
When the vehicle is cold, and the transmission has not yet warmed up, putting the truck into gear results in a significant jerk. Specifically: Initial Gear Engagement (Drive/Reverse): When shifting into either drive or reverse from park, especially when the engine is cold, there is a noticeable delay before the gear engages. This delay is followed by a harsh "jerk" or "thud" as the gear finally e... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2023
The electric power steering motor stopped working while driving on the highway. The vehicle was almost impossible to control and almost caused me to enter the oncoming lane of traffic.
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
Campaign/NHTSA# 24S21/24V226 No remedy provided by Ford; Issue Date 2024-03-22 Campaign/NHTSA# 24S46/24V542 AND Campaign/NHTSA# 24S48/24V591 Ford notified me that the recall is ready for repair, however the parts are not available; my dealer has been waiting for 4 weeks now to receive the parts
Incident date: Feb 17, 2025
My vehicles tie rods broke on my way home from work while I pulled slowly onto a snowy road from my work driveway. I felt my car slide and tap the side of a curb, or so I thought. When I couldn't drive the vehicle I had to have it towed. The Nissan dealership I took it to said the damage, $9000, was caused by bumping into the curb. My insurance company did not agree with their repair amount an... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
This model of Santa Fe has a defective steering column. The car rattles at the base of the steering column at the base of the steering wheel in the floor by your feet. When you go over 70 it rattles.
Incident date: Feb 17, 2025
The vehicle steering wheel turns by itself, without warning, causing me to fight the steering wheel to maintain proper control and direction. I reported the issue to my mechanic and had him inspect and paid $129 to have a full alignment. After a road test, the problem still exists. The mechanic deemed the problem as "dangerous to drive". After contacting ford the recall referenced 24S45. supposedl... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2025
The power steering assist model failed rendering the truck without power steering. I called my dealership and they told me that the part is not available until sometime after February but could not give new a more precise date. I called Ford customer service on [XXX] and they could not give me an availability date on the part (Ford customer service case # [XXX]). They also informed me that the par... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2025
The vehicle had a complete loss of control of the power steering. Thankfully, it happened in the driveway and not on the highway. The message said Power Steering Assist Fault. Upon doing some research, I found that the NHTSA issued a recall in the past on some of the same vehicles in that model year (14V316000). We were hoping that this vehicle could added to that recall, due to the fact that it i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2025
LEFT HAND TURN SINGLE WILL NOT CANCEL/TURN OFF. I SEE THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS BUT MY TRUCK WAS/IN NOT PART OF IT
Incident date: Jul 28, 2024
Steering this car in the snow has proven extremely dangerous. ice on the road causes the Wheels to accelerate to extremely high speeds as they slip and try to gain traction. But this often has a negative effect of losing control of the vehicle. A number of times I have nearly crashed into other vehicles even at very low speeds because of this. In a related issue, regenerative braking in the ice ... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2021) - STEERING
Feb 17, 2025
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
Dealership Responsible: Ted Britt Ford of Chantilly Dealership Address: 4175 Auto Park Cir, Chantilly, VA 20151 Complaint Details: I purchased a 2018 Lincoln Navigator L Black Label, and since then, I have experienced multiple serious mechanical failures due to an improperly performed cam phaser repair by Ted Britt Ford of Chantilly in 2020. The dealership’s service depart... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
I recently 6 weeks ago bought a used certified 2016 Toyota Corolla with 43,000 miles. I have been going back and forth with Toyota since the day after I bought it about the many mechanical issues that pose a major safety risk. The car shudders/vibrates when accelerating, knocks when backing up. And when making turns the car shifts hard side to side with a shudder and wobble in floor board of car. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
Driving 65mph and the steering wheel locked up and the brakes weren’t working as they should. Check engine light came on. Was able to pull off the road. Shut off vehicle for awhile. Then it worked as it should. No repairs at this time but sounds like it will continue to happen.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
Lost all Electric Power Steering.This need to be addressed ASP
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
When reaching high speeds, my truck experiences the death wobble.
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
On [XXX] the steering system on my 2022 Honda Civic failed as I was exiting the the city's inner loop in downtown Rochester, NY. Simultaneously, the entire dash screen lit up. It was fortunately a momentary failure and I was able to avoid an accident. I had purchased the car 9 days before, on [XXX]. In conversation with the sales rep., I mentioned that the steering didn't feel quite right. He su... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2025
Car braked extremely hard causing whiplash twice even though there was ample room. This has happened multiple times. Reported that it is normal by dealership
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
I was driving and my electric steering locked up. I had it towed to a garage and they reset the computer. I'm afraid it's going to happen again. I'm going to the dealership on Tuesday and I don't feel that I should pay for this since it's a safety issue. I only have 50,000 miles on it.can someone please get back to me. Thanks
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
Power steering failed during normal operations. This occurance was in 2021. Paid Ford over $2000 to perform repairs. Now January 2025 same issue occurred. This safety hazard needs to be addressed
Incident date: Jan 24, 2024
The ESC comes on and loss of power steering
Incident date: Feb 14, 2025
The car displayed a message on the board advising the following: "Steering assist is reduced, drive with care" right after the message popped out my steering wheel locked and I couldn't turn, and move the car to a safe place was very hard, almost had a crash. I was able to park, and turned the engine off. When turned back on the message disappeared and turned on again. Next day, no message, the ca... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Honda CR-V. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V744000 (Steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 25 MPH, the steering wheel abruptly became difficult to steer in either the left or right direction. The vehicle crashed into a tree where it came t... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Civic. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V744000 (Steering); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to steer. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering function intermittently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring intermittently while driving at various speeds and while the vehicle was idling. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a re... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
I have a dodge ram and the EPS (Electric power steering) had went out making it impossible to steer the while while I was driving I looked up to see if there is a recall for it and Google said there is a recall for the EPS on my make and model truck but when i look at my recalls it says there is no recalls for my truck
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2018) - STEERING
Feb 14, 2025
Incident date: Dec 17, 2024
Car will stahl and lock steering wheel when yielding into traffic or driving. The advance trak light along with auto hill assist will pop up on dashboard stating to repair the issue.
Incident date: Nov 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Honda Civic. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V744000 (Steering); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. 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. Parts distribution disconnect.
Incident date: Jul 23, 2024
While receiving an Over the Air recall update from American Leasing on my 23' Fisker Ocean One the car bricked....making it completely inoperable. Both 12v battery was good and the car had a SOC of 78 percent. American leasing hasn't responded nor to I can get the information from them.
TESLA
CYBERTRUCK
(2024) - STEERING
Feb 14, 2025
Incident date: Feb 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated before the screen went black. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired; h... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2025
When I was on auto stop, my car never started back up. The steering wheel and brakes were frozen, and I could barely pull off the road I was on. Turning the key did not help, as the engine wouldn't turn back on.
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
When accelerating into a turn from a complete stop, left turn or right turn, there is a knocking sound coming from the cv joint. Vehicle made this sound when driving off the lot brand new. Vehicle also experienced a battery fault error/reduced propulsion warning at 700 miles and is currently at the dealer to investigate. The error alternates with the battery fault light indicating a fault with the... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 2 MPH, the message "Loss of Power Steering Assist" was displayed. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized and was difficult to turn to the left or to the right. The contact stopped the vehicle, turned it off, and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle regained power steering functionality. The contact... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2025
I was driving on [XXX] in Georgia. I was going around 75 mph and my transmission dropped from 6th gear to 1st Gear my speed dropped from around 75 mph to 25 mph in less than a second. My safety and the safety of other vehicles/people were put in danger, I almost lost control of my steering and hit somebody in the right lane next to me. Three Vehicles behind me had to slam on their brakes and swerv... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
Occasionally steering was sticking, mostly highway driving. Car drifted slightly to left.
MACK
ANTHEM (AN)
(2024) - STEERING
Feb 14, 2025
Incident date: Jul 23, 2024
Our driver told us that he lost steering. At 35 mph on a open highway (which is confirmed by our gps). He also has a clean driving record and has been driving box truck for decades with no incident. Once steering was lost the box truck to slam in into the barrier twice , than roll onto its side. There where no other cars involved in the accident and the truck is now totaled. There is so much damag... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 5, 2025
I went to start my truck after going into the store and the Service Power Steering ESC warning came on and I had no power steering. This is a very dangerous situation without power steering in the vehicle and someone is bound to get seriously injured if this happens while they are driving. I have read numerous threads on this same issue and it does not look like GM has taken this into accounty by... Read more
TOYOTA
CAMRY HYBRID
(2025) - STEERING
Feb 14, 2025
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
Travel Assist is disabled which includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keep Assist. The warning lights flash on and off, sometimes multiple times a second, sounding a loud beeping each time. It is triggered at engine start and persists through all speeds. I have experienced it 0-70 mph. The flashing lights and associated rapid beeping indicating the failure is extremely distracting while drivin... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2024
The power steering consistently locks up. It may or may not reset itself if you turn the car off and back on. It’s very dangerous. It’s hard to drive . It definitely licks up if it’s cold outside or if you hit a pothole.
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
I was driving with Travel Assis on, the car steered left into the center divider then swerved right into other lanes… I was unable to regain control of steering wheel or break to deactivate travel assist for about 10 seconds, the steering wheel felt stuck in the direction that Travel Assist was steering to.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
The contact leased a 2024 Mazda CX-90. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH in the far left lane, the vehicle jerked and the steering wheel seized, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. It was unknown whether warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle veered to the right independently, spun three times, crashed into the guard rail and came to a stop whi... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
Steering MDPS Unit malfunction causing loss of power assisted steering. Visible steering light on dash. Vehicle was inspected at a Kia dealer confirming issue with MDPS unit. Kia shop stated that this was an issue with the 2016-2020 Kia Sorento models and most fell under the recall umbrella but this specific 2017 Kia Sorento is not on the VIN checked list for a steering recall for the MDPS Unit fa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
Similar to the recall made for Honda civics years 2022-2024 for difficulty steering due to improperly produced steering gearbox, in experiencing difficulty steering. In particular, it is felt as a sticky feeling when making left turns. When making slight left turns, the steering wheel will remain “stuck” in a turned position unless forced to realign straight. The sticky wheel and extra effort ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2025
It was raining and we drove about an hour, parked and shutoff car, went into the store, came back out and car would not turn on. Error message that came up was “Engine Stopped Sterring Power Low” This is a brand new car just bought last year. We kept trying to turn car on and error message kept coming up. Waited for tow truck and car ended up turning on. Looked online and it seems a lot of oth... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2013) - STEERING
Feb 13, 2025
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 30 MPH just after a snowstorm, approaching an intersection, and attempting to slow the vehicle, the ABS failed to prevent the brakes from locking, causing the vehicle to skid. As a result, the driver briefly lost control of the vehicle, which left the roadway and only came to a complete stop after colliding... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Feb 12, 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 that during a State Inspection, it was noticed that the steering knuckle was cracked. The contact stated that a local dealer and Land Rover Brooklyn (809 Neptune Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11224)... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2025
Loud clicking from left side of the vehicle when making a right hand turn.
Incident date: Nov 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel was turned; however, the steering wheel failed to respond as intended. In addition, the power steering failure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with rack and pinion failure. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to... Read more