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: Oct 15, 2024
Yellow battery indicator light came on while driving car in 35 degree weather after a week of sitting in garage (holidays). I pulled over, read the manual and it said this could cause battery light to illuminate. I called the dealership service to ask them, they said possible reason. I decided to drive across city to dealership, 25 minutes away. On HOV lane, red warning lights flashing to pull ove... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to function as intended. The contact stated while making a turn, the vehicle lost motive power and independently restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
Power steering went out while driving the vehicle. When I stopped at a light the tried to make a right hand turn. I could barely control the vehicle! It was very hard to move the front tires in the direction and space i needed to be in. I feel very lucky to have made it home, where the car is still parked! I do not dare drive it in this condition.
GRAND DESIGN
SOLITUDE
(2020) - STEERING
Jan 15, 2025
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
As I was backing out of my drive way my power steering stopped working and has been hard to turn the wheel. I moved the steering wheel up and down and it started working again, and then the next day it went back to no longer working.
FIRESTONE
TRANSFORCE HT
(9999) - STEERING
Jan 15, 2025
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
Power steering failed while driving down road. Turn off and back on and it’s fine then went out after like 5 minutes
Incident date: Sep 6, 2024
Power steering completely went out, without warning, while driving 55 mph. No prior warning - all of a sudden a red light came on with exclamation point saying the power steering must be serviced. Incredibly difficult to steer / drive it to a certified Dodge dealership. A quick inspection found the problem to be: Electric power steering gear unit must be replaced. Estimated price quote for MOP... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
Received recall notice 5 months ago from BMW. Why is it taking so long for them to address this issue?
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) - STEERING
Jan 15, 2025
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
While driving at 65 Mph, towing a fifth wheel camper, encountered a mildly rough section of highway when entire front end began to wobble and shake violently. Slowed the vehicle, maintaining control. When going back up to speed, the same shaking occured again. Also noted a less violent shaking at 45 mph. Took vehicle to have new tires rebalanced but did not change condition much. Inspected fr... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
Power steering assist faulty. To regain power steering control turn the car off. Throughout the past six months, this happened several times.
Incident date: Jan 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH over railroad tracks, the rear of the vehicle started swaying temporarily. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure recurred while driving over a bumpy road surface or a pothole. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear suspension had failed due to an... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO EV
(2024) - STEERING
Jan 15, 2025
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
My Jeep began experiencing a death wobble going about 65 mph . When driving at 65 mph and went over a bump on the roadway my vehicle’s steering and suspension began shaking violently and almost caused an accident. Anytime the vehicle was cranked up the throttle was elevated and stayed elevated till for 10 mins and you can not drive for 20 mins because the throttle would stick wide open and unabl... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2024
The power steering assist has gone out but I don't understand why it is not included in it
Incident date: Jan 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH in a parking lot, the power steering became inoperable. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V213000 (Steering) and 16V054000 (Steering). The contact sent an email... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving on the highway at 65 MPH, the steering wheel jerked to the left and to the right. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that some unstated bolts had sheared off and an alignment was needed. The contact stated that the rear anchor arm was replaced; ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
On [XXX] at approximately [XXX] I was travelling West on [XXX] , between Hamlin and Kimballton, Iowa. I had been driving with my cruise control set at 60MPH, until I caught up to an 18 wheel livestock semi truck. The semi was travelling near 40MPH due to curves in the road in this area. With no traffic coming from the West and an acceptable stretch of passing zone, I decided to pass the semi. ... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE HYBRID
(2022) - STEERING
Jan 15, 2025
Incident date: Dec 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the steering wheel failed to turn to the right or the left. The contact stated that the power steering assist was inoperable. The contact called the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called the manufacturer, who confirmed that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Numbe... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2024
The power steering stopped working while driving. Almost drove off the road because it is so hard to steer.
Incident date: Dec 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the Lane Departure Assist became inoperable. The contact was unable to control the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. 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 contac... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
Hard to turn the wheel at curb
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
While on the freeway at 65mph the truck experience a hard gear shift, loss of acceleration, went into shut down, lost steering assist, and brakes became hard, lights came on the dash for transmission issue massage, as well as Check engine light. Safety became a major concern with loss of power in the mids of a flow off traffic at freeway speeds. Vehicle had to be towed.
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
The power steering locks up and you can not use the steering wheel at all. I was doing a michigan left turning onto a busy main road and the steering locked up. I had to put my car in park, turn off the ignition and then restart it. All before being hit by upcoming traffic. I had 2 babies in the back and a passenger. This should be a recall and I'm shocked to not see it on the list. No warnings ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2024
When driving the steering would loose power and would not respond. Warning message said power steering failed. Dealer checked and verified that the steering rack and pinion are bad.
Incident date: Apr 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2024 Honda CR-V. 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 three other local dealers were contacted, Honda of North Hollywood (5841 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601); Honda of Reseda 7514 (Reseda Blvd, Reseda, ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2020) - STEERING
Jan 14, 2025
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
I was driving down a smooth straight highway at 60 mph when the power steering completely failed. After that the van was nearly impossible to turn even a slight amount. If the road had been a bunch of curves I wouldn't have been able to make it to a safe place to pull over. Mercedes had recall campaign #17V595000 that addressed this problem but when I called them they said there are no active reca... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated that while attempting to turn the vehicle to the left or the right, the steering wheel seized. The failure occurred intermittently but had become more pronounced and constant. The vehicle was now only able to be driven in a straight direction, whether going forward or in reverse. The steering assist failure light was illuminated. The v... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
I received this Recall Notice in November 2023. I called my local dealer & was told that I would be put on a list & they would call when the parts came in. I contacted them again today & was told it would be “months” as the parts were coming in slowly. I contacted the American Honda Customer Support. They contacted David McDavid Honda in Frisco, TX and I was told they had the repair kit and it... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2025
The contact leased a 2024 Honda Civic Hatchback. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60-70 MPH, the two rear wheels lost traction, and the vehicle started to fishtail. The contact slowed down but while attempting to pull over, the vehicle fishtailed again and started spinning forward before the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a brick barrier on the highway. The a... Read more
Crash
1 injured
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2021) - STEERING
Jan 14, 2025
Incident date: Dec 10, 2024
I was driving down the highway about 75 miles an hour I hit a bump and the front tires started shaking had to pull over before it would stop. About a week later it happened again at 65 mph.
KIA
SPORTAGE HYBRID
(2023) - STEERING
Jan 14, 2025
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
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 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. The contact had not ex... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
The steering wheel would not turn. Similar to when cars did not have power steering but much worse. Had the truck taken to the Ford Dealership. They reprogrammed the computer and said that fixed the problem . Started to leave and didn’t even get off the lot when it basically’froze up’ again. They kept the vehicle for a second time. When they called and said it was fixed, I was able to dr... Read more
MINI
COOPER COUNTRYMAN
(2011) - STEERING
Jan 14, 2025
Incident date: Dec 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Honda HR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V744000 (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 contact stated while driving approximately 50 - 55 MPH, there was resistance in the steering wheel intermittently.... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the vehicle started shaking violently and the vehicle was difficult to steer. The contact was able to bring the vehicle to a stop. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle had experienced the death wobble. The deale... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
While driving several times since purchasing it the vehicles steering had completely locked and I've had to slam on brakes in middle of traffic before i crash several times, very close to causing serious injuriesto myself or others and possibly death. This has happened numerous times since i bought it. I took it to the dealership where I purchased it, they said they fix it in 2021 it has happend ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
Steering wheel very stiff after driving 70 miles an hour Sometimes very stiff when vehicle is started.
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Sport. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the front end of the vehicle was shaking with a knocking sound coming from the driver’s and passenger’s side front wheels. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic who diagnosed that the upper front suspension knuckle joint had fractured on the driver’s and passenger’s side. The mechan... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2024
Power steering has gone out on car. There was a previous recall but I was told it has expired. I am not over the miles allowed to claim the recall on the power steering. It is not safe to drive this car without properly being fixed. The recall should still be applied regardless of its expiration as I have not exceeded the milage. I don’t feel it is safe to have an expired recall on a car, especi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
To the best of my knowledg The front LH drive shaft came off the transaxle case leaving me no power of steering or breaking forcing me into the center divider. if this happened on a freeway driving speed limit or a busy street the accident would be fatal. Problem has been confirmed by Nissan themselves the year and make of my car has been recalled for this issue. A few days prior I did smell oil... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
This is a known issue with Jeep Gladiators and Wranglers. It’s called the “Death Wobble”. While driving at highway speed(70mph), I hit a bump which caused the entire vehicle to shake including the steering wheel. Once I braked and got the speed below 60 mph, the shaking ceased. This happened close to ten times on the particular 3 hour drive. I knew this was a possibility to happen since my s... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
The EPS system failed while driving on a major highway. I was in the passing (left) lane, and had to manually steer the vehicle. I had to have the vehicle towed to the dealership. The service department has had the vehicle for almost 2 weeks. They said that when they ran the diagnostic, there was a code. They cleared the code, and drove the vehicle. They were unable to duplicate the incident. The... Read more
THOR MOTOR COACH
PALAZZO
(2016) - STEERING
Jan 13, 2025
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
Electric power steering assist failed. Pictures were taken to demonstrate lack of compliance with GM recall rework procedure.(procedure attached see pages 7&8)The dealer kept the old assembly as there was a core charge of $150 for the unit, which they returned to GM. Truck was extremely difficult to steer and maintain control. Dealership evaluated and said the steering assembly had to be replaced... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
The contact owned a 2024 Honda Civic Hatchback. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V744000 (STEERING). The contact stated that while parking in reverse, the steering wheel seized and lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle then accelerated independently and crashed into a wall where it came to a stop. The driver-side and passenger-side air bags did not deploy. The conta... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
1. Noise from the Front End - Shortly after purchasing the vehicle, I noticed a persistent noise coming from the front end while driving. I reported this issue to the dealership within the first 30 days of ownership, but they were unable to identify or resolve the problem on multiple occasions. Eventually, I took the vehicle to Dublin Volkswagen, where the issue was diagnosed, but I had to pay $80... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was hauled to the residence, where a mobile mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the power steering control module (PSCM) and motor needed... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2025
The vehicle was leased as a new vehicle with 665 miles on the odometer. Immediately upon driving home, I tried activating the ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) feature on the highway and received a "Highway Assist Unavailable Service Required" error message. The vehicle was taken back to the dealership to be looked at and repaired. Waited for the vehicle for about 3 hours till they repaired and tested... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated that after his wife had shifted into reverse and depressed the accelerator pedal, there was an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle and the steering wheel failed to turn to the right or the left. The contact stated that his wife turned off and restarted the vehicle and the power steering functionality had not returned. The... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2025
This has happened twice now, seemingly out of the blue and seemingly since the Honda dealership replaced the car’s faulty starter and torque wheel. The electric power steering light comes on, the steering becomes stiff and the car hard to control. Luckily the first time, it was quick and then went away. I was rounding a corner and the car became difficult to control. I was going between 35-40 ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH or above, the front end and the steering wheel were shaking abnormally. While driving at various speeds, there was a metallic grinding sound coming from the passenger side of the vehicle. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal went to the floorboard and the braking distance became ext... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
This is a MAJOR issue with Ford F150s. I am not sure how this was never a recall. Ford issues a TSB for this but NOTHING is the TSB fixes the issue. There is a major fault in the IWE system that causes the 4x4 to engage randomly causing the truck to have major steering issues. It causes grinding, like metal on metal grinding, the steering wheel locks in place at times and I personally almost die... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the power steering functionality returned. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the power st... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
I did not have an incident(accident), I noticed issues with my car, that seem to be prevalent with other Nissan Vehicles. This report is mostly proactive. I took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection and repair however was unable to come to a conclusion due to multiple inspection charges done by dealer but no fixes. Issue 1. Airbag Fault Warning Light on the dash. Turns on when I start the car... Read more