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 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle using the key fob, the vehicle failed to start. The contact depressed the brake pedal and ignition button, and the vehicle failed to start. The contact was unable to depress the brake pedal to start the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2024
Driving on middle lane of fast freeway with kids in the car. The car began beeping lights of an electric malfunction, a 12v battery malfunction, an ICCU malfunction and then started to slow down all the way to 3 miles per hour and then it stopped in the middle of the freeway. A car behind us almost crashed into us and would have killed us. I feel very u safe and Hyundai will not do anything about ... Read more
TOYOTA
REDUNDANT SIENNA
(2022) - STEERING
Dec 11, 2024
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
Steering is sticking on highway after 30+ mins of driving, same issue as the 2024 Honda Civic that I traded in for this model unfortunately. Issue started at 3,300 miles, just like the Civic. Known steering gearbox (wormwheel) issue.
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
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 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. Parts distribution disconnect... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the steering wheel suddenly became stiff and failed to turn in either direction. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that an appointment was scheduled with the dealer to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel became stiff. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and inspected; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was then taken to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2018
The contact owns a 2025 Honda Civic. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V763000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 24V744000 (Steering) however, the part to do the recall repairs was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while their son was driving approximately 20 MPH attemptin... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 9, 2024
My vehicle suddenly started to have a "sticky" steering wheel. It makes a creeking sound when I turn the wheel and it sounds exactly like what the later model CRV'S are being recalled for. I.feel unsafe when the wheel sticks especially when coming out of a turn. It's not a smooth steering ride anymore and it's super frustrating that it's clearly why the newer onea are being recalled.
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2021) - STEERING
Dec 10, 2024
Incident date: Sep 18, 2024
2013 RAM 1500. The power steering has failed on the RAM. The check engine light came on and produced a code for the ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING MODULE. Have had to leave it sit until the entire rack & pinion with module can be replaced. This occurred around 104,000 miles on truck. Fortunately, was not driving at a high rate of speed or turning when it failed. Because this seems to be a fairly common... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2024
Power steering lost. Difficult to steer. No warning signs displayed prior to incident. Vehicle has been inspected at repair service center, but was unable to get diagnosis. Told it needed to go to dealer. Brake light is also on
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
ESL failed suddenly. This appears to be a common problem with C300 MB. As such it should be part and f a recall as the expense to replace is over $2000.
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
On [XXX] I drove my 2013 Ram Big Horn Crew Cab 4x4 on a 5mile trip, on a cool sunny 70' day, & parked it -I experienced no issues. I returned after 1.5hrs, started truck, & attempted to leave parking space when the steering wheel seized up. After noticing flashing warning light, I shut off & restarted engine several times, but light remained flashing & steering wheel was extremely hard to turn. I... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2024
My 2018 CR-V EX is experiencing a "sticky steering" issue that has gotten noticeably worse over time (I purchased the vehicle new). When driving around long, steady curves, in particular, and typically at speeds in the 40 to 60+ mph range, the steering wheel sticks at that orientation to the point that you can feel it doesn't want to move. When coming out of the curve, or if the turn radius chan... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2024
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 the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2024
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 the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experience... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2023) - STEERING
Dec 10, 2024
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH in a parking lot, the steering wheel failed to move and became inoperable. The steering fault message was displayed after the failure. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering ge... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal popping sound coming from the steering column. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering column became severely loose, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
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 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. Parts distribution disconnect... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2023
This is happened too many times even though in frequent and it is very unsafe when it happens on the open road as the steering will be completely unavailable most likely relative to the eps. No incident yet but that is only because I’m a good driver, but it sure is unsafe and scary and something needs to be done as I’ve read many online people having the same issue with this vehicle
Incident date: Dec 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was started, the steering wheel was intermittently firm. Additionally, the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel locked. The contact stated that the following day while attempting to move the steering wheel, the steering wheel was back to normal. The vehicle was taken... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
Occasionally, the Turn Signals decide to not work for a 5 second period. This is a car that is "stalkless" (meaning there isn't a physical turn signal stalk to press), but rather it's touchpad buttons on the steering wheel. While these usually work fine, occasionally when I depress one, I can feel that it does not press down at all, and the turn signal does not turn on. I view this as a SAFET... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds in a parking lot, the power steering function was inoperable. There was loss in communication with the rack and pinion. The power steering service message was displayed. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, wh... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2025 Honda Civic. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V763000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 24V744000 (Steering); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not expe... Read more
Incident date: Nov 14, 2024
What sense does it make to issue recalls on cars and then there are no parts available to repair the vehicle. When you contact manufacture to get car repaired. There are not parts available nor can they tell you when they may even have. So okay I have an issue with my car but no idea when it can be repaired. This is 2nd recall for my car last one my steering rack had failed. That one too no one ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2024
Since we purchased the vehicle back in 2019, the truck would stall and want to shut off during driving on and off. We received the recall information back in August and were told to call and make an appointment to service the recall. Back in August they said they didn't have enough parts in stock to service the recall and they would call me when more parts became available. Now we are in December ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
Two components failed safety inspection: 1. replace steering wheel assembly. Steering gear is faulty. 2. Alignment- 4 wheel alignment- required with steering gear replacement. Yes, available for inspection upon request. Diagnostics ran 12/9/2024. This is a repeat problem as this occurred in 1/2023, as well. Safety concern: I am a single mom and three instances while my child was in the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
I purchased this vehicle in January 2014 and it’s been giving problems since then. I have replaced the gas cap twice because it always gets stuck and I’m unable to open the door. I spoke to the Honda dealer where I purchased and they told me to contact American Honda. I have replaced my tires twice because once it blew on the freeway and the other time on the street out of nowhere. I’m curre... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V744000 (STEERING); however, the part to do the 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. Parts distribution disconnect.
Incident date: Jan 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Honda HR-V. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V744000 (Steering) and 23V782000 (Seat Belts); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to steer while driving. An unknown local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was significantly... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated 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 confirmed that the VIN was not i... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2024) - STEERING
Dec 9, 2024
Incident date: Nov 20, 2024
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 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. Parts distribution disconnect... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The contact researched and was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer wa... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2014) - STEERING
Dec 9, 2024
Incident date: Dec 8, 2024
•What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Unknown •How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Van completely shuts down, lights on dashboard shut off, can’t not accelerate or brake, and hazard lights do not turn on. •Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Problem could ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering assist functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V8... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2024
I was driving 68 MPH down the highway when my car threw a Power Stearing Assist Fault, I almost hit head on with a Semi but was able to hit my E break and put the car in neutral to get back over to my side fo the road. I had to have the car towed, my mechanic said there was a recall on the Electric Power Assist System. the Reference number is 14v286000. I called the ford dealship and explained to ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2024
Steering wheel makes clacking noise when turning left or right, especially if making sharp right angle turn or when parking. I think I noticed it first in early November 2024 while parking. Since then it has been occurring with greater frequency as well as both directions. I called a repair shop 2 weeks ago & was told it was a common problem with Hyundai's. I went to a different repair shop las... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2020
On Saturday, [XXX], vehicle was at a T-intersection, in normal drive mode (not FSD) waiting for traffic to pass to enter roadway from side road. Vehicle suddenly started to go backwards. Had to press on the brake to stop. Rebooted the car and the error happened again. Tried to reverse from the intersection to be able to stop the vehicle in a safe location, but steering (drive by wire) was not work... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2024
Kia has identified an issue with the steering wheel coupler. The coupler wears and erodes and causes the steering wheel to shake violently while braking. My 2013 Kia Optima has recently experienced this issue. Kia has extended their warranty from 5 years to 10 years for this issue but did not offer any notices to vehicle owners. Kia does not currently have a resolution for vehicle owners who we... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2024
I am experiencing the loss of Power Steering I have the Electronic Power Steering issue that a lot of people are having. I have been to 2 mechanics and one being the dealer that says the power steering is faulty and its the same issue that a lot of others are having but Ram tells me that my truck is just out of the recall dates by a couple months and there is nothing they can do they say so I am r... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V763000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact also received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V744000 (Steering) and it was confirmed by the local dealer that there were no parts yet available for the recall repairs. The local deale... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle became difficult to maneuver and the rear wheels were intermittently inoperable with the transmission experiencing hard downshifting. The failure occurred on several occasions. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The contact researched a... Read more
HONDA
ACCORD HYBRID
(2023) - STEERING
Dec 9, 2024
Incident date: Dec 6, 2024
As I’m driving my lane assistant sometimes not picking up the lines and as I’m a little bit of a distance away, it’ll say that I’m over the line. I’m not near.
Incident date: Nov 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Honda CR-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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect... Read more
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2018) - STEERING
Dec 9, 2024
Incident date: Nov 12, 2024
While driving over 50mph, I encountered issues with stablization where the steering wheel would violently shift left and right, and the vehicles front tires were wobbling uncontrollably until lowering speeds below 30mph. After the dealer replaced the steering damper, I ran into this problem again but much worse as I was driving 70mph on the Interstate. After almost losing control multiple times I... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel intermittently failed to return to the center and excessive force was needed to bring the steering wheel back to center. The contact also stated that the vehicle hesitated with an abnormal cranking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated there was no warning light illumin... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) - STEERING
Dec 9, 2024
Incident date: Dec 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4XE. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V720000 (Electrical System); 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 that at start-up, the power steering, stability control, and check engine war... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2024
Steering wheel began erratic movement from right to left causing vehicle to swerve in a deadly fashion. Steering wheel continues to whip from right to left while sitting still on side of road. Vehicle cannot be safely driven at any speed without the risk of losing control.
Incident date: Dec 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback. 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2024
Driver side control arm while driving separated. I heard a loud thump and then the front driver side portion of the vehicle drop down. After further investigation, I have seen numerous vehicles have this exact same issue on multiple forums. I’m glad that I was going slow when this happened because it could’ve been catastrophic if I would’ve been going faster. How is this not a recall?
Incident date: Nov 28, 2024
My ESC randomly comes on. Service parking brake message comes on intermittently. Messages pop a up saying steering wheel assist limited, drive with care. Again, all of these are intermittent but when they happen my steering wheel locks up. Even mid turn. Being intermittent it doesn’t always happen and weather seems to affect when it happens, or that’s a coincidence.