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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 117,788 complaints - component: STEERING

Incident date: Jun 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving, the steering wheel became loose and grabbed. The vehicle felt like it was traveling into another lane. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V663000 (Steering). While her husband was driving, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the lo... Read more

Incident date: Jan 1, 2026

Noise coming from front driver side suspension or steering column/components. The noise is very light, but sounds like a clunking/rattle and can be felt through the steering wheel. It is intermittent. Because I am unsure what is actually causing the noise, I cannot state whether it is actually part of the suspension system or steering column area. The dealership cannot replicate the noise, so it h... Read more

Incident date: Apr 26, 2026

On XXX at approximately 12:30–1:00 PM, I was backing my Tesla Model Y out of my garage. While reversing, I felt unusual vibrations coming from the vehicle. After backing out, I shifted the car into Drive and attempted to make a left turn. At that point, the vehicle would not turn, and it began producing significant noise and vibration. I exited the vehicle to inspect it for any obvious issues, ... Read more

Incident date: May 30, 2026

power steering locked up while driving. has been inspected and repaired by manufacturer. recall.

Incident date: Mar 29, 2026

power steering locked up while driving. multiple dash lights turned on, on its own after the issue, 4wd, emergency brake, abs, and other ones im not sure what they are. took it to the dealership for a recall and told them the issue that happened.

Incident date: Oct 13, 2025

I went out to start my car and the power steering assist fault came on and wouldn't let me turn the wheel easily. When I looked up the problem the code came back to one of the recalls Ford has on those escape. But now my car is not in the recall but it was made with in the years and the plant the they recalled for

Incident date: May 31, 2026

The Ford dealership completed repairs on my vehicle and returned it by parking it in front of my garage. I have a long driveway and additional parking and needed to park the vehicle somewhere else (maybe 20-30 feet away). I reversed the truck ~20 feet and when I tapped the gas lightly to turn the car left to pull into the parking space it accelerated rapidly. I pressed the brakes repeatedly and th... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: May 22, 2026

When we are driving around small curves as well as straight, the steering locks up. I am reporting as I was told to because this happens in all of these vehicles. If I move the wheel a little bit it comes out of it. This is our main vehicle and it just did it on the interstate going 80. It is a complete safety concern and extremely dangerous to be dealing with it especially when you have your chil... Read more

Incident date: May 31, 2026

The steering wheel of my 2013 ford fusion S.E 2.5 Lm was tightly connected to the steering system until now. It has start wobbling over time and the problem have greatly increased as of 05\31\2026. I fear that if I can’t this problem fixed soon the whole steering wheel will disconnect one day. When I told a mechanic about the problem he told me there was a recall put out by Ford Fusion Motors on... Read more

Incident date: May 25, 2026

The steering at highway speeds sticks. This causes the vehicle to drift left or right until the steering engages to correct. It feels unsafe.

Incident date: Apr 18, 2026

The vehicle has repeatedly lost electrical power while driving. During one incident at approximately 50 mph, the vehicle’s electronics shut off and power steering assist stuttered/lost assist for several seconds, causing reduced vehicle control. During another incident while turning/in a turning lane, the engine and electronics shut off and the vehicle had to be restarted. Afterward, the vehicle... Read more

Incident date: May 28, 2026

I just had the tires road force balanced on a haweka with lug-centric balance, and the steering wheel persists shaking from 55-65 mph. From what I have seen is this is a design flaw on this generation of 4 runners called the shimmy. For a newer vehicle this is not only dangerous, but unacceptable to not be considered for a recall when it is this widespread.

Incident date: May 30, 2026

Abnormal sound when turning the steering wheel specially at stationary state. Notice that steering the wheel feels heavy.

Incident date: May 28, 2026

I am having a terrible problem with the steering wheel, keeping it in the lane along with hearing a loud noise when turning the steering wheel left to right. I only have 63,000 miles on this car. Took it to a dealership and they said it is the Electric Power Assist System. I am finding out there is a recall with this very thing but that my car was not on the list. It should be. I am having this ve... Read more

Incident date: May 29, 2026

I was driving on the highway when my steering wheel pulled to the right and almos made me crash into the concrete retainer, i had to fully stop my van in the middle of the highway The steering wheel locks and pulls to the opposite side where you wanna turn i cant use my vehicle like this i seen that a lot of people are dealing with this problem and is not safe!

Incident date: May 8, 2026

The steering wheel does get stuck while turning sometimes and feels very dangerous. This has happened many times and I felt the recall fixed the issue, but does not appear to have fixed it. I do not feel comfortable with family members and my wife does not even want to drive this car anymore.

Incident date: May 8, 2026

I have a 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV, and I'm experiencing a steering issue. When making left or right turn, the steering wheel does not return to center automatically. This problem has been present since the beginning, and it has gradually been getting worse.

Incident date: Feb 16, 2026

Complete failure of power steering while driving vehicle. Luckily I was almost home, had just exited the highway and was on a side road at low speed. High likely hood i would have crashed on the highway or at speeds greater than I was travelling. Numerous (at least 436 on one site) reports exist of this happening in the 2016 model. A recall exists on the 2015 model for this problem, but did not in... Read more

Incident date: May 27, 2026

Display suddenly says "Steering assistance reduced, drive with care" Temp gauge goes to C and stays there. Radiator fans speed up and stay on after the car has been turned off. Dealer unable to find a diagnostic code for the problem.

Incident date: May 29, 2026

Car completely stalled while on the freeway with no warning, no engine lights, nothing….luckily we were going downhill and were able to pull over to the side safely. Still owe 6k to the finance company but mechanic claimed I needed a new waterpump…after being changed and charged the car still wouldn’t turn on despite the new waterpump….and a bunch of new obd codes showed up & now I need a ... Read more

Incident date: Feb 23, 2026

2019 Chrysler Pacifica. The vehicle has ongoing steering, electrical, and power steering/EPS failures. The steering wheel intermittently jerks/pulls while driving, the vehicle has experienced random loss of steering assist, and the electrical system cuts out or malfunctions during normal use. The steering wheel lights and backup camera guidelines also disappear during driving sessions and only ret... Read more

Incident date: May 29, 2026

My steering is sticking while driving on the highway while the engine is warm and going over 45 mph. We are seniors and generally only drive locally. This is a grave safety issue and has been happening for a while. I am aware that later year Civics have this similar issue and there’s a recall for the expensive steering box but not for ours.

Incident date: May 30, 2026

My steering is a big issue. Yes it is available for inspection if only someone would actually listen and want to truly inspect my complaint. I have a 2024 honda accord ex with just over 18000 miles. I just got the car when it had 16390 miles , just bought it last month. The following day after purchase I went to work which requires me traveling on the interstate and I noticed it right away.. It d... Read more

Incident date: May 29, 2026

I’ve learned a while ago that the vehicle doesn’t have a working horn, I’ve replaced the fuse at least five times and it’s still not working. Yes the car was sold to me this way. Also I’ve been getting this warning to my ford app: “The Blind Spot Information System (BLIS)/Cross Traffic Alert (CTA) has detected a fault and may not function. What Should I Do? If either BLIND SPOT NOT AV... Read more

Incident date: May 2, 2026

While driving in heavy traffic on Interstate 10 west bound, I made a right blinker lane change. Right after complete lane change, vehicle emergency brake applied putting me into a spin and steering was fighting me trying to correct thus causing 2 impacts to a vehicle on side of me. It was light drizzle and dash cam footage is available of vehicle taking control.

Crash

Incident date: May 22, 2026

When driving at parking lot speeds, I hear a clunk sound and I feel some vibration in the steering column. This is not observed at higher speeds. Also, the steering intermittently becomes stiff and at other times is loose.

Incident date: May 29, 2026

The recall for the HBC unit listed under NHTSA recall #24V-896 is a serious safety concern and causes daily issues driving the vehicle. Without a load in the bed the rear-end is very light so the tires spin easily with the loss of traction control associated with this recall. Also during the rain the truck is almost undriveable due to the frequent tire spins while barely using the throttle.

Incident date: May 29, 2026

I am reporting a serious safety defect involving my 2021 Chevrolet vehicle. While driving, multiple warnings appeared including “Service Power Steering,” “Steering Assist is Reduced,” “Service ESC,” and “Service Battery Charging System.” The vehicle then lost steering assist, braking performance became unreliable, and it created a serious risk of crash. The vehicle later shut down ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2024

The steering wheel touch sensors has malfunctioned and whenever the steering wheel is grabbed from the bottom half, the lake keeping assist errors out and the car throws a "travel assist unavailble" in the guage cluster. My steering wheel was replaced under warranty less than a year ago for this issue, it seems to have returned (unfortunately my car is out of warranty now). VW seems to be aware th... Read more

Incident date: May 20, 2026

Manufacturer issued a recall with no remedy. The vehicle stalled and loss power will I was driving on the highway in June 2025. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership for a safety recall regarding this issue. The manufacturer and dealership held my vehicle for 11 months to complete the repair. However, just 5 days after receiving the vehicle back, the engine shut off again while I was d... Read more

Incident date: May 14, 2026

Steering wheel sticks after a period of driving. After 15-20 minutes of driving (especially during warm months), the steering wheel develops a sticky feeling. Instead of smooth corrective steering to maintain the desired direction of travel, the wheel sticks and jerks free only when I apply enough force, which causes the wheel to turn farther than needed, over-correcting the vehicle direction, whi... Read more

Incident date: Jan 6, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Blazer. The contact stated that while driving, a code appeared on the dashboard P0128. When the vehicle's engine was switched off, the engine cooling fan continued to run. Warning light stating the steering would be disable.; however power steering was not lost. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a thermostat failure. The manufacture... Read more

Incident date: Aug 29, 2019

When driving at speeds over 45 mph, the steering wheel gets stuck and more effort is needed to overcome creating an over correction issue. In researching the issue, apparently it is a very well documented issue. There are no warning lights on the dash.

Incident date: Aug 1, 2024

I was driving home, on my way while driving I approached a curve on my way around the curve my vehicle continued to accelerate to the right as I was going around the curve. I tried to redirect the vehicle back to the left by trying to turn the steering wheel towards the left but I could not control the direction of the way the vehicle continued on. Still trying to turn the steering wheel back towa... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: May 27, 2015

Power steering isn’t working

Incident date: Jan 27, 2025

Yes the steering wheels are coming loose on all these trucks. Customers are having to fix their own steering wheels because there are no recalls. I don't believe steering wheels should be coming loose. The only thing they've done to fix it is make it easier to fix on the newer models.

Incident date: May 28, 2026

Every time I drive the vehicle, it basically snatches me back into the lane aggressively. If I am moving into the next lane, the lane correction is so aggressively, I am afraid it is going to cause a collision. The brakes squeak and squeal constantly. They have oiled the brakes but it didn't work.

Incident date: May 5, 2026

The Sta-bar continues to disconnect. Had been in shop 5xs for same issue 2 weeks each time with hopes that they fixed it. Within 500miles after leaving shop it does it again and warning flashes to seek maintenance immediately. There is no obvious reason of why. It will donit when it's dry, when it's raining or snowing. It happens when I first turn car on or it could happen going 70mph on highway. ... Read more

Incident date: May 5, 2026

My abs light and traction light on

Incident date: Nov 24, 2025

I previously reported the safety issue truck pulls to the right after roughly 20 alignments. I leave the keep lane assist off because it exacerbates the safety issue. Recently, while trying to self diagnose the problem, I turned on the system before using an on ramp to I820. While accelerating on the on ram, the keep lane assist caused the truck to swerve left and then right. I immediately turne... Read more

Incident date: May 27, 2026

Electronic power steering failed in a turn, and required a lot of force to make the turn, the eps had water in it after a flood, the part is backordered

Incident date: May 28, 2026

My car is experiencing "sticky" steering during wide sweeping left turns that are long duration at a moderate speed (like highway on-ramps or intersections). Steering sticks when re-centering the wheel after the turn. I would describe it as a brief "stuck" feeling mid-drive where extra effort is needed to get out of turn. It has been happening since 02/2024.

Incident date: Dec 20, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving, especially at slower speeds, the steering when is difficult to returned back to the center. The vehicle was taken to an independent, mechanic where it was not diagnosed or repaired; however, the steering shaft was sprayed with WD-40. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

Incident date: Apr 19, 2026

To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally request that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigate and expand Recall 23V-770 concerning defective steering gear assemblies to include 2022 BMW G42 vehicles. I currently own a 2022 BMW G42 with approximately 20,000 miles that is experiencing the same steering gear failure described in Recall 23V-770. My vehicle is now just ... Read more

Incident date: May 20, 2026

At approximately 31,800 miles, my 2023 Honda Ridgeline failed Massachusetts state inspection due to excessive play in the steering rack. A Honda dealership technician confirmed the steering rack and both inner and outer tie rods required replacement. This vehicle is the same year and model covered under NHTSA Recall 24V184000 (steering gearbox inner ball joint housing detaching from steering rack)... Read more

Incident date: May 28, 2026

When turning or taking corners, sometimes the steering wheel will straight up just be stuck in place and I will have to use extra force to move it. Mazda claims the recall for this has already been performed on my vehicle, but the issue has returned. This confirms the reports I’ve seen where the “fix” Mazda has done on this does not actually fix the problem and makes me worry heavily for my ... Read more

Incident date: Apr 16, 2026

I bought my 2023 Bolt EV new on Dec 2024. Around Jan 2025 I start hearing clicking behind the steering wheel when I turn to make parking maneuvers. By April 2025 the clicking is loud and a common occurrence. The steering no longer returns to center and it is noticeably hard to turn the steering wheel. I brought it to the dealership and was repaired under factory warranty for being a faulty part. T... Read more

Incident date: May 19, 2026

steering is sticky. when maintaining a straight line position on road, it takes effort to adjust the steering wheel to autocorrect the steering. when turning there's a clicking sound as it there isn't enough grease. this is an expensive repair as a honda dealership quoted 4,300 for a 2019 honda crv with 37k miles. just as a side note 2022-2023 models had a recall because of this steering issue

Incident date: Oct 24, 2024

Around 4pm 2/26/2026 my wife was driving southbound on I-65 around Middle River Bridge just north of Mobile AL. We were in the right lane when the car began to hydroplane; she immediately took her foot off of the accelerator and did not apply breaks. I was in the back seat due to a previous day surgery. The rear of the vehicle swayed back and forth a few times as the vehicle drifted. Then it w... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Aug 15, 2025

The steering has a catch in it which makes for jerky driving. When driving to avoid drift and correct travel path the steering has a hard spot which makes it easy to over correct causing safety issues with nearby vehicles and driving on slick roads. I had heard that some crv’s had a recall for this issue but none shows up for this vehicle. This happens frequently when driving and has happened on... Read more

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

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