Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 116,327 complaints — component: STEERING
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: Jan 15, 2026
Abnormal sound when turning the steering wheel specially at stationary state. Notice that steering the wheel feels heavy.
Incident date: May 4, 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: Feb 16, 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 1, 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: Apr 15, 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: Mar 13, 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: Feb 27, 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: Oct 1, 2025
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 30, 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 18, 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: Sep 1, 2025
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
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2025) — STEERING
May 29, 2026
Incident date: May 29, 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: Jan 1, 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: Apr 24, 2025
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
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2022) — STEERING
May 29, 2026
Incident date: May 28, 2026
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 22, 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 23, 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: May 20, 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: Apr 15, 2026
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: May 21, 2026
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 18, 2026
Power steering isn’t working
Incident date: May 1, 2026
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: Dec 11, 2025
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 15, 2025
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
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER
(2008) — STEERING
May 28, 2026
Incident date: May 22, 2026
My abs light and traction light on
Incident date: May 23, 2026
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 14, 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 27, 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: May 16, 2023
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: Aug 8, 2025
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 13, 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: Apr 1, 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
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLE 450
(2024) — STEERING
May 28, 2026
Incident date: May 27, 2026
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: May 27, 2026
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
Incident date: Feb 20, 2026
NHTSA ODI Case Update – Supplement to Complaint #XXX Vehicle: 2019 Jeep Cherokee Latitude Plus (VIN: [XXX] ) Subject: Dealership Deflection Tactics and Denial of Recall Repair Verification This statement is submitted to update my ongoing federal safety complaint regarding the catastrophic failure of the Mopar Two-Speed Power Transfer Unit (PTU) and the resulting loss of motive power/r... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2022
For a few years now, my 2018 Honda Civic with less than 50,000 miles has had sticky/notchy steering. The dealer told me the steering rack needs to be replaced for over $4000, but that they didn't want to repair it because a Honda tech was coming to look at these issues. They indicated that they seem to think this should be a recall situation. I have seen many people with the same exact issue, and ... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Ridgeline. The contact The contact stated he experienced knocking in the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with an air compressor failure; however, the issue persisted. The contact also stated another issue is the rearview camera displayed a distorted image. The contact also experienced loss of steering control with the vehicle pu... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2026
I experienced sudden and intermittent loss of power steering. I nearly crashed going around a corner as the steering suddenly required a hard active return to center. I brought the vehicle to my local independent service center where they test drove it and confirmed/experienced similar sudden loss of power steering. No one else has inspected the vehicle. There were no warning lights. The onboard ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while turning in either direction the steering wheel had experienced jerking and sticking. The vehcile was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact indicated that the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2026
The steering wheel locks periodically and I have to get out and re enter my car. On long drives it works pretty fine and does not do this much on highways only once but in hotter weathers it seems to be much much worse. This happened once before the warranty but I did not think much of it. In one instance the steering wheel was so tight that it hurt my wrist while getting off the road
Incident date: May 27, 2026
We purchased a certified preowned 2024 Mazda CX90 yesterday. Within the first 10 minutes of driving off the lot, I experienced tugging, pulling and a sticking sensation of the steering. It first happened when I turned right and took a good amount of force to unstick it, and then it happened maybe 3 more times when making minor adjustments or making turns going left or right. It felt extremely unsa... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2026
22’ Camry LE. Was driving over a bridge that’s undergoing construction, as many areas around me are. There were few lines painted to distinguish lanes. Driving in the right lane when (I’m assuming) Lane Assist suddenly pulled me to the right. Thankfully I caught it before anything had happened, but if it hadn’t, I would’ve gone straight into a concrete barrier at the edge of a bridge on ... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2026
While driving the stereo went off, the ac, the car stopped in middle of the road and I lost all electrical. I tried turning back on and the emergency brake light was on and the dash said "Steering Assist is Reduced, Drive with Care.” I was able to put it in neutral and get it out of the way. Battery is good Fuses were all checked 350 replaced Car isn’t starting or Turing over, but some of ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 20, 2026
Steering rack needs to be replaced per dealership. Reported loud clunking noise when turning. Not covered under warranty. Was told it was regular car maintenance. 49k miles with bumper to bumper expired a month before complaint. Have noted in forums multiple complaints for same issue yet jeep refuses to cover.