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: Mar 9, 2026
The contact called for the owner of a 2022 Ram Promaster 3500. The vehicle was taken to be serviced due to a power steering failure. While operating the vehicle, the owner experienced a power steering failure, and the steering wheel was difficult to turn to the left or the right. The messages "Service Power Steering", "Service Hill Assist", "Service Collision Warning", "Blind Spot Alert Unavailabl... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2026
When steering there is noise coming out. When parking or turning wheel all the way to one side it makes weird noise. I see so many complaints about this.
Incident date: Jan 15, 2026
Intermittent loss of power steering.
Incident date: Mar 17, 2026
Vehicle steering wheel was off-center and the vehicle wandered whenever the road changed camber or had rough sections. The vehicle was purchased used from Carvana,. I took it in for 4-wheel alignment and the tech reported that "All adjustment hardware at rear were pretty loose", and stated that it probably left the factory this way as he saw no evidence of prior adjustments. The left rear tire is ... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2021) - STEERING
Mar 18, 2026
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while driving under normal conditions, the vehicle became extremely difficult to steer, and significant physical strength was needed to turn the steering wheel. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (STEERING); and associated the failure with the recall; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was t... Read more
Incident date: Nov 7, 2024
Power steering stopped working.
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
I was driving a 2025 Genesis GV80 loaner vehicle at approximately 65-70mph when I began to hear a loud noise and feel shaking consistent with a tire issue. A tire pressure warning appeared on the dashboard. I immediately slowed down and attempted to safely move to the shoulder of the road. While trying to pull over, the vehicles lane keeping assist appeared to resist my steering input, making it ... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
The front wheel axle makes a clicking noise when turning either left or right. Vehicle has about 10 K miles on it.
Incident date: Feb 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the front ball joint and lower control arm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The contact ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2026
Both CV axles are making cliking noises and popping sounds honda refuses to make repairs
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2013) - STEERING
Mar 18, 2026
Incident date: Feb 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that the steering wheel material had been unraveling. The contact received notification of TSB Number: SB2332003. A Tesla Service Center was contacted via the Mobile App Chat feature, and informed the contact that the vehicle would be repaired at the owner's expense because the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufac... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
Steering is sticky (resistant as though in a notch) when turning the steering wheel to the right or left beyond 30 degrees at highway speeds, or beyond 90 degrees at parking speeds. Issue seems more prevalent when turning left than right. Lane keep assist is off at all times. The steering system issue is a safety concern, as loss of control at highway speeds could cause a crash. Diagnostic by loca... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2023
Left red light on major hwy. Car stuck in first gear. Took MI turn around and no power steering. Limped home in first gear. Internet says there was a recall for 2014-15 Trax for same problems; Dealer says there's not, and told me to drive it there in 1st gear to check it out !
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving over a bumpy road surface at 5-10 MPH or at higher speeds, the front end of the vehicle shuddered significantly. The vehicle was taken to Firestone, where it was determined that the front stabilizer coupling rod had failed. The contact related the failure to Volkswagen Campaign Number: 40R1; however, the VIN was not in... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2022) - STEERING
Mar 18, 2026
Incident date: Dec 27, 2025
My power steering locked up and almost caused an accident. The dealer said they are having trouble with this component (corrosion in plug). I have a fleet of trucks, and I just had the same issue with a 2023 model which I also almost lost control of the vehicle. This is a defect or poor design that needs to be recalled before someone get seriously hurt.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
My vehicle just turned 10 years old. It has a little more than 66,000 miles on it and very well maintained. It was operating fine with no issues up until the day I went to get into it last Friday. I started it up without issue, put it into drive and found that could not steer it. I actually had to have it put on a car carrier and taken to a foreign auto mechanic, who told me that I needed a compl... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2025
My suspension didn't work. It was riding on the frame. The power steering is very difficult to turn. The front control screen is not turning on.
Incident date: Feb 15, 2026
Car makes a knocking noise when turning. It was determined this is a bad CV axel which now needs to be replaced.
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
My 2023 Tesla Model X suffers from severe, intermittent safety system failures. Specifically, the Automatic Emergency Braking and Steering Assist randomly become unavailable while driving. Tesla Service refuses to repair this, claiming they are "unable to replicate" the intermittent alerts. However, the vehicle's history proves severe safety flaws: Tesla previously had to replace the entire steeri... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
I took my 2024 Honda Civic Sport to my local Honda dealership due to concerning issues with the steering. After diagnosing the problem, the dealership determined that the car needed a full steering rack replacement. They contacted Honda, who agreed to cover part of the repair, but I was told I would have to pay $600 out-of-pocket. Given the newness of the vehicle, I believe this is a safety defect... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2026
I own a 2024 Honda HR-V. The vehicle developed a steering problem where the steering wheel becomes unusually stiff and difficult to control. Honda issued NHTSA Recall 24V-744 for defective steering gearbox components affecting 2023-2025 Honda HR-V vehicles. My vehicle was manufactured during the same production period referenced in the recall. However, my VIN is not included in the recall even t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
Steering harder to move; suddenly harder to turn steering wheel.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
Have lost power steering intermittently while driving.
Incident date: Nov 10, 2025
The steering locked up while driving. I was unable to turn the steering wheel. My self and my brother were in the vehicle. At this time, I am contacting the dealer to look at the unit. It will not turn and is stuck in my driveway. I am being told the electronic steering rack may have failed. Why does this not break way and allow some turning like the old hydraulic models? If I had been driv... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
While operating my 2024 GMC Hummer EV at a low speed in a school zone, I came to a complete stop at a stop sign and began making a left turn. As I initiated the turn, the steering wheel suddenly locked and became unresponsive. I was unable to turn the wheel back to the right or regain control of the vehicle’s direction. At the same time, the vehicle did not respond as expected when attempting t... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 16, 2026
On December 23, 2025, at approximately 9:45 AM, I was operating my Tesla Cybertruck with Autopilot engaged under normal driving conditions. There was no inclement weather, the roadway was straight, and visibility was clear. While driving, the vehicle suddenly veered off the main roadway without warning and traveled off-road, ultimately colliding with a tree. The movement was abrupt and not consis... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
I experienced a complete loss of power steering on my 2011 Ford Fusion. Luckily I managed to avoid an accident and had the vehicle towed to my mechanic. When he told me what caused the issue, I looked up all recalls on this vehicle using my VIN for the 2011 Ford Fusion on both Ford's website and the nhtsa.gov website. There was a recall in 2015 for Loss of Electric Power Steering Assist NHTSA I... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while his father was driving at undisclosed speeds, the power steering assist became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. An unknown local dealer was contacted and confirmed there was no recall coverage on the VIN for the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent m... Read more
Incident date: Mar 12, 2026
On Feb. 25th, 2026, while driving at high speeds (about 45 mph), the vehicle suffered a sudden and total loss of motive power. Diagnostic reports(DIACODE: D6121_00000000_01_901) later confirmed a failing 12V battery system with only 37% startability limit. This critical electrical failure coincided with the engine stalling, which resulted in the immediate impairment of electronic power steering an... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2024) - STEERING
Mar 17, 2026
Incident date: Mar 14, 2026
On 3/13/26 we were driving to a location to make a delivery when the steering locked up causing loss of control, the driver was able to correct the van and was able to limp it back to our location, we contacted our dealer Bob Johnson Chrysler in Avon NY where we just dropped it off today 3/17/26 , He stated that he hadn't heard of any issues with that vehicle, but I looked up the cause and saw tha... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C220
(2015) - STEERING
Mar 17, 2026
Incident date: Jan 19, 2026
The contact rented a 2024 Dodge Hornet. While driving 50-75 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound, and the steering wheel was not turning as intended. Additionally, the steering wheel and the front axle were not responding as intended, and constant adjustments were needed; the contact had to grip the steering wheel tightly. The contact stated that the failure increased while turning the s... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2023
The power steering torque sensor went out. It was recalled, the repair was made, but the part is failing again. It is creating a safety issue. Ford won't re-repair. The part they put in is failing again. It has been less than 15 years since they put in the recalled part.
Incident date: Feb 9, 2026
I purchased a 2026 Toyota Camry SE in November 2025. The hybrid battery has stop working several times also the steering system has failed as well. I am told the hybrid battery is defective. Toyota the Manufacture has refused to replace it. I am afraid for my safety.
Incident date: Mar 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that the AC was inoperable. The message “Driving Assist Reduced - Drive with Care” was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the battery. While driving, t... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2025) - STEERING
Mar 17, 2026
Incident date: Feb 27, 2026
The electrical power steering stopped working while in motion was real hard to steer and avoid hitting curbs or vehicles close to our vehicle. It was previously replaced by Ford for the same reason but now it happened again and they are telling me it doesn’t have warranty which is fine but if i buy the part which is not cheap by the way it just going to keep failing after a few years.
Incident date: Dec 26, 2025
Vehicle: Ford Fusion 2011 Component: Steering Mileage: 169600 Description: While driving, the steering suddenly became very heavy and difficult to turn. The steering wheel feels stiff, and in some situations the wheels do not respond properly when turning the wheel. The issue appears related to a worn or failing rack and pinion steering system. This creates a dangerous situation where the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2026
I took my Sentra to Performance Nissan located at 1345 S Federal Hwy, Pompano Beach, FL 33062 and was refused service. They refused to fix the safety recall on my vehicle because of a rebuilt title. I called Nissan Of America and was told regardless of a rebuilt title a safety recall should be fixed by the dealership.
Incident date: Mar 10, 2026
Rattle in the steering column when turning and over bumps.
Incident date: May 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, several unknown transmission codes were displayed on the instrument panel, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that a transmission flush was needed. The vehicle was repaired; however... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
EQB 300 4MATIC
(2023) - STEERING
Mar 16, 2026
Incident date: Jun 26, 2025
I’ve been having some strange steering issues with my car. It feels like I’m driving something with a bent frame, especially when I go over 40 mph. The front driver’s side wheel pulls to one side, and sometimes it feels like the rug is being pulled out from under me. It really freaks me out. I haven’t been able to get a clear answer from any dealers yet, even after taking it to two diffe... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2025
Claim submitted to VW Customer Care on March 8, 2026. Current problems cited include: Doors malfunctioning; vehicle difficult to start and power off; steering and braking warnings; complete loss of power steering; compromised performance in significant lag between accelerator depression and vehicle response; electrical malfunction alerts (17+); numerous dashboard warnings; distressing repetitive... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2026
Steering has seemed sticky since I bought car in July. On Jan. 30 after a 20 min drive on a freeway I entered a long sweeping right turn curve. During the turn the steering when jerked 3 times to the left. If there had been a car next to me, this would have caused a serious accident. Research shows this exact problem was under recall for the 2023-2024 Honda CRV's. Cause faulty EPS gear. Beave... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH, there was a loud sound coming from the vehicle, with the collision warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to go forward or reverse as needed. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware that a metal object had detached from the vehicle near the front driver’s side whee... Read more
Incident date: Mar 14, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70-75 MPH, the vehicle drove over a bump in the roadway, and the front end of the vehicle started bouncing. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and then continued driving 45 MPH with no further issues. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired.... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
EQB 250+
(2023) - STEERING
Mar 16, 2026
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
My steering wheel started to randomly shake while I was driving this car through a car wash that I go through monthly. all of a sudden my wheel locked up and flashing warning signals appeared on my dashboard “SERVICE ESC” making me at a loss of electric power steering assist. I never got in an accident or anything. It just happened while I was driving through a car wash.. I know my vehicle sho... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2026
The steering column in this car has a known defect in the steering column nut resulting in knocking/rattling/clunking. Mazda is aware of this issue and has redesigned the steering column and issued multiple TSBs for specific models, years, and even VINs. Mazda is not classifying this a a safety issue to avoid recall but if the part is to fail it can result in loss of vehicle control and a crash.... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
The electric power assist steering system on my 2022 Tesla Model X began displaying a "Steering Assist Reduced / Steering May Require Increased Effort" warning intermittently beginning in approximately May 2024, shortly after I purchased the vehicle. This warning appeared more times than I can count over the following months. In most instances the warning appeared but the steering continued to fun... Read more
DODGE
CHALLENGER
(2011) - STEERING
Mar 16, 2026
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
While driving the car is unable to switch gears from D to L gear and has no power to accerlerate up hill.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2026
My 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Bison ZR2 (VIN [XXX] ) suddenly lost all power steering, acceleration, and propulsion while driving my children to school at approximately 8:00 AM on March 16, 2026. The truck came to a complete stop with no warning lights or prior indication. This matches the exact ‘critical issue with the engine and transmission system’ alert I received from OnStar Advanced... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2007) - STEERING
Mar 16, 2026
Incident date: Mar 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on three separate occasions, the steering wheel became firm while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, excessive effort was needed to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with a defective power steering rack, and the contact was provided an estimate ... Read more