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
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2018) - STEERING
Jan 17, 2026
Incident date: Dec 9, 2025
internal mechanical failure of the piston rings and cylinder walls. Misfire on Cylinder #2. Further testing revealed that Cylinder #2 is at 80 PSI, which is significantly below the manufacturer's specification. A subsequent leak-down test showed a 90% loss of pressure with air escaping through the oil filler hole. The issue stated above can cause severe mechanical failure of piston rings and c... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2025) - STEERING
Jan 17, 2026
Incident date: Jan 17, 2026
While driving at highway speeds my vehicle lost steering the radio and the hvac turned off. I had abs and brake lights on the dash as well as a service stabilitrac message. The vehicle completely shutoff and I almost had an auto accident. I have not taken it anywhere as I’m to afraid to drive it for fear of having an accident.
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
While approaching a stop sign at a speed of less than 10mph with my wife and three small children in the car, the engine shut off and the steering/braking became degraded. I was able to restart the car after stopping, but the auto start / etorque does not appear to be working any more. I will be dropping the car off for diagnostics, but after some research this appears to be a common issue which... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
On July 9th, 2025, our car's engine failed. It was discovered that it was due to the safety recall 23S64 (Engine Oil Pump Failure). We were ill advised by Ford motor company customer relations specialist and ended up paying almost 1,000 for a rental car that should have been covered by the recall. We waited almost 5 months, to receive the car back fixed. It took us begging for the car to be shippe... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
Yesterday I went to pull straight out of my parking spot after I switched from park to drive and the steering was completely locked up, so I put it in reverse to get back into my parking spot .I then put it back into park, turned the truck off waited for a few seconds turned it back on and it was fine to drive home . No service lights came on.
Incident date: Dec 12, 2025
Power steering return line ruptured in cold weather causing loss of steering.
Incident date: Dec 8, 2025
While driving my vehicle at normal highway and city speeds, I noticed a serious steering issue where the steering wheel feels excessively loose and unresponsive. The vehicle does not track straight and constantly drifts left and right, requiring continuous steering corrections to keep it within the lane. The steering feels vague and unstable, as if there is excessive play in the steering system. A... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
As I was about to pull into my driveway my accelerator did not respond to braking I was going very slow about to make a left turn , less than 10mph Just As I started the left turn the wheel became unresponsive and the accelerator did not deccelerate At the same time my control panel seemed to glitch/flash I put both feet on the brake and stood on it as the truck continued forward until it struck... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Was getting a steering assist reduced error code. Auto stop quit functioning and air conditioning stopped cooling. Engine sounded like a jet. P 0128 thermostat error code came up and had to be replaced. I see lots of similar complaints. Cost me $700.
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
The defect involves the front suspension and/or steering system of a new 2026 Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Symptoms—persistent front-end clunking/thunking (primarily driver-side), steering instability, and vibration—began immediately upon delivery in late 2025, with Tesla notified same afternoon as delivery. The vibration now begins aroun... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 1969
When turning my vehicle I hear a clicking & cracking sound in the cv joints of the car. It happens in both directions. This can be a safety issue when driving if the axial or CV joints fail. It could put myself, my family & other people on the road in danger if this happens & the joints go out or fail. NO warning lights it just happened over time. the car has only 14000 miles at the time of this c... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2022) - STEERING
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Jan 16, 2026
My VIN had the steering recall performed, but the welded drag link, which was the "remedy." At the time, it prevents alignment. The vehicle is now non-serviceable. I called Dodge requesting authorization for the updated adjustable drag link and alignment under recall remediation, and was told there is nothing they can do. This is incorrect. I called them four (4) times and was hung up on each time... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
While driving slowly in a parking lot and without striking any object, my 2023 Lexus RZ 450e experienced a catastrophic front right suspension failure. The suspension failure caused separation of the CV axle, detachment of the front right wheel assembly, and an immediate loss of steering control. The vehicle became inoperable and required towing. Fortunately, this occurred at low speed and no inju... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
A critical front suspension component failed on my 2023 Tesla Model Y without any accident, misuse, or external damage. While backing out of my garage at low speed, a loud “BAM” occurred — the front lateral link bolt fell off, detaching the lateral link and causing the front body to drop onto the tire. My child was inside the vehicle. Tesla-certified technicians inspected the vehicle and se... Read more
TOYOTA
CAMRY HYBRID
(2026) - STEERING
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Dec 5, 2025
To: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Subject: Safety Complaint – 2018 BMW M550i Driver Assistance System I am filing a formal safety complaint regarding a dangerous malfunction of the driver assistance systems in my 2018 BMW M550i. These systems behave unpredictably and cannot be reliably disabled, creating an unsafe driving condition. The vehicle’s driver assistance f... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2026
Sudden loss of power steering first occurred in early 2025. Truck was towed to nearby auto shop and it was deemed that the eps system had failed. Geico deemed I was not at fault and that it was likely due to moisture getting in the system. The steering rack and pinion was replaced with insurance and then in January 2026, the same issue occurred again despite not throwing any previous check engine ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2025
Action required steering assist reduced and coolant temperature at 0. Air con blowing hot and check engine light on. The vehicle became hard to handle and keep in my lane on the interstate at high speeds. The problem has persisted. It has not been recitfied. I am not driving the car to avoid damage and danger. I bought the blazer on 1/6/26. The lights and issues began 8 days later. Dealership will... Read more
JEEP
WRANGLER 4XE
(2024) - STEERING
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Nov 1, 2025
Took the car into a mechanic for shaking in the steering wheel while driving and shaking/ grinding noise coming from steering wheel while car is idle. Mechanics confirmed it is a power steering assist fault. This causes a safety concern when driving due to a possible loss of steering and harder to control.
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
Alt/Gen failure stopped the truck in the middle of an intersection No transmission power steering lights. Had to walk back home to charge the battery in a driving rain storm leaving the truck in the intersection.
CHEVROLET
TRAILBLAZER
(2024) - STEERING
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Jan 12, 2026
Check engine light came on and when we had it tested with the OBD‑II scanner it came back with a Fuel system wiring harness corrosion Emission control module software updates Transmission shift issues.
Incident date: Dec 30, 2025
The lane assist system causes unintended steering intervention, actively pulling the vehicle toward hazards and off the roadway. The vehicle forcefully steers toward turning lanes, skid marks, and normal road markings, creating a serious safety risk. This behavior occurs at speed and is terrifying and dangerous. The same behavior occurred in a Range Rover loaner vehicle of a different model, indi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
Vehicle will suddenly shutdown in the middle of the road. This could easily have caused a crash at any time. Several batteries have been replaced due to alternator not charging the battery. Then the battery has to be jumped for emergencies. I have taken the car in for repairs of the recall twice. I was told that the front end would come off and parts would have to be replaced because of the age o... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The power steering failure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with STRG shaft torque failure. The contact was informed that the STRG shaft torque needed to be repl... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
This is the second time in the last 45 day that we have had a report of the front end "popping". We took 1 vehicle to Nissan of Murfeesboro and they replaced both front shaft assemblys. This vehicle was taken to Newton Nissan and they had to do the same repair on this vehicle. I have 12 of the year, make model in our fleet and have serious concerns
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2020) - STEERING
Jan 16, 2026
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. While attempting to start the vehicle, the steering wheel was locked, preventing the remote start feature from functioning as designed. The vehicle was towed to the residence and was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 145,000.
Incident date: Dec 15, 2025
All factory setup. Vehicle will get death wobble due at highway speeds. There was a recall for steering related issues.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
Clunking sound from front of car when turning. Dealer inspected vehicle and reported that this is a known issue related to CV joint/ axle but parts to resolve are back ordered or unavailable. Vehicle has less than 5500 miles.
Incident date: Apr 18, 2023
My vehicle all of a sudden showed a "power steering assist fault," luckily it was parked. This is a problem with the 2012 Ford Fusion and I called Koon's Ford in Baltimore to see if this would be covered since my vehicle has never had steering issues before. They said yes, but after a couple days they called to tell me that Ford denied the claim since it is outside of the ten year warranty window.... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V514000 (STEERING); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2026
The software for the ProSystem is flawed. When using the "lane keeping" part of the software, the vehicle, during a curve, will go to the left or right solid or dotted line, as appropriate, and exceed that limit by at least 2 feet, then sharply turn and go to the opposite solid or dotted line and exceed that limit by at least 2 feet. The vehicle will then oscillate between the two line for up to ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2026
Three major problems stand out: faulty CV joints/axles that produce loud clicking or knocking noises when turning, false activations of the automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, which I had to turn off, and high-voltage system failures that can disable charging or limit performance. Other concerning issues include steering malfunctions, infotainment system blackouts, USB-C not connecting, batt... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
I was driving in the far right lane on the Van Wyck Expressway when suddenly my steering wheel locked up on me along with the following error messages displayed on the odometer: 1. Collision mitigation braking system problem. See your dealer 2. Road Departure mitigation problem. See your Dealer 3. Low Speed braking control problem. See your Dealer. 4. Electric Power Steering problem. Steering as... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2026
Ive been noticing a significant lag sometimes when I press the gas pedal. It last just a couple seconds. This could possibly become something bigger. Will update of it gets worse. Also the cruise control doesn't hold the set speed it stays 1 or 2 miles under.
Incident date: Jan 15, 2026
I’ve heard all the horror stories about faulty electrical issues. I’m chasing an issue now on my 2018 with ONLY 87,000 miles after spending a bunch of money on batteries hub assemblies random control modules to try to fix an issue of stabilitrak, traction control, abs, trailer brakes, power steering etc all going off every 3 seconds. Grounds have all been re done to bare metal nothing is fixin... Read more
JAYCO FIFTH WHEEL
NORTH POINT
(2024) - STEERING
Jan 15, 2026
Incident date: Nov 3, 2025
Power steering failed, there is a recall (15S18/15V340) that was done in Jan 2017 but all they did was electrical reprogramming. My power steering system (referenced in the recall) mechanical issues failed and I took the vehicle to Ford and Ford Corporate denied the recall claim. I called Ford Recall department on 1/15/2026 at 4:36PM CT and requested to speak to a manager and got connected with ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2026
While driving the car an alert pops up with a red steering wheel and an exclamation point. The console states "Power Steering Unavailable Service Required". I brought the vehicle to a dealer and they stated they thought it was from low voltage due to a bad battery. They returned the car and the issue happened again. Oddly the you get the symptom first. Then you see an alert saying "LaneSense ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 28, 2025
This recall has been going on for over three months. I have canceled vacations and other trips due to the severity of this recall. I haul a truck camper and I do disaster relief/recovery with several groups. I use my truck to get there and sleep in my camper due a lack of resources during a disaster. This recall has prevented me from responding. Ford has given no indication of when this is to ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
The power steering has failed and the rack and pinion needs replacement. Altho there was a recall they will not honor me to fix Bec they said it was over mileage. This is a safety concern bec the vehicle cannot be driven safely without power steering. It can cause you not to be able to turn fast enough or move from on coming traffic. I almost hit another vehicle trying to turn onto road. Have had ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
Steering angle sensor has malfunctioned, sometimes when i turn the traction and stability control completely turns off, abs randomly activates while im driving.
Incident date: Dec 23, 2025
Intermittent sticking sensation at 11 and 1 o’clock
Incident date: Nov 14, 2025
I am experiencing a steering defect in my vehicle that closely mirrors the condition described in Recall No. 6524A, although my specific vehicle VIN is not currently included in the recall. While driving, particularly at highway speeds, the steering wheel intermittently becomes difficult to turn and appears to “stick.” During one incident, I was traveling approximately 55 mph on the freeway w... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2026
I experienced electrical issues that resulted in loss of steering and difficulty turning my 2021 Jeep Cherokee Laredo. The steering became very hard to turn, and warning lights were present. This created a safety concern because the vehicle was difficult to control. I took the vehicle to an authorized Jeep dealership in Midwest City, Oklahoma. The dealership diagnosed the issue as a fuse array and... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
Vehicle showed all defect warnings as described in recall #23v652 .To include loss of all hydraulic components. Your reference Claim # [XXX]. I would like to know the status of this claim as the dealer still has my vehicle and now claims needs chassis repair , even though they earlier did an undercoat of vehicle in July per another recall. The dealer now estimates the repairs at over $5800 . Sinc... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2023) - STEERING
Jan 15, 2026
Incident date: Jan 9, 2026
Vehicle: 2025 Honda Prologue Location: Sacramento, California Date of Incident: [XXX] What failed or malfunctioned The vehicle experienced a sudden loss of directional stability involving the steering system, brake-by-wire system, and electronic stability control (ESC). Steering and braking inputs did not produce proportional vehicle response. What happened While driving under normal conditio... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 3, 2025
The steering tramlines, the steering pulls the car when the road surface is uneven so you have to hold on to the steering wheel pretty tight at all times as it could pull you into a dangerous position at any time.
Incident date: Feb 5, 2025
NHTSA SAFETY COMPLAINT – VEHICLE DEFECT Vehicle Information Year: 2023 Make: Honda Model: Civic Component: Steering System Recall Received: Yes – January 2024 Description of the Problem In January 2024 I received a manufacturer recall notice regarding a steering defect on my 2023 Honda Civic. Prior to and after the recall notice, I experienced repeated steering failures including the s... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 8, 2026
I'm not exactly sure on what happened but when using the lane stay assist it doesn't read the lines correctly causing the car to abruptly jerk in a unexpected direction! doing this during certain scenarios would cause an accident for sure. also the headlight auto switching for high beams malfunctions often causing the lights to flicker
Incident date: Jan 10, 2026
I'm sure this is not the first complaint you all have received, and this is not my first attempt at reaching out. My 2014 Laramie Longhorn power steering light comes on when the truck is started, and once the vehicle warms up the light goes out. This has been an issue with the electric power steering in this particular year model. I am unsure why another investigation and or recall have not bee... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2025
I am getting a clunking in the steering column.. I feel that my vehicle may be unsafe to drive.. Upon inspection it was brought to my attention that kia had known of a problem with a coupler in the steering that goes bad..they have extended the warranty.. But only for cars purchased in certain states. I feel that this problem should be covered...
Incident date: Jan 13, 2026
I would like to file a complaint against American Honda Motor Company. My 2024 Accord Hybrid experienced a steering wheel sticking issue at 30,000 miles, but the steering rack assembly was replaced free of charge under warranty. However, after another year and reaching 60,000 miles, the same problem reappeared—the steering wheel is sticking again, especially noticeable when driving on the highwa... Read more