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: Jan 6, 2026

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, he observed a burning odor in the cabin of the vehicle, and the steering wheel became stiff, requiring significant effort to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and restarted on several occasions. However, over time, the failure reoccurred more frequently... Read more

Incident date: Jan 6, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn to the left or the right. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering module needed to be replaced. The mechanic adv... Read more

Incident date: Nov 6, 2024

Brand new car Engine light also went on and off 3 or more times in one day, car had a charging failure wouldn't charge - Sold me an unsafe vehicle to drive - shaking tires, steering wheel, Car also has 13 codes including engine and transmission failure communication codes - multiple attempts to resolve the matter and the service team wanted me to sign a release of liability and were refusing to ... Read more

Incident date: Dec 31, 1969

The steering on my 2017 Chrysler Pacific sticks at the 11 and 1 position. It causes me to over steer while driving down the road or on the interstate and then it feels like the vehicle is swerving and I have to hold the steering wheel tight. Usually before this the service electronic stability control will come on and lately the service airbag light has been coming on all at the same time. All ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 5, 2026

loss of EPS, no the vehicle has not been inspected yet, no prior symptoms . drove vehicle to store and parked in parking lot, when returned to vehicle, no power steering with warning lamps

Incident date: Dec 9, 2025

I was driving at 45 miles an hour. With no warning, the car had 28 warnings pop up and it just died with no warning. No power steering, no brake assist at all, no lights (not even emergency light would turn on). I was not able to put it into neutral so I was just stuck. Ford roadside was not able to get moving so I was just stuck. I called a tow and it was dragged up. The dealer determined it was ... Read more

Incident date: Oct 19, 2025

The vehicle's steering and suspension are making a clicking noise at the CV joint. There are no clear dashboard signs or error indicating that there is an issue with the vehicle. It started a couple months ago and I see that it is a common issue in Honda prologue coming from Chevy component reuse.

Incident date: Jan 4, 2026

i hit a curb going about 10mph the axel bent and the whole wheel pop off with the shock and everything. it totaled the car i’ve tried to report to honda no reply

Crash

Incident date: Oct 31, 2025

Vehicle has 11,500 miles on it and constantly pulls to the right. Pulls harder under hard acceleration, requiring steering correction when accelerating hard and again correcting when backing off the accelerator. Have had to dealer multiple times. They claim they can't fix. Correcting to the left under load and back to the right can cause car to weave at highway speeds and cause it to be unstab... Read more

Incident date: Jul 25, 2025

Vehicle Information: Make: Jeep Model: Wrangler Model Year: 2007 VIN: [XXX] Safety Recall Information: NHTSA Campaign ID: 16V-290 Manufacturer Recall Number: S33 Component: Airbag / Clock Spring This recall was previously performed by a dealership in February 2021; however, the vehicle is now experiencing the same symptoms the recall was intended to address, indicating the safety defect has reo... Read more

Incident date: Dec 16, 2022

When accelerating and turning left or right at the same time there is a severe clicking sound coming from the CV Joints sounds like they are cracked. This started to happen at 3500 miles. Brought it into the Honda dealership Service Department and they said it was a known issue and there was not a fix. Contrary to the research that I have done about this issue and Honda has been replacing these wi... Read more

Incident date: Jan 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4XE. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH and entering the highway, the steering wheel failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the steering wheel finally loosened, and the contact was able to turn the steering wheel. Another driver swerved to avoid a crash, and rocks cracked the front windshield. While driving, there was an abnormal smo... Read more

Incident date: Nov 22, 2025

New vehicle. At 935 miles on odometer, displayed “Service Power Steering” “No Assist Soon” message on dash. Contacted OnStar and was advised of potential loss of power steering & advised to take car to dealership. Car spent 10 days in service to have a new steering gear installed at GMC dealership.

Incident date: Sep 23, 2025

While driving at approximately 65 mph on I-35 in moderate traffic, the vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of motive power. I was positioned in the far-right lane at the time of the incident. A notification message appeared on the dashboard screen (likely the "Stop Safely" or "Service Hybrid System" warning); however, there was no accompanying audible warning tone to alert me to the sev... Read more

Incident date: Oct 21, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel), 25V626000 (Steering), and 25V686000 (Back Over Prevention); however, parts to do the recall repairs were 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 manu... Read more

Incident date: Nov 28, 2025

About 1000 feet after merging onto a 4 lane freeway with sparse traffic, we were driving the car in the 3rd lane from the right. Suddenly the car's steering wheel took a hard right turn, forcing the car through multiple other lanes and onto the shoulder of the freeway, through an unpaved area, nearly colliding with freeway signs. I was able to regain control of the car before a collision and get b... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Jul 1, 2025

The electronic power steering (EPS) is struggling, requiring increased driver effort to steer. This seems to be dangerous when driving. The Full Self Driving (FSD) capability also stops abruptly when the steering locks up. Again, this is very risky and can cause serious accidents. I see that several owners have posted on social media about this same issue. Note, that there were recalls issued rela... Read more

Incident date: Jan 5, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Harley Davidson RH1250S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V590000 (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 available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact notifie... Read more

Incident date: Jul 3, 2025

The contact owns a 2023 Harley Davidson RH1250S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V590000 (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 contact not... Read more

Incident date: Dec 26, 2025

Steering it getting stuck when Turing from left to center. It also make brake squeaking.

Incident date: Dec 9, 2025

I feel unsafe in vehicle at times when driving. the vehicle stalls sometime when taking off after you have stopped at a light and press on gas it sort of hesitates then goes. I had someone else test it out and they say the same thing, also purchased vehicle from Carvana and dont think they inspected this car because the first day it was delivered I had smelled gas or burning inside the car cabin w... Read more

Incident date: Dec 20, 2025

On Monday 12/29/2025, while driving my 2021 Tesla Model Y on the highway at approximately 70 mph returning from DTW Airport to my home with my children in the vehicle, the steering suddenly locked / the steering wheel would not turn. I was able to pull over to the shoulder. There were no warning lamps or warning messages displayed before or during the failure. After pulling over, I powered the ve... Read more

Incident date: Sep 28, 2025

Service Power steering warning message popped up while driving and lost all control of steering in vehicle. Very dangerous situation while moving

Incident date: Dec 12, 2025

My 2022 Subaru Forester Sport, <24,640 miles, suffers from persistent, life-threatening safety failures. Thick white exhaust is present in every temperature, and a heavy burning smell fills the cabin during acceleration regardless of outside temperature. I have been dealing with these failures since March/April of 2023. My car was in a rear-end collision in May 2023 and was repaired at an authoriz... Read more

Incident date: Jun 2, 2025

The electronic power steering rack failed. We have had consistent temperatures near 0°f, with highs rarely above freezing for the past couple weeks. The motor and circuit panel for the steering rack built up enough water to freeze solid and completely lock the steering, luckily in the yard so I didn't have to go get my wife from work. But I've had to sideline my work both to work on it, and so my... Read more

Incident date: Oct 24, 2025

When doing a sustained turn at highway speeds of 50+ mph, the steering wheel sticks and does not return to center. I had to forcefully return the wheel to center which caused a jerk in the steering. This happened 10+ times on a recent road trip I took (200 miles). I brought the car to Mazda afterwards and they are replacing the steering rack.

Incident date: Jan 2, 2026

When driving normally on wet paved city roads (it had recently rained but not currently raining), my truck suddenly lost power steering and the warning messages came on to service power steering and stabilitrak systems. Traction control lights also came on. The next morning, I tried starting the truck again, and the power steering came back temporarily before losing it again and service messages... Read more

Incident date: Jul 18, 2025

The heating steering wheel had an electrical short in the heating element where it began to melt the rubber of the steering wheel and start smoking. This became very hot where it could burn my hand. I was forced to pull over immediately to diagnose the problem before anything else could burn. The smoking stopped when I tuned off the heated steering wheel.

Incident date: Dec 27, 2025

I am reporting a serious steering safety issue. I was told a steering recall had already been fixed before purchase. About four months later, the steering wheel began locking or strongly resisting movement while driving on curvy roads at speeds over 50 mph. When this happens, the wheel does not return to center and requires force to correct, creating a loss of steering control. I took the vehicle... Read more

Incident date: Dec 1, 2024

Vehicle has less then 700 miles. Upon driving vehicle, the dashboard started losing information, no speedometer. When I tried to pull the truck over to the side of the road, the power steering was lost. It was nearly impossible to turn the wheel, then the engine stopped. I was unable to turn on blinkers or hazard warning lights. When I put the vehicle in park to try a restart the engine would not ... Read more

Incident date: Dec 5, 2025

Heated steering wheel suddenly became too hot with no adjustment option. Minor burning on hands. Turned off the function. Driver heated seat suddenly became too hot, turned down to low but still too hot, caused burns requiring medical attention.

1 injured

Incident date: Jan 1, 2026

The jeep lost power while I was driving. The lights stayed on but jeep came to a stop. I touched the key area and it started running again.

Incident date: Sep 17, 2025

Steering wheel lock up

Incident date: Dec 10, 2025

Steering sticking driving approximately 40 mph when on slight turns. Happens frequently and seems very unsafe. No warning, just happens.

Incident date: Sep 1, 2025

Power steering high pressure line leaking on exhaust and almost caused fire Dangerous. Lines need to be recall or replace

Incident date: Jan 3, 2026

Safety Complaint: Engine Stall/Loss of Power at Highway Speeds – 2014 Chevy Equinox Incident Details: • The Failure: While driving, the vehicle suddenly stopped responding to the accelerator. I was forced to navigate through highway traffic to the shoulder with no engine power. Once stopped, the vehicle would not restart. • Warning Signs: Leading up to the event, the Check Engine light and ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 1, 2025

I was driving down the highway, when my power steering failed it almost caused me to crash. I took it into a ford dealership and they are refusing to honor code 15S18 to replace the power steering box. Stating that it’s past warranty but for a safety recall it should not have an expiration date please help make this right.

Incident date: Nov 22, 2025

I currently have a 2016 Chev Colorado with a intermittent power steering issue. It stops sometimes without warning in which it makes it very difficult to drive especially if you have no warning to this issue. I am sure this is a extra unsafe condition to deal with. I have seen that the 2015 was recalled for the same issue. I have seen many complaints while researching this issue with exactly the s... Read more

Incident date: Sep 4, 2025

The car is making a knocking sound while driving at low speeds (ex. Pulling into the garage, reversing into a parking spot) while turning the wheel. The 2023 Pilot is currently at the dealership being inspected. I have come across many other posts, with video, confirming this exact sound with the same assessment - all pointing to the steering rack (although some fixes only being temporary so the p... Read more

Incident date: Dec 30, 2025

November 12, 2025 - Turned on car and immediately noticed multiple system failure notices and very slow ability to brake. Immediately took to dealership - said battery needed to be re-charged. December 9, 2025 - turned on car and once again immediately noticed multiple system failures and very slow ability to brake. Failures were "Brake System Failure, 43 MPH Top Speed, Forward Collision System ... Read more

Incident date: Jan 2, 2026

I am writing to report a serious and ongoing safety issue with my vehicle. While I was actively driving in traffic, my car suddenly shut off completely without warning. This occurred while the vehicle was in motion, creating an immediate and dangerous situation. During this incident, the steering wheel locked up multiple times while I was driving, making it extremely difficult to control the vehi... Read more

Incident date: Dec 1, 2025

Vehicle: 2023 Chevrolet Traverse The vehicle has a recurring safety-critical defect. The steering assist becomes reduced while driving and the dashboard displays the warning message “Steering Assist Reduced – Drive with Care.” At the same time, multiple safety systems such as collision-avoidance functions become disabled. This failure is persistent and creates unsafe driving conditions. The... Read more

Incident date: Dec 18, 2025

A couple of weeks ago My Steering wheel locked up and the codes were reset which unlocked the wheel so i was able to turn it. Mechanic said it was moisture getting to the part and then the power steering light came on & it became Hard to turn the steering wheel while driving. There was no indication of a issue before it started.

Incident date: Jan 2, 2026

I have noticed an audible “clunk” in the steering mechanism for a few weeks. I had the rack-and-pinion inspected by a local alignment shop to avoid a catastrophic failure. On 12/29/2025 while rapidly decelerating from highway speed on a downhill exit ramp, the steering wheel began to shake violently. My personal research has indicated that the steering coupler disk has failed/disintegrated ... Read more

Incident date: Dec 29, 2025

My daughter was driving this car home from college on I80 east from Iowa to joliet and almost was involved in a accident. The stearing started to lean to the left and when she had to slow down and brake the stearing went hard to her left until she released the brake. she pulled over and called me i came out and drove it home slowly. i took it to my mechanic which i thought it was an alignment issu... Read more

Incident date: Dec 29, 2025

Component or system failure: The vehicle experienced failures involving the engine/ignition system, emissions system, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), and power steering. On July 14, 2025, warning messages appeared for “Check Emissions System,” “Check VSA System,” and “Check Power Steering System.” Diagnostics identified engine misfire code P0304 (Cylinder #4). On August 11, 2025, an au... Read more

Incident date: Oct 20, 2025

In the last month my wife and I have 4 experiences with an extreme vibration and wobble in the front end of my jeep while driving on the highway. The vibration is violent and the last time it seemed as if the wheels were going to come off my 2021 Jeep Wrangler. Once I slow down the to a lower speed, 45 mph for example, the wobble stops but it seems to be a problem with many Wranglers based upon ... Read more

Incident date: Dec 25, 2025

Some back info: I keep the auto start/stop feature disabled. There are three identical incidents total. One about a year or two ago and two back to back a few weeks ago. The first time I was stopped at a drive through but in “drive” with my foot on the brake. All of the sudden the car completely turns off. Screens black, engine off. Completely black car no inside lights on. Within a couple... Read more

Incident date: Dec 24, 2025

Once you get over 60 mph the car starts to shake and wobble bad feels like jeep is going to fall apart took to jeep dealer after calling 800-jeep first agent acted like never heard of it then finally confessed it’s referred to as death wobble I will not even ride my kid in jeep going on highway it’s that’s unsafe jeep said it tightened up parts but one week later still happens can’t affor... Read more

Incident date: Jan 2, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 BMW X7. The contact stated that while his wife was driving, the braking system malfunctioned, and the vehicle hesitated to respond upon depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where a software update was performed, and the vehi... 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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