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 49,040 complaints — component: STRUCTURE:BODY
Incident date: Jan 23, 2024
The front doors release button are designed and placed on the car door which can open as soon as your knee unintentionally touches the button. This poses a risk of opening the doors while the car is in motion.
Incident date: Oct 27, 2023
Issues with corrosion around door and hood hinges which risk weakening the structural strength of these panels. This issue is caused by the manufacturing process of using dissimilar metals and is a well documented issue with these vehicles
Incident date: Jan 12, 2024
The auto opening passenger side door was only opening half way and stopping. Aware that there might be a component that prevented proper function we stopped the door by using electric eye and opened the door manually. This worked fine. We were traveling when this issue started. When we returned home I was unloading the van. It opened half way and started to close. I stood in the door to get i... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
The paint on the hood and roof have been peeling and metal is now exposed. There appears to be a primer or paint defect. This occurred 4 years into owning the vehicle. Kia connect and dealership refuse to do anything since they said paint warranty is only for 3 years or 36,000 miles. But this is negligence from the manufacturer.
Incident date: Jan 16, 2024
On the drivers side door, all of the rivets / welding have broken off creating a cracking / breaking sound every time the door opens. The door also will not stay open on its own, and often times will not open completely.
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2019) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 22, 2024
Incident date: Jan 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle had collected snow and while opening the trunk, the spoiler fractured. The vehicle was taken to an Auto Body shop, where it was determined that the spoiler needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer was contacted, and a voicemail message was left. The manufacturer was not notified of the failur... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2022
Driver's side door hinge/weld problem. That Ford is aware of and not fixing free of charge! These vehicles are 2020-21! Mileage should not matter, because actually high mileage on a new car should show the door is NOT being used very often, rather there are long journeys in between each use. It is problem, they are aware of it, and they are leaving it up to the customer to repair the vehicles.... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2024
The welding on the driver side door broke for no reason. Since that time it has sprung open for no reason and almost hit another vehicle. It has also slammed shut several times and hit my leg as I have attempted to exit the car.
Incident date: Jan 22, 2023
The driver's side door hinge/arm is broken. Sometimes the door cannot shut, sometimes it is very difficult to open. If this is the same issue as that reported by car and driver [XXX], then whoever drives the car could be at risk of the door coming open while the car is in motion. I took the car to my local Ford Dealer/Repair shop today. They said it isn't an issue they can handle: I have to tak... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2012) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 22, 2024
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
rear sub frame corroded which results in unsafe driving, corroded brake line which results in unsafe driving. blind spot sensor in the bumper is corroded due to no protection against environment.
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
I am experiencing the piping sound on the drivers door arm as mention in the active investigation. I called the dealer and they want $4000 to put a whole new door on. The arm Barack also bust my window clips and now my drivers window will not go down as a result.
Incident date: Jan 21, 2019
Body - constant water leaks in side the font footwells of the car. Sometimes it can be as much as a quart, was taken in to the deal for repair yet is still continues on both passages and driver side. This problem has been note web sites for many years. Electrical - the gauge which indicates the fuel, milage and oil constantly goes of and on. this a short than has been noted on many web sites. Est... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2024
With ambient outdoor temperatures below freezing the front right drivers door latch/lock is frozen and not operable during at least the last 5 days. Also, the manual locking mechanism is unable to be pulled to unlocked at it sits flush with the top of door panel leaving the door not operable. It is clearly frozen as the latch/lock starts working after the truck is allowed to warmup after signific... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TAOS
(2022) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 21, 2024
Incident date: Jan 6, 2024
Suddenly back glass shattered by its own . Just in cold weather . While kid was in back seat .. no reason it happened by its own no gurantee if we replace it won’t happen again . I saw others also complaining same on Acura RDX 2019 same model
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2016) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 21, 2024
Incident date: Oct 16, 2023
Doors on truck will not latch as they freeze in the cold weather. This has been an ongoing issue since 2019. I have brought it to the dealership and they say there is no recalls. I have to use a ratchet strap to keep my door from opening! This is extremely unsafe! When you go under Ford’s site there are other trucks having the same issue and they say to go to the dealership to fix the issue. I... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
At 12pm on 1/21/24 my back windshield shattered. My car was parked and turned off when the explosion happened. I filed a police report and had a police officer look at my vehicle. I tried to reach Honda but they were closed so I will have to call and file the complaint with them tomorrow morning. I did report it with my insurance to get it fixed but I don’t feel comfortable driving the car anymo... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
The dashboard on the 2019 Ram 1500 Limited has a problem with the leather dash covering becoming separated from the dashboard itself bubbling up. Besides looking horrible, this may cause a safety issue with the airbag deployment from the dashboard. I was told that people have been able to get their dashboard repaired because of that reason but not just for the bubbling up of the leather from the... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
Windshield has cracked from cold to hot transition upon vehicle startup without previous cracks or chips affecting said crack line. Available for inspection. Fear of possible windshield failure/full breakage at any given point. Continued cracking during vehicle start up/cold to hot transition happened 4 more times in last 30 days. No dealer, independent service center, manufacturer, police, insura... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2023
A faulty body seam seal allowed rain to enter the body of the vehicle and infiltrate the power tailgate control module. On my vehicle, this produced the error message "Tailgate Problem". The tailgate would fail to open, open part way and then close, or attempt to open at random. There have been reports of tailgates opening while driving as a result of this problem. My dealer replaced the tailgate ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2024
The tailgate will not stay closed. It comes open when driving and sometimes won’t stay closed at all. This is a common problem/recall with this model truck but for some reason doesn’t show up with my VIN #
Incident date: Oct 8, 2023
Water is inside passenger seat and driver side Always is raining water problem
Incident date: May 31, 2023
Please attach this to the previous submission: 11565729 The dealer described it a "hole" where the seam sealer was skipped during production. If they warranty rust holes, why not manufacturing error holes? 12 year rust through warranty. Page 11. Coverage This limited warranty covers any repair or replacement of body sheet metal panels that have been perforated by rust from the inside out. Where ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2024
The vehicle was pulling to the right when driving or breaking. Brought to the mechanic and he discovered that the rear passenger side subframe is totally rotted. Appears to be a common problem with Nissan from my understanding now. He suggested I just trade it in. I don't have that luxury so will attempt to have it repaired. I have looked for a recall and so not see one but I do see numerous... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2024
I had the same door lock actuator failure (door is stuck locked and can't be opened) that was flagged for Caravans through model year 2017 (the model year before). [XXX] Since little changed about these vehicles from 2017 to 2018, I'm guessing that might've just been an issue of insufficient data, so I wanted to document this failure that still may be occurring in later model years. INFORMATION... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2024
My 2016 Kia Sorento started about 2 months to peel, it was a quarter size spot and now is getting bigger every day !!
Incident date: Jan 19, 2024
Carbon roof delaminating due to lack of UV protection. Parts of i3 roofs dethatching at highway speeds.
Incident date: Jan 13, 2024
There have been 7 incidents with my car where the door handles for both front doors (left and right) handles stopped working. The door handles would not "present" or "extend" and thus making it impossible for entry into the car. The latest incident occured on 1/13/2024 where the front driver side door would just pop open anytime any other door was opened. This is while the car was still in oper... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2024
Se me ha apagado varias veces al arrancar cuando me voy al trabajo . Y tengo que volverlo a encender . Siento el motor débil. El cuerpo electrónico del acelerador no anda bien. Cuando quiero acelerar rápido se me queda en stand by y hasta los 3 segundos responde el motor. Cuando estoy en un stop aplicando el freno se escucha el motor como que se quiere apagar y empieza a temblar la camioneta. ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2023
Color pearl white. Abnormal peeling of paint despite not having any damage to initiate. Along the front and all edges where the doors curve to meet the windows. When there is damage from a rock from the road whole sheets will lift and peel off. This was a defective paint job and should be remedied by Kia.
Incident date: Jul 8, 2017
Firstly I think I must inform you that I am reporting this from the UK, I am a US citizen but live part time in the UK and this was a UK delivered car. I have also reported this to the UK DVSA. This is to report two problems that I think you should know about, both of which are potentially life threatening. 1.My wife became locked in the car and could only exit after the computer was rebooted. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2024
when the temp outside is below freezing the driver-side door will not latch shut and the doors will not lock.
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
Rear passenger door won’t open. We had freezing temps in Colorado, when I tried to open the rear door to get my 2 month old out of the car the door would not open. Apparently this is a known problem for this vehicle the rear door motors spontaneously stop working.
Incident date: Jan 9, 2024
The cowling where the windshield wipers are attached is falling apart this caused the pillar molding bracket to blow off on I-95 may have struck another vehicle. The ford dealer estimated it would cost $1223.72 to repair.
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Ram 3500 used for hauling a 2023 Jayco Eagle RV. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the contact became aware that the RV slide out extended unintendedly. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and the RV slide out was manually pushed back into place. The RV was taken to a dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The RV was not repaired. The manufacturer was ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2023
Front passenger door latch is inoperable from inside in cold weather (below freezing) preventing egress of front passenger without a seperate person opening door from outside vehicle.
MERCEDES-BENZ
SPRINTER 3500
(2019) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 18, 2024
Incident date: Jan 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, there was a flat tire sound coming from the vehicle The vehicle was steered to the side of the road where the contact observed the undercarriage sticking out from under the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the undercarriage and additional unknown parts needed to b... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
On the date below, a warning banner and chime signaled that our car's emergency communication system was not functional. Soon after, we noticed that the navigation system was "lost"; ie, showing our car in a different state, sometimes in water, incorrect displays of speed limits being shown, etc. Vehicle was evaluated at a BMW dealership, and the primary defective part was found to be the "shark... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
I took my truck to a garage for simple tire repair. I had a slow leak. In the process of trying to lift my truck, the technician hear 'crumbling sounds'. They stopped the lift immediately. Upon looking at the my chassis frame, the technicians saw major rust damage. One technician used flashlight to tap against the frame and he poked through it. The technician stated that this was not the firs... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2024
Driver's side door hinge is loose, making cracking sounds and hard to close. Also affecting the window operation - doesn't allow window to be rolled up.
Incident date: Jan 16, 2024
The dashboard has bubbles and is delaminating from the dash. This problem exists in many of the jeeps and a secret service bulletin was issue for only a 6 month period back in December 2019 to June of 2020. Jeep owners were not contacted about this and a recall should be declared for this defective part.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
The panoramic sunroof gets stuck on passenger side, and came off the rail on the passenger side as i was driving on the freeway
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
The coach has developed 5 stress fractures in the fiberglass body in a year of use. I am concerned that coach is at danger of losing part of its body while on the road. The dealer has repaired two of these fractures but three more have rapidly developed. These repairs were completed under Tiffin structural warranty. No warning prior to cracks developing.
Incident date: Jan 18, 2024
As I attempted to make a left turn, I wasn't able to make a complete turn when the steering wheels partially locked on me, resulting the car hitting a utility pole, I could only drive forward or reverse, difficulty making a turn. I was able to make it home but the next day, it had to be towed to a Tesla authorized collision center for damage assessment. I'm hoping Tesla can remedy the problem beca... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
Pearl white paint completely peeling off.
Incident date: Dec 30, 2023
Passenger door actuator would not reingange the door after opening. Temperature was around 15 Farenheit for awhile. Door opened with some effort, but would not latch back. If vehicle was in motion door would need to be held to prevent opening. The vehicle could be locked for the door to stay in place, but it would not sit flush with the body of the vehicle.
Incident date: Dec 30, 2023
Tailgate actuator sometimes does not open completely. Pressin the button engages the operation, I can hear it trying to unlatch, but the tailgate does not completely release. If the tailgate is not in use for awhile, opens as intended for few times.
Incident date: Sep 22, 2023
Hello, The engine cradle subframe on my 2005 Ford Escape has completely rusted through on the right hand side where it attaches to the steering control arm. As I was driving the subframe broke which made it impossible to steer the car. This pulled my car off the road to the passenger side. Fortunately I was not injured. Having now researched this issue, it is a common problem with 2005 Ford E... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 5, 2023
Have nicks on all 4 door latches on vehicle. Took vehicle to Bettenhausen Chrysler in Tinley Park, where I purchased, and they turned me over to corporate. After 3 months of no answer from corporate case closed and Chrysler not paying for repairs. I have checked with dealers In Illinois, Missouri, and Colorado. They all had multiple vehicles with same problem. After numerous attempts to contact a... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
My drivers side door latch will no longer open from the inside or the outside. I have to climb across to the passenger side and go out the opposite door. I am reporting this because this vehicle is part of the volvo "P3" platform which includes the S60, and they had a huge recall to replace all the door latch mechanisms for this exact reason.
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
The paint on the roof of this white Lexus is peeling and cracking. I took it to Lexus and they said since it was 5K miles out of warranty, they would not repair this manufacturers defect