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: Dec 8, 2023
I purchased my 2023 Honda Pilot on April 7, 2023. I had to wait for it to come in which happened roughly 2 weeks later. Within a month or so of having the vehicle while sitting at a traffic light I got 2 warning lights. One being the collision mitigation system problem see your dealer and immediately followed by adaptive cruise control problem see your dealer. I called the dealership to make them ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC350. The contact stated that while being serviced the mechanic observed two cracks in the middle of the sunroof panel. The contact stated that he believes the cracks are associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V197 (Structure). The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the sunroof panel (205-780-00-22-40) needed to be replaced. The veh... Read more
DODGE
SPRINTER 2500
(2008) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 11, 2023
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
I purchased a brand new 2024 kia k5 gt on September 2 2023; from kia of Cerritos "18201 Studebaker Rd, Cerritos, CA 90703" . My car has noticeable defects that affect the driving experience and can be dangerous. When coming to a stop the engine turns off as if it was deactivating one or more of my cylinders. While that happens it stalls the car. My adaptive cruise control doesn't work as intended ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2023
While driving along the courtney Campbell causeway there was a loud explosion shaking the car out of control. I was able to pull off the road and inspect the roof, where the exploding sound occurred. I found the glass panoramic sunroof had fractured and was gone from the vehicle. There was only the perimeter of the glass roof remaining. I have filed an incident report with the city of Clearwater a... Read more
LAND ROVER
DISCOVERY SPORT
(2017) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 11, 2023
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
While driving on highway, I started hearing a humming/vibration sound on the right side around the windshield. When we stopped, I noticed the trim molding around my windshield (passenger side) had flown off while driving. When we got back on the road we no longer heard the humming/vibration sound so it seems that the sound was coming from windshield trim molding. As of now, I have not received ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
Spot welds holding the door check arm in place have failed causing loud crunching noises when door is opened or closed
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
2021 Entegra Coach Accolade 37TS, The coach entry door flaps terrible going down the road and you can see out it and we fear it will open. We’ve adjusted and tried about everything except for a magnet only available by manufacture if under warranty. (Ours is not) If not under warranty the magnet is unavailable to RV owners to purchased.
Incident date: Nov 29, 2023
The problem started a couple of years ago as a small crack in the dashboard at the upper left corner of the airbag. The crack widened and lengthened after replacement of the air bag last year. Then the dash cracked earlier this year at the crown above the instrument cluster. It has completely separated and is nearly 12” in length. Not only does it rattle to the point of driver distraction, but I... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2023
On 2/18/2019 took the F-150 to Mathews Ford Marion Ohio service to address several issues. First, the tailgate had unexpectedly opened striking a trailer jack and damaging the tailgate. Tailgate opening while driving with cargo could result in cargo falling onto roadway. Damaged tailgate remains on the truck and is available for further inspection. Second, the owner heard rubbing/grinding noises w... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2015
Cracks or broken spot welds in the passenger front door at the check arm attachment point in the door. Door check broke off from door causing the door to be hard to close or not able to close at all.
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF
(2023) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 10, 2023
Incident date: Oct 18, 2023
I bought the car with 83,000 miles 9 months ago. It had engine failure at 104,000. From the beginning the car stalled when trying to accelerate almost got hit several times. The car had major oil consumption issues with no leak. The car died without any warning lights almost causing an accident. I rolled into oil change place. Car was low on oil. It had engine failure.
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 10, 2023
Incident date: Dec 9, 2023
The windshield was faulty upon delivery of our new 2 door Ford Bronco. Every time it rains, water pours inside the vehicle through the gaps in the windshield sealant. The water flows through the passenger side A-pillar, and comes out of the airbags, as well as the defrost vents, then flowing down the side of the dashboard, and landing on the front passenger floorboard. The service department ha... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2023
Door latches lock you in the vehicle, currently 67k original miles, both front door latches would not allow you to exit car, at 50-51k miles, the window must be down, and to get out, crawl out, or reach out, pull outside handle and open door, then put up window, reset latch so it aligns , close door. If cars on fire and window up from inside, you can’t get out! You will burn up w/car and passeng... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
Driver's side door weld spots above and below the door check rod are broken. The door is not closing correctly. I'm afraid it's not going to stay closed while I'm driving. I took it to the local Ford Dealer and they confirmed this. No warnings, it suddenly started making a terrible noise when I open or shut the door.
CHEVROLET
TRAILBLAZER
(2023) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 9, 2023
Incident date: May 12, 2023
The front left driver door, welds, malfunctioned, and door will not close.
Incident date: Nov 5, 2023
The sunroof of the vehicle spontaneously shattered. At 65mph Glass rained down on myself (driver) and my occupants. Nothing impacted the roof of the vehicle. The sunroof just exploded, causing a loud bang, and prompting me to break quickly. Sharp shards of glass went all over the vehicle focused on the backseat.
TOYOTA
COROLLA CROSS
(2023) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 9, 2023
Incident date: Dec 9, 2023
The glass panel between the top of the windshield and the front of the glass sunroof suddenly detached from the car. I was driving on the I-5 freeway at 70mph when the panel detached without warning. By the time I had safely pulled over I could not safely walk back to see if I could find the panel. The freeway was busy, I do not know if the panel struck another vehicle. It looks like the adhesi... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2023
Driver side door, popping, clank, clunk sound when opening and closing. Visually, there are new signs of metal damage in proximity with the door brake that were not previously there. Three roundish spots on metal have the appearance of tearing off.
Incident date: Aug 3, 2022
The vehicle as of 12/9/2023 at 3:19pm CST is at a mileage of 79,523. Around the time we bought out the lease on our truck in April 2021, we reported to the dealership that the tailgate latch on occasion would not latch. They did a repair for it, but it has happened a few times since. We saw a recall notice for other Ford F-150 models from 2018 that had issues with latches/linkages/locks on the tai... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2021
The vehicle as of 12/9/2023 at 3:27pm CST is at a mileage of 79,528. We reported to the dealership in April 2021 and services prior to April 2021 that the sunroof would randomly become misaligned with the sunroof track when opening. There will be excessive noise coming from the sunroof when it’s misaligned. We are concerned that there might be a larger problem with potential exposed areas/leaks ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
ISSUE: Left front door (driver's door) door check spot welds broke free from the door frame making it impossible to close the door without damage. Issue presented itself as a loud popping sound approximately 36 hours prior to weld failure. Until weld failure, I was unsure what the issue was, and was unable to visit a dealership due to time constraints. Door was operated with caution after the issu... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2023
The door spot welds on the driver door were not welded properly causing the door to fall apart from the inside. The door and window are now both broken.
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
Drivers door started popping when opening. I understand this is common with this model. A Ford service tech said it only happens to Escapes. Ford won’t repair past 36000 miles
ALFA ROMEO
STELVIO
(2024) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 8, 2023
Incident date: Oct 20, 2023
While driving down a major highway, the trim/molding on the passenger side of the windshield flew off. The underlying bracket is still attached to the vehicle. The flying debris could cause other drivers to swerve to avoid the debris and potentially causing an accident. A local Ford dealership said there is not a recall for this issue. I found an article in USA Today that states several others... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2020
The vehicle caught fire while driving due to unknown cause. The vehicle was unable to break as smoke began coming into the vents. Car came to a stop and the flames were present underneath the vehicle before engulfing the entire hood. Vehicle has been deemed total loss by insurance.
Fire
TOYOTA
REDUNDANT SIENNA
(2022) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 7, 2023
Incident date: Dec 5, 2023
I have a 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic got a letter from the company car had few recalls to address. Dropped the at Mercedes-Benz Hampton VA dealership on 12/06/2023 at 8:30 AM EST. After few hours got a call from the dealership that rear subframe of the has bad corrosion and because of the rust it got holes in it which is a bad safety risk. Risk is so great that it cant pass Virginia state inspe... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
When driving the vehicle in the rain, there is water running inside of the driver's side door. The problem is evidenced by the sound of running water originating from the inside of the driver's side door. The issue was checked and verified by the dealer who removed the driver's side roof molding and sealed a spot by the roof molding clip. The issue was not resolved so the the dealer now states tha... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2020
i took my car to acura carland in duluth georgia and i went initially for a check up on my recall i was notified for regarding my rod bearing and was told that there’s nothing they can do about it and offered to do a wheel alignment on my vehicle and that should help with the knocking noise i had coming from my engine and that i would have to wait till january for anything else regarding my reca... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2006) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 6, 2023
Incident date: Nov 2, 2023
Drivers side “Door Check/Hinge”. Originally, the door made several loud “popping” noises and was hard to open/shut. Eventually, it wouldn’t shut properly. Vehicle repaired and then traded later. Drivers side door had the risk of coming off or not shutting completely. Yes. Yes. No. First appeared in April ‘22
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2006) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 6, 2023
Incident date: Nov 2, 2023
Drivers Side Door- The “Door Check/Hinge” failed. Originally made several loud popping noises and then became hard to secure/shut. The same situation as the 2021 Ford Escape that I traded for the 2022 Escape. Drivers side door wouldn’t shut properly. Yes. No.
Incident date: Nov 15, 2023
Body - exterior. Door handles stop working and cannot open the doors. Engine - massive oil consumption issue. Having to put in roughly 10 QUARTS of oil in between oil changes, but low oil warning light inside of the cluster also never comes on to let you know if the oil is low.
Incident date: Sep 27, 2023
The available component that failed would be the liftgate hinge. My safety is put at risk because the powerlift gate is leaning toward the left side heavily and limiting away from the frame of the vehicle. Although this is latched down, others are a risk because if the liftgate detached from the vehicle, others could be seriously injured. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer. The vehicle h... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
automatic parking brake does not engage. Brake is totally not functional
Incident date: Dec 4, 2023
In November 2023, I received a notification about TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 2022 OPEN SAFETY RECALL WITH NO REMEDIES. I went to the local DeLuca Toyota (www.delucatoyota.com ) Dealership. The address is 1719 SW College Rd, Ocala, FL 34471, (352) 732-0770. I bought this car from this dealership. I was talking with service manager about these issues about safety recall WITH NO REMEDIES. He said they cannot ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2023
My door all of a sudden started making loud cracking sounds when I tried to open it. This progressively got worse and now the door will only partially open and the window will not go down. I believe I have a broken spot weld in the left front door at the check arm attachment.
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2019) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 6, 2023
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
I was driving on the highway and the passenger side front pillar trim panel just flew off. This is the second time this has happened to my vehicle, the first time was my rear pillar which I paid to replace myself because I was told at the dealership this is just a cosmetic issue. I disagree, to me this is very hazardous and could potentially hurt someone, and now my car sounds like air is coming t... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2019) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 5, 2023
Incident date: Sep 11, 2022
Went to get in my 2021 Ford Escape opened the door a heard a metal sound clunking noise. Happened all of a sudden. Thought maybe someone hit my door but no sign of it being hit. Then Googled Ford Escape and that noise and found this has been a problem. Why has there not been a recall for this problem.
Incident date: Nov 26, 2023
Drivers door since purchasing the car in 2017 when it's cold out "winter time" by drivers door once open, will not latch back and close- takes it warming up before my drivers door will latch and shut . Temps 30 or under , the mechanism freezes and will not allow the door to latch shut
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2019) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 5, 2023
Incident date: Dec 5, 2023
Driver door (left front to be clear, yes, I know it should be obvious) started making strange sound. Popping/dragging noises when opened and shut. Window sometimes gets stuck going down past about 1/4 of the way down. Now door will not fully open - goes abut 40% open and stops.
Incident date: Nov 27, 2023
Passenger-side A-Pillar Molding Windshield Outer Trim flew off while driving on the highway.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2019
As I was driving the vehicle caught fire and I lost brakes. The vehicle had to be put into a retention pond to stop it.
Crash
Fire
2 injured
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2019) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 5, 2023
Incident date: Nov 20, 2023
For at least a year or better, I noticed a creaking noise in the driver side door. Then on November 14th while doing my first time doing meals on wheels delivery, the door sounded as if it was going to fall off. We drove to Horn Ford Dealership in Brillion where the car was purchased and had them look at it. There was mention that they had repaired a couple of other Ford Escapes with the same ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2013) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 5, 2023
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
Left front door has popping noise when opening and closing the door. I took it to our dealership and was given an estimate to replace the door because the spot welds were broken and not repairable. They stated that the mileage was 45,300 and not under warranty. They couldn’t confirm that it was safe to drive or if they had seen this problem before. The estimate is $1357.98.
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2015) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 5, 2023
Incident date: Dec 5, 2023
Right front passenger door weld has failed as confirmed by Ford dealership. Car has 84,000 miles on it and is not eligible for warranty. Ford does not do body work and suggested it be taken to a body shop. Took to a body shop and they confirmed the weld has failed. Door can hardly be opened and when it does it sounds like broken metal from within. Cost to fix it was $1200. Found this out in Octobe... Read more
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2023) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 5, 2023
Incident date: Nov 28, 2023
When a rear seat passenger exits the vehicle and closes the door, the rear door does not latch properly. This causes the door to swing open while the car is moving. The vehicle is available for inspection. The problem has manifested itself on several occasions, especially when I am dropping off school children at their stop. The crossing guard has been kind enough to close the door for me. That ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
THE FRAME HAS RUSTED OUT AND IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. LEFT TIRE IS ALMOST SNAPPED AND YOU CAN PUT YOUR HAND THROUGH THE RUST IN FRAME. HAS BEEN INSPECTED BY 2 MECHANICS. I AM THE SECOND OWNER AND HAVE BABIED THIS TRUCK SINCE THE FIRST DAY I GOT IT IN 2014. ADDITIONAL DEFECT IS THE TAILGATE WONT STATE SHUT, MUST CLOSE 3-4 TIMES FOR IT TO REMAIN CLOSED.
Incident date: Aug 7, 2023
Passenger sliding door makes a noise when unlocking door. Sometimes it will not lock at all. When we searched issue is states actuator has gone bad and needs to be replaced.
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2021) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 4, 2023
Incident date: Nov 30, 2023
Large area of paint peeled off the hood while washing the vehicle
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 4, 2023
Incident date: Dec 4, 2023
The paint on my Blue Chevy Trax flakes off in multiple areas.
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2018) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 4, 2023
Incident date: Nov 26, 2023
2021 Escape with 61,000 miles and normal use (commuting for work). The Driver door check arm welds have failed causing a crunching noise when opening and closing. Ford dealership says it's not a warranty repair and refuses to fix the problem. There are two SSM/TSBs regarding this problem SSM 51553 and SSM 50150. Problem is causing the driver window to not operate.