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: Oct 28, 2023
The paint on my vehicle has been bubbling and chipping off for years. I did buy my vehicle used and was a certified pre owned. It was in great condition at the time of purchase. The paint became a problem soon after owning the vehicle. I didn’t think much of it till it continued to peel off more and rust in certain areas. I noticed more vehicles like mine had the same problem. I began looking in... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2017
Same as the recalls for Honda ELEMENT of Canada and American Honda CRV of America In Honda’s words: SUMMARY: American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Honda) is recalling certain 2007-2011 model year CR-V vehicles. In salt-belt states where de-icing agents are used to maintain the roadway, the de-icing agents, along with mud and water, could enter the rear frame through drainage/positioning holes when th... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2019) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 28, 2023
Incident date: Sep 18, 2023
While parking the tailgate opens, when I closed it and tried to open it the electronic tailgate handle would not unlock to open 10/25/2023. When parked overnight tailgate opens 10/25/2023. While driving on Interstate the tailgate opens and I almost caused an multiple car accident, I parked at idle closed tailgate tried to reopen and it would not unlock, I drove off and it dropped again 10/26/2023.... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2023
My driver side door began making a grinding/creaking noise when opening. It was rather alarming as it was loud and extremly noticibale everytime I would open AND close my door. At one point, I had opened my door while doing errands and I could not actually push the door closed without some physical force. Now the door makes a more hollow creaking sound while closing and opening the door. Recently,... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
My car caught on fire while driving.
Fire
2 injured
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
This vehicle has a severe water leak after rain event from body. Leaks into electrical, floor boards, roof. Dealership not able to locate water leak location. Have been working on it going on a month. We recently purchased the vehicle used.
Incident date: Oct 28, 2023
The front bumper keeps popping out. I’ve returned it to the dealer 3 times, who says a clip has to be replaced. However, it’s not covered under the extended warranty and they will just replace it. The dealer told me to just push it back in when it pops out. It will push back in place, but it will not stay in place. It has not been damaged.
Incident date: Jul 10, 2023
The recent recall on the 2020-2023 Toyota Highlander’s for the front fender/bumper clips is the same issue I am currently having with my 2021 Toyota Camry. There is potential risk of the bumper or fender falling off in traffic causing a traffic hazard. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I took my vehicle in a few months ago for a different issue(major railroad rust) and had th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2023
Driver side door will not close or unlocked by fob or door lock button
Incident date: Feb 14, 2020
We have a 2019 Toyota Highlander. VIN: [XXX] . There are two issues with this vehicle... 1) Our bumper fell down after an uneventful car wash. We didn't hit anything. Reported it to the car wash place (Ollie's Car Wash in Walker, LA) after we noticed it fell. We had to tie-strap it back up because the clips no longer worked right. This happened August 12, 2023. We have pictures of the dama... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2023
The trim of our windshield flew off and almost caused an accident. Water got in and caused damage shortly after.
Incident date: Mar 27, 2023
The spot welding on the door check broke off inside the door. The door doesn't open or shut right now, and the window no longer works.
FORD
F-150 LIGHTNING BEV
(2023) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 27, 2023
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
Dashboard is severely cracked & rattles so badly that it interferes with hearing outside & inside noises & communication. Has gotten worse over past year. Dealer confirmed that the problem was prevalent among several GM models, including my model. I was also told that a class action suit was filed against GMC for this problem, but was dismissed by judicial system.
Incident date: Oct 3, 2023
Issue I have is when its raining - any water in the doors is to to drain out the 4 drain holes at the bottom of the doors. On my 2022 Pathfinder it is coming out the 4 drain holes but also coming out from behind the inside door panels and all 4 doors causing the inside liner/insulation to get wet. If you see water drops on the black plastic piece in the kick plates /doorways then you have an issue... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2023
The body of our car has been losing paint in big strips. As we drive, large paint chunks will fly off parts of our vehicle. Hyundai is aware that their 2017 "white pearl" Elantras are having this issue; however, they refuse to do anything to help with the cost of repainting the car. They claim that an extended paint warranty was issued until Dec. 10, 2022; however, the paint issue on our vehicle j... Read more
HONDA
ACCORD HYBRID
(2017) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 27, 2023
Incident date: Apr 23, 2023
The driver side air bag did not deploy, however, the passenger side air bag ceployed when we hit a deer at 70 mph! Both air bags should have deployed since we hit the deer in the center of the car! My wife an I are very lucky to be alive! The insurance company inspected the car and considered it to be totaled. The sheriffs department also made an accident report! No warning lights were on at all, ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 15, 2023
Back seatbelts will not fasten never have since I bought the car… Right side bumper is missing the screws like the ones that’s on recalls for the Highlander… Almost every Toyota Camry I see has that problem and it will cause a hazard if comes off.
Incident date: Sep 5, 2023
Tie rod ball joint snapped and broke at 15mph causing vehichle to loose control and forced off-road into a fence post. No Collison warning or lane departure warning. I had the vehichle towed back to dealership Nissan Wesley chapel. I was in process of possibly purchasing vehichle. Couldn’t find financing for me so received a letter rescinding their transaction. My ins agency Esurance concluded i... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 9, 2023
Where the motor mount sits the bracket below collapsed into the Frame itself causing the engine to lower
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
-Rear doors, at separate times, would not lock or unlock either by using the key fob or control located on driver's door. It is available for inspection. -Rear door(s) cannot be opened from the outside of the vehicle using electronic features. Small children, elderly, and handicapped persons' safety are compromised with this restricted access. -Both doors have had this occur at different times. T... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
The welds are breaking on the driver's side door. The hinge pops when the door is opened and is getting worse. The door feels like it will eventually not close properly (if it even is now).
Incident date: Oct 25, 2023
I have a 2006 Toyota Tundra SR 5 with only 88330 miles. I had it inspected yesterday and was told that the truck may not pass next year due to the known issue of undercarriage rust. I had checked into this with Toyota in the past and was told that my particular truck was not covered by the recall for this rust issue. I am not sure why or how my truck was excluded from the safety recall but belie... Read more
CONTINENTAL
UNKNOWN
(9999) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 26, 2023
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
Paint is coming off of hood. Nothing was hit. Nothing fell on top of car.
Incident date: Sep 22, 2021
The front driver's side door began popping and making a loud noise when opening. The the window stopped going down, and now you can hear air coming in through the door, like it is not shut all the way. I took my car to the dealership and they said this is a known problem with the door hinge welds and that the welds are busted. The recommended repair from Ford is replacement of the door and check ... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2021) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 25, 2023
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
Driver's door latch inoperable when in freezing weather, potentially blocking egress in emergency situation. Ford has issued a service bulletin to address this safety concern and engineering (and testing!) flaw, yet will not cover safety concern because car is out of warranty. SSM 50571 - 2018-2021 Expedition And 2020-2021 Explorer - Doors Intermittently Unable To Lock/Unlock And/Or Difficult T... Read more
Incident date: Oct 19, 2023
1.) Faulty welding of front left door hinge causes loud popping noise when door is in motion. Door would not close. Forced the door to close, which caused the door bracket to break off inside the door. Now the window will not roll down. 2.) Faulty welding of front right door hinge causes loud popping noise when door in motion. Hinge hasn't broken yet.
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
The sun roof shade is inoperable. The sunshade retracts, but does not go back into the roof so the whole shade hangs down. This completely blocks the view of the driver out the back window and is a severe safety risk. Even when the sunshade is "closed" the material hangs down, continuing to block the drivers view out of the back window. The shade has come off the tracks and unglued. The issue has ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2017) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 25, 2023
Incident date: Oct 7, 2023
Spot welds failed on left side front door check arm. Driver side door was making a loud creaking noise. Window was also affected and could not roll down. Took the car into the dealer thinking this would be covered under the warranty or the extended warranty we purchased when we bought the car new. Dealership discovered the spot welds failed. Was told we've have to replace the door.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The passenger door opens on it's own while in motion. I am afraid my passenger will fall out of the car. The dealership will do nothing since they can not spontaneously make it happen in the short ride they take it on. This happens on a weekly basis. Been happening now for at least 2 years
Incident date: Jan 28, 2023
When washing the vehicle through a standard car wash (Mister) in Minnetonka, MN 55345. The vehicle takes on gallons of water. This seems completely inappropriate. A car built in 2018 should be able to be washed. Taking on gallons of water on all areas of the floor board is unacceptable and ultimately a quality concern for mold and rust longer term.
Incident date: Oct 3, 2023
The driver's side door handle broke impossible to open door from inside if there was an accident. I have been told that this is a common problem with my car, and that it cost 1600.00 to replace repair at the dealer. This is such a common problem that there are after market kits to repair the broken handle for 20.00, but including labor the repair is $500.00.
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2022) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 25, 2023
Incident date: Oct 25, 2023
Rear shock holder rusted through cross member on frame making top of shock stay forced against bottom of the bed of the truck.
Incident date: Oct 22, 2023
Left front door spot welds have failed - known issue with these Escapes and no recall has been made. Ford’s solution is to replace the door and check arm assembly to the tune of way too much money. Door makes loud creaking sound when opening door.
Incident date: Oct 10, 2023
Windshield trim flew off on the Highway could of struck another vehicle. But thankfully no one was behind us.
Incident date: May 8, 2023
Hope this email finds you well. I am writing just to give some feedback about my brand new Grand Highlander Platinum. Unfortunately, I have been noticing some issues with the hood (vibrating) at any speed which raised a huge concern about the safety of my family as it seems like the hood is going to fly away from the vehicle (at high speed like 50 mph or more). The formal response received from ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2023
My vehicle had a recall on my car hood because its loose. When you drive it when its windy it moves. I had recall fixed at a Honda dealership in Hutchinson Ks. Now my hood is loose again. I had to pull off the interstate yesterday to try to get it to latch because it was moving, and it was very windy, and I was afraid it was going to blow open on me. I wanted a whole new hood, and I was told I'd h... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2023
See attached document from complainant
Incident date: May 24, 2021
Entire electrical system went out while driving causing check engine light to come on after the failure of system; there was no dashboard working at all when the system went out; without the dashboard out it was not certain if the vehicle was safe to drive anymore; the dealer has not been able to reproduce the problem; the vehicle has been with the dealer repair system for several weeks and have n... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2023
1. Rear subframe body mount rust-through, newly discovered. 2. Available for inspection. 3. Risk of frame failure and resulting instability at speed 4. There is a TSB for the virtually identical Honda Pilot regarding this issue; TSB 21-019 "2003-2008 Pilot Rear Subframe Body Mount Rust Repair (Customer-Pay Repair)". 5. Not inspected. A local body shop reviewed a photo and won't touch it. 6. No war... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2023
See attached document from complainant
Incident date: Oct 17, 2023
Popping noise - left front door. The issue is at the check arm attachment.
Incident date: Sep 24, 2023
Spot weld in driver's side door check arm has broken and door will intermittently not close. It sounds exactly like problem NHTSA Action Number: PE23013 . Ford dealership has offered ZERO assistance, besides replacing the entire door.
Incident date: Oct 23, 2023
2020 Ford Escape Hybrid drivers door retainer support spot welds broken out. Ford will not support repairs. Unable to close door until retainer arm is disconnected. Unable to use window.
Incident date: Oct 24, 2023
The MySky retractable roof is malfunctioning on many jeep that are equipped with the automatic roof. The panels can come loose and strike a vehicle that's behind. The roof malfunctions and will not open or close properly.
Incident date: Oct 13, 2023
Back up camera problem screen either turns blue or is scrambled. This has been going on off and on for the past year sometimes it happens immediately upon putting car in reverse and other times whine in the middle of backing up. The car is with the dealer now Also door panels are separating from the front doors I have heard this is a common problem with these cars and I'm not sure if it could af... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2023
Our 3rd car (used by our daughter) has started to smell like mold. I then noticed the back seat behind the driver side was wet. All windows were up and fully closed - never left open. I soaked up the water. Days later the water returned. I did some research online and found this is a recurring issues were weld joints breakdown and then leak. In that same forum the post referenced water built up wh... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2017
Door started cracking. Next day door made a loud crack and my door would not shut. I had to take it to my garage because Ford Manderbach Ford in Hamburg PA would not cover it due to no recall. My garage put door back together and spot welded everything back together. My bill was $95.
Incident date: Oct 21, 2023
fRONT DOOR CHECK AS BROKEN ON MY 3 YEAR OLD 2020 FORD ESCAPE. DOOR IS DIFFCULT TO OPEN AND WILL NOT OPEN ALL THE WAY UNLESS FORCED.
HYUNDAI
SONATA HYBRID
(2016) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 23, 2023
Incident date: Oct 19, 2023
*corporate vehicle The check arm for our driver's side door appears to have separated from the frame. Our door feels like it may fall off. If our door falls off, we feel there are safety concerns (can list later if needed). Our story seems to corroborate many other complaints on this website.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
Left and right rear wheel well rubber weatherstrip moldings have fallen off twice. The piece comes off at highway speeds with the mounting screw exposed. Recently, in a rain storm, the vehicle became momentarily unstable as the right side molding came off and was run over. Fortunately, the screw did not cause a tire puncture. I have noticed the weatherstrip missing on numerous Nissan Rogue's in... Read more