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 8, 2023
The driver's side sliding door was stuck and I was struggling with it. Suddenly, the quarter panel window shattered (the window between the door and the back of the car) and the door came halfway off the track. It's important to note that this was not the window of the door I was struggling with and nothing visible hit the window. Luckily, my baby was not yet in his seat which is right next to the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2023
Trailer was defective right out of factory. Missing welds, weak welds, terrible welds, non penetrating welds, welds too hot and blew through steel, gaps welded together with 1/4” square rod to fill gap, poor electrical routing with missing insulation, brace welded crooked. This all led to axles no longer running true and trailer then tracked crooked. Pictures not yet taken of warrenty work but t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2022
Passenger door came unlatched on the highway going approximately 70 mph once on 10/6/2023 and again the next day on 10/7/2023. First, the driver heard the door click and then hear wind and then the door ajar alert sounded on the dashboard.
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2015) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 7, 2023
Incident date: Aug 10, 2023
Every time when it rains, the power tail gate fails showing beeping noise from the rear and on the screen and unable to lock the doors. Had to replace the power tail module couple of times so far and still problem persists. The Honda dealership mentioned there was a leak, repaired and replaced the module , inspite of the fix priblem still persists when it rains.
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
I was driving my Honda hrv on a normal day like any other and had my defroster on and out of no where heard a loud pop and my whole back window shattered
HYUNDAI
SANTA CRUZ
(2022) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 6, 2023
Incident date: May 25, 2023
Pop weld on drivers side door broke. Ford is refusing to fix it or pay for the replacement parts even though there is an active investigation about this problem on multiple 2020 escapes... Hoping the investigation is wrapped up soon and a recall is ordered
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2021) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 6, 2023
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
It appears there are numerous people with the same issue with the pearl white paint on the 2014 Kia Sorento, paint bubbling and coming off in chunks. Kia should be ashamed of themselves for doing this to consumers. This is a DEFECT and needs to be rectified immediately. I received quotes for the car to be completely painted and it was from $9,000 to over $12,000. This is more than outrageous. I... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
It appears there are numerous people with the same issue with the pearl white paint on the 2014 Kia Sorento, paint bubbling and coming off in chunks. Kia should be ashamed of themselves for doing this to consumers. This is a DEFECT and needs to be rectified immediately. I received quotes for the car to be completely painted and it was from $9,000 to over $12,000. This is more than outrageous. I... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
The driver side windshield bar is slowly detaching. The plastic frame between the door and windshield. Also the rubber is coming off. At some point this will completely detach possibly while in movement and could cause a severe wreck if on highway. I've notice this defect on many Ford Explorers. This safety issue needs immediate attention before an accident occurs due to Ford's improper engin... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while self-inspecting the vehicle, he noticed the paint on the front of the hood was corroded and peeling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer informed the contact that his VIN was not included in an unknown recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file the complaint with t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2023
Hood shakes like crazy at sppeds over 60 MPH, brought to dealer and they said it was "Normal" and there is nothing they can do. it is shaking badly and I worry it will pop up and cause an accident. Not pleased with this at all. Second thing is it has developed a loud wind noise on passengers side "a" pillar near the windshield it seems. Going in to the dealer for them to look at that next week... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2023
The roof is bubbling and peeling up. Water gets in it when it rains, then it bubbles greatly. BMW won’t fix it, repair shops don’t want to fix it because it’s an obscure roof. They recommend I take it to BMW which won’t fix it (roof replacement suggested). I just bought this car and drive it as normal, and the special carbon fiber roof is degrading too fast.
Incident date: Dec 23, 2021
The door weld seems to have come off and causes the door to not latch properly and I cannot roll my window down this is a problem on both driver and passenger side. It appears there is a loose weld in the doors.
DODGE
CHALLENGER
(2019) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 5, 2023
Incident date: Sep 28, 2023
Windows were broken and steering column was broken in to. Car was stolen and spray painted the seats and front end was smashed.Car was totaled
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLS 450
(2023) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 4, 2023
Incident date: Sep 27, 2023
Rear window exploded with no impact after using rear defrost
Incident date: Sep 28, 2023
The spot welds on the check hinge for the driver door are broken. Door is having issues opening and closing and the glass window will not come down.
Incident date: Sep 28, 2023
A weld in the driver-side door failed rendering the door nonfunctional and making it difficult to safely exit the car and creating a concern that the door may not provide proper protection. The weld failure was not due to an accident for any misuse. Personnel in the Ford service department and body shop were very familiar with this problem due to other similar cases. Ford corporate is reluctant... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
Starting approximately 24 months ago the dash on my Suburban started cracking. Now it has cracked in several locations on both the driver's and passenger side of the dash. The cracks on the passenger side go up to the air bag location. Cracks on the driver's side are numerous and getting worse. The driver's side cracks are such that the pieces would come apart in an accident, even if the air b... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2022
Sunroof/moonroof assembly leaks heavily in rain, makes cracking sound over bumps Dealer/manufacturer will not fix, they want $4600 to repair
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
THIS IS FOR SAFETY RECALL IN oct 2019- regarding the brakes- it has ALREADY BEEN MADE AWARE TO DOT. This is in regards to getting a refund for my almost 4k out of pocket expense. The brakes went out completely in sept 2019 ( in 5-7 mph I could not stop in traffic even with them all the way pushed to the floor. and caused a front end collision ad the brakes been working normally this would have n... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 15, 2023
Engine hood latch failed. Hood would not close.
FORD
ESCAPE PHEV
(2022) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 4, 2023
Incident date: May 26, 2023
Upon purchasing a New 2015 Silverado my factory paint started pealing around the rear doors approx. 1 year after owning the truck. Upon first sight of the pealing paint I took the truck back to the GM dealer and pointed out the 2 rear doors and the flaking paint. They told me that since I was out of bumper to bumper warranty coverage and over the 36,000 mile warranty they couldn't do anything for ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2023
While driving on Highway 52 on a Saturday morning at approximately 8:40am (9/23/2023), I heard a loud sound like a gunshot. There was not anything on either side of the highway and no accidents around me. Then I noticed a weird whistling sound and heard little bits of something falling down in the front passenger, driver seat and front middle console. Upon looking up, I saw a gaping hole in the mi... Read more
AUDI
Q4 E-TRON SPORTBACK
(2023) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 4, 2023
Incident date: Sep 22, 2023
Driving down the highway last night and passenger side windshield pillar cover flew off. Don't know what effect it may have had on any vehicles behind us.
HONDA
ACCORD HYBRID
(2023) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 3, 2023
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
The spot welds on the driver's side door check are broken. The window will go down. Door is hard to shut.
Incident date: Oct 29, 2021
The frame and attached components of the 2002 Sequoia are rusting at alarming rates. Seemingly surface quickly turned into structurally penetrating rust (I.e. holes in the frame rails). Additionally rocker panels and wheel arches show signs of significant penetrating rust. Pieces of rusted metal were found under the car on my driveway recently.
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving over a water puddle, she heard an abnormally loud, scraping noise coming from the vehicle without warning. Once the contact made it to the residence, she discovered that a part of the undercarriage had detached from the vehicle. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to a Tesla Service Center where she was later... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
Paint on the hood started to peel off in July of 2023. It has not been formally inspected, but is available for inspection. We have not contacted a dealer yet.
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA SPORTWAGEN
(2013) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 3, 2023
Incident date: Sep 17, 2023
I purchased this vehicle used several years ago. I recently took it in for an oil change and my mechanic advised me that the underside was rusting out. There was a recall for this issue but it has expired and Toyota has refused to do anything.
Incident date: Sep 13, 2023
Driver side windshield trim came off while driving on freeway at 70mph We saw something fly off and pulled over to check and the trim was gone Don’t know what happened to trim, praying it didn’t damage anyone else’s car or cause an accident
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
Upon opening the driver side door there was a pop. Every time the door has been opened to appx 50% full width the same popping noise occurs. The weld is popped in the hinge but this is not visible without taking the door apart. The door will close properly and the window works at this time.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2018
Driver side door patch failed. Can not keep door closed.
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2021) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 3, 2023
Incident date: Sep 29, 2023
The driver door spot welds for the support arm broke. The door would not close. The dealer said it is not covered by Ford. I called Ford customer satisfaction. Case CAS45401361. Have an appointment for October 9th. Can you help?
Incident date: Oct 3, 2023
Switch assy don't work don't turn on the switch flash on and off i AM scary that i can get in a accident if the car turn off that other problem that i got is the paint is coming out that is not the original paint it be a recall for pilot for the switch i think the years is 2016-2017
MERCEDES-BENZ
SPRINTER 2500
(2022) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 2, 2023
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
Rear windshield shattered when I started the parked car this morning.
Incident date: Sep 7, 2023
Driver Side Door when opened makes loud Popping noise and doesn't want to shut properly and doesn't latch completely. It appears that the spot welds in the check arm for the front doors are failing.
Incident date: Jul 12, 2023
While driving my 2023 Kia Forte GT My Driver Side door came unlatched. The door was locked and fully closed when this happened while turning from the 2nd Street bridge to E Main Street in Louisville, KY which is a busy road at times. I was going about 10-15mph at about 11:15ish, temp was around 70 degrees F when this happened and the car started to set off the warnings. I don't know what caused th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2022
2022 Toyota Venza was purchased brand new in February 2022. Vehicle started to experience an issue in May 2023 with approximately 38k miles. Power lift gate struggles to close hatch/lift gate. Motor and struts make groaning noises. Vehicle out of warranty due to over 36k miles. Now power lift gate is groaning and grinding when shut as of October 2023 with 44k miles. Many reports of similar p... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2020
The passenger headrest deployed at sometime when I was not in the car. Driver's headrest is fine/normal. Can this be reset?
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 2, 2023
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
Rear window shattered randomly on a cool day with the rear defrost on. I was parked and bearded a boom and looked back and my rear window was shattered. No damage to the vehicle, no accident with vehicle, and object thrown at window. The window just shattered randomly. I’ve read this is a common issue with this year and model, I’ve heard the rear defrost overheats and shatters the glass.
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
As I opened up the fuel door - a spring popped out - after I finished fueling- I tried to reopen the fuel door but could not - this can strand a driver when gas gets low as unable to refill the gas tank due to inability to open the door
Incident date: Sep 30, 2023
Used tje remote to open the rear power lift gate and the rear window shattered. There was no damage to the window or any other issues prior to it happening.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
Outer windshield guide/protector cracked in half and parts flew off while driving on highway around 60MPH.
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
I was driving on a highway going around 45 mph. The sun/moon roof exploded. I wasn't under anything that could have fallen, no cars were around and I did not see anything in the air. It was sunny, 67 degrees with a breeze. This happened on Sunday so no confirmation or inspection has occurred. No warning lamps or messages appeared either before or after it exploded. I do know that Rav4 Prime's will... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2022
The driver's side exterior windshield moulding detached from the vehicle traveling at interstate speed (75 mph) and struck the driver's door above the window. The apparent cause of detachment was failure of the retaining clips and adhesive that holds the external piece to the internal rubber moulding.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
The Front bumper came loose on the interstate, creating a loud noise as it slid under the tires. Once safely pulled over on the side of the road the car appeared to have spontaneously dropped the front bumper, we did not encounter any debris in the road, the weather is good and clear, there was no prior damage to the vehicle. The clips that hold the bumper in place seemed to be broken.
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2022) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 1, 2023
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
Driving at 65 mph on the highway the hood latches failed and the hood blew back into the windshield, shattered the windshield, and made driving a safety issue. The safety latch also failed. Not able to see out the windshield due to the hood. Spoke with jeep cares and they said the hood latches were not a warranty item. The dealer said it happens frequently that the latches break. I have pictur... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2023
THE LIFTGATE STRUTS CAN COME APART AT ANYTIME. WE HAD THE RIGHT SIDE COME APART LAST YEAR. HYUNDAI REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. TODAY THE LEFT ONE HAS FAILED. THE STRUTS HAVE POWERFUL SPRINGS INSIDE AND I THINK SOMEONE COULD GET HURT.
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2022) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Sep 30, 2023
Incident date: May 13, 2023
The passenger front door and the driver side back door latches do not work I am unable to open the doors