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: Apr 5, 2023
Rear hatch body welds have failed causing a rattle. The dealership took it apart and placed some foam and sound deadening material. But I was told if the problem was to reoccur, I would have to take it to a body shop.
Incident date: Apr 19, 2023
Both sliding doors on my dodge caravan stop locking/unlocking. The driver side door stopped working while in the locked position and the door will not unlock from inside or outside of the vehicle. This is a safety hazard, especially while having kids in the back and the door will not open at all. I have read online that this is a common issue, but is not a recall. This should be a recall since the... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2023
My power steering somehow had a slow leak which caused steering wheel to lock on while driving. Also, when I turn it sounds like a clucking sound like something is wrong with my power train. When I drive my accelerator seems like it be taking its time to catch up to speed. I've done did so much mechanical work to this car and it seems like nothing is working.
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
Over several months at highway speeds the windshield trim on left and right of the windshield flew off. Appeared to be meagerly attached with clips and Velcro strips. These two strips are connected to the forward roof pylons, exposing the weather seals and allowing water to leak into the interior
Incident date: Apr 19, 2023
Panoramic sunroof panel exploded while driving the vehicle. The sunroof was closed with shade extended. Less than 2 months new. No debris/ collision or object came in contact with the vehicle.No other vehicles were within either side of the road. The glass panel shattered completely with a very loud explosion noise , raining glass into the truck and onto myself(driver). There were no warning or r... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2023
Driving home and the roof came off. Didn't realize what had happened thought the seal was broken
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
I never received Safety Recall# 06020 Galvanized Defective Tailgate Cables that snap/break due to corrosion inside the cable causing the tailgate to fall down while opened. Both my cables have been torn/broken caused by the rust thru for quit some time. My son told me recently, that he had received the Recall Notice a number of years ago and the Chevy Dealer replaced his cables; his S-10 cables... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
Driving down the highway, 70 mph, and the middle panel of the panoramic sunroof just shattered. Nothing struck the glass, and the highway was smooth; no potholes or bumps.
KIA
SPORTAGE HYBRID
(2023) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Apr 18, 2023
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
In April, 10 2023 approximately 6:10 PM I had an traffic accident. My vehicle was parked at paid parking spot next to the pedestrian road (street parking) and I was approached from the back of the car and I recognized the bus approached from my backside of the road. I have no idea somehow, the front driver side door suddenly opened when I approached to my car about 4-5 feet away from the trunk, ev... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 6, 2023
This appears to be a known problem in these but my vehicle was built AFTER the period Chrysler acknowledged a problem for. My van was built in June 2017 whereas the settlement states vehicles built until January of 2017. I paid $400 to have the dealer replace the lock actuator in the passenger sliding door in July 2021. The door would not lock or unlock without manually moving the switch. Since ... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Apr 17, 2023
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
NHTSA ID Number: 10201603 Manufacturer Communication Number: SSM 50150 Summary Some 2020-2021 Escape vehicles may exhibit cracks or broken spot welds in the left front door at the check arm attachment point in the door assembly. Ford has been provided feedback from fleet customers of this condition on some vehicles with high usage profiles. The door assembly and door check arm replacement is th... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER EVOQUE
(2013) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Apr 17, 2023
Incident date: Aug 17, 2022
The left rear passenger door does not open from inside or outside. I have looked online and see that this or similar problems affect many Genesis sedans as well as other Hyundai vehicles. We needed to seat two young children in the back seat and realized how dangerous it is if something happens and the car door can't be opened from inside or outside. How would rescue teams extract the passenger? H... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
Water leak into rear compartment / trunk. Health problem with fungus & smell. Inspected by car dealer.
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
Sunroof exploded while driving down the highway. There was no impact from foreign objects and glass breakage shows upward breaks. No injury sustained due to shade being closed.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
Description: My 3 year old daughter was getting out of the rear of the vehicle on the drivers side. The door is automatic and closes via button in the passenger compartment or the remote keyfob. She pushed the button to close the door and the door closed on her wrist and hand, the door did not automatically reverse and the door latched with her hand still inside. She was injured and needed to go t... Read more
1 injured
MERCEDES-BENZ
GL550
(2011) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Apr 17, 2023
Incident date: Oct 20, 2022
While just entering the freeway my hood flew open at approximately 65-70 mph, hit and broke the windshield, causing me to run off the road. The vehicle exhibited no prior indications that the hood could fly up. The vehicle was taken to a Hyundai dealership and we were told that we needed to contact Hyundai Customer Care that the dealership could not do anything until a Claims Manger contacted them... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
My 2019 Ford Edge was sitting in my garage over the weekend at the end of March. I got in on Monday morning to find my sunroof had shattered. Upon further examination, nothing fell in or on the car. The sunroof had actually blown upwards.
Incident date: Apr 16, 2023
Paint is falling off
Incident date: Mar 23, 2023
Paint peeling all over vehicle
Incident date: Mar 14, 2023
Traveling at highway speeds the front passenger side door trim flew off the car. It looks like the adhesive that was holding it on gave out.
Incident date: Jan 31, 2023
The Keystone Fuzion RV has a structural issue. I have been following other owners and there seems to be many RV’s with the same crack under the Master Bedroom. The crack appeared after transport I would not want to be the cause of an accident if the crack continued across the body and it detaching from the RV while being transporting and causing serious injury or death. I would like this invest... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
I feel Tesla is building cars with non-standard parts and structural issues. 1.I bought a new car and started hearing brakes noises from 6000 miles where as previous car brakes rotors were good till 70k miles. 2.Within 9000 miles, driver side door, A pillar, B pillar, rear seats, display panel has to be either insulated or replaced. I am not sure how this effects car value or vehicle integrity goi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
Rust/safety issue related to Honda crv underbody, frame, rear trailing arm and related parts - extensive rust and integrity issues
GMC
SIERRA 2500
(2011) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Apr 15, 2023
Incident date: Feb 12, 2023
My Jeep's frame is rusted. There are holes and cracks in the frame from the rust. The Jeep will not pass my states safety inspection because of the rust. Parts of the suspension that are attached to the frame are about to fall off.
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
Took my car in for a front end alignment and wobbling in the rear when hit bumps. Informed that the rear subframe is completely corroded and “rotted out”. Quoted repair cost of $3900, and the car is deemed unsafe to drive in its current condition.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
In several areas on the exterior of the truck, the paint has bubbled and is peeling off. This is despite my efforts to really take care of my paint.
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
In a parking garage I found a open space and slowly moving towards that to park, car was approaching space at about 10 ft from that, all of a sudden car accelerated and lurched forward and hit the parking structure wall. Airbags deployed for all three of us, one of my colleagues was in passenger seat, another in the back seat. There was no warning on no time to react, this happens in seconds.
Crash
Incident date: Mar 17, 2023
The windshield trim flew off of my car as we were driving down the highway and behind us into traffic. The whole chunk is missing.
Incident date: Apr 15, 2023
While we were driving on the freeway probably about 65 mph, we heard a big explosion right next to us! We thought someone shot as us, the car swerved for a second, we noticed our the sunroof was exploded. We stopped and examined the evidence, no sign of rocks or object hit at the car
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER
(2011) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Apr 14, 2023
Incident date: Feb 15, 2023
Good morning. I previously reported incident [XXX] about a subframe issue w/ my 2011 Mercedes Benz C-300. This morning I received a warranty extension from the originally expired 4 years/50,000 mile to 20 years/unlimited miles. The notice says that repairs must be performed by an authorized Mercedes Benz dealership. I had the auto fixed privately and filed the NHTSA request. I called their CS and... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in for routine service, the independent mechanic discovered that the rear subframe was severely damaged due to rust and corrosion. The contact was advised that holes were present in the subframe, and the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2023
While driving on I75 at 65MPH the front passenger side windshield panel on the edge of windshield flew off and and almost hit vehicle behind me. They had to swerve out of way of the flying object. Very scary incident on the highway. Had to have it replaced so as not to have an rust occur.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2023
The frame of my truck has rotted through. The strap that holds the gas tank has nothing to connect to, i think the tank could fall to the ground under the right circumstances. The frame has a large whole in it and i fear it will break very soon. I had to remove the spare tire because i feared it would fall off the truck. I had to replace both connectors that held the leaf springs to the frame,and... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
S550
(2017) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Apr 14, 2023
Incident date: Mar 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while doing a routine tire check underneath the vehicle, the contact noticed that there was corrosion under the rear driver’s side of the subframe. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated there was a hole in the rear driver’s side mount. The contact was informed that the fuel strap mount on the front driver’s side an... Read more
Incident date: Mar 26, 2023
I own a 2013 Kia optima with 70k miles. I have searches so many forums regarding the defect with the PEARL WHITE paint. The paint began to peel all over my car as soon as I bought it with 16k miles a few years back. I’m concerned for myself and hundreds of other people with the same problems. The issue I am concerned with is when the paint begins to peel on my hood I would be concerned it could ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
Had previously felt some shaking in car as accelerating on roadway. Did not realize at that time the my rear subframe was rusting out. When Murano was parked in driveway noticed that the back wheels where turned inward. After inspecting car found that there was a lot of rust on my rear subframe making it unsafe to use this vehicle anymore. Cost of repairs are well over 2,000. This vehicle had j... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
Like apparently the majority of this model year C300, the rear subframe is completely disintegrated. This is a known issue but Mercedes has not communicated it nor fixed it. I was told, and as the photos clearly indicate, this very likely could have resulted in a catastrophic or fatal accident as the entire rear is corroded. I have photo and video support as well as the inspection from a mechani... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2013) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Apr 13, 2023
Incident date: Mar 30, 2023
Front damaged
Incident date: Mar 22, 2023
both of my side sliding door won't open, unlock or lock. This puts family in me at risk in case of a accident or something we wouldn't be able to get. Out of nowhere they just stop working first one door gave out and now the other and I been searching not the only one with this issue.
Incident date: Nov 12, 2022
Interior driver's side door latch cable frayed causing a malfunction to not allow the door to properly close. Had to replace the door latch cable.
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
The power life gate is not working properly , has knocked me in the head. I read that is very common. It stopped working a few months after purchasing (used). I have not had repaired, thought it might be a recall since it was reported a common problem.
KUMHO
MAJESTY SOLUS
(9999) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Apr 12, 2023
Incident date: Apr 10, 2023
The RF and LR door locks won't unlock or lock with the switch or the key fob. By not being able to lock or unlock those doors, if I had an accident my passengers would not be able to exit the car. I have tested this several times and the only way to unlock or lock is manually by pushing the switch on the door itself. It has not been inspected by anyone other than me. and the problem started with t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2023
I've been informed by my mechanic of excessive rust on the rear suspension. The car will not pass state inspection due to safety issues related to this. An appointment has been made with the Honda dealership to confirm. Honda has put out a recall/buy back for the same issue on the Element and the CRV in Canada, where there are areas of high salt usage. Honda has done the same for the CRV in north... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle drove over a bump in the road and the steering wheel became unstable. The vehicle was driven to the local service center who diagnosed that the rear driver’s side lower control arm on the front suspension mount had separated from the unibody frame due to corrosion. The contact was informed that... Read more
Incident date: Mar 11, 2023
The tailgate electronic release will randomly open allowing the tailgate to open while driving or parked. This causes your secured load in the bed of truck to now become unsecured. This also forces the driver to make an emergency stop to secure the tailgate. The switch can release the tailgate multiple times causing the operator to spend an excessive amount of time getting the tailgate closed and ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2023
The paint on the pillar next to the windshield on the drivers side just bubbled up, cracked and flaked away leaving the body of my car exposed to the weather elements. Searching the internet, I have found this is a common problem with Fords, but Ford won't fix it. Since this is common and obviously a factory defect, I feel a recall should be issued to cover this.
Incident date: Dec 25, 2022
Some doors do not lock when the electric lock switch is pressed on the FOB or using the button on the door. Sometimes the doors that did lock don’t the next time. This is a security issue while driving the vehicle and another security issue when parking. It’s also a safety issue for the same reasons. The door’s electrical locking system fails and needs to be fixed.
Incident date: Apr 5, 2023
I purchased this vehicle new in 2016. It currently has approximately 49,000 miles. It has never been involved in any collision. In Feb. 2023 I took it to a Les Schwab Tire Center to have the drag link replaced & alignment done. When the repairs were completed the technician informed me that I may have a rear axle misalignment as he noticed the rear axle appeared to have shifted to the right of th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 10, 2023
Car accident with full left side impaction door will not open doors will not open and I was not able to move out of my seat and yet I was stuck behind the steering wheel behind smashed impacted buckled, steering wheel did not deploy the airbags
Crash