Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 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 2,245,377 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 49,687 complaints - component: STRUCTURE:BODY
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
Drivers door began making a clunking/popping/scratching noise when opening without incident or cause. Window will only roll down approximately 4 inches. No warning lamps or messages present. The noise and the metal on metal feeling when opening or closing is getting worse and the door is getting harder to close. I am worried it may fall off at anytime, or if it is repaired that it will be replaced... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2023
Sunroof shattered and exploded while driving
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 5, 2023
There is a presence of a moldy smell in the car. After closer visual inspection, rear window frame had cracked in two spots allowing water from outside to get in and go behind the rear seats, making a carpets wet which produces the mold. Water also getting onto electrical systems like radio amplifier and rear seat ventilation making them corrode. There is no way an owner can find a problem under n... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2023
My rear sub frame has major corrosion and is broken on the driver side, the passenger side about to go soon. My vehicle only has 154000 miles on it.
Incident date: Apr 10, 2023
Sunroof shattered while driving down the highway without impact. Drove 8.5 hours of a 9.5 hour drive and the sunroof randomly shattered. There were no bumps in the highway at the time it occurred. We were going around a slight right hand curve. The glass breaking sounding like a gunshot. Glass sharps went inside and outside the cabin of the vehicle. The dealer can’t get the vehicle in for 3 week... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2023
Questionable manufacturing practices, wiring harness for lighting and brake controls ran through a cut out in a piece of aluminum that had no rubber grommet protecting the insulation of the wires resulting in insulation being cut resulting in possible short. Also, during manufacturing process, front skin of the V front of the trailer was not secured to the frame resulting in possible panel displac... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2023
1. Several times the rear hatch has opened while the car was left unattended. 2. If the hatch opens it could possibly cause a safety issue: a.By opening while driving. This has not happened and I do not know if Mercedes has a safety lock to ensure this could not happen. b.Open while parked at the store, mall, etc. The vehicle would be unsecured with items being subjected to being stolen. c.... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2018) - STRUCTURE:BODY
Jul 5, 2023
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
1. The rear hatch has opened while the car was left unattended. 2. If the hatch opens it could possibly cause a safety issue: a.By opening while driving. This has not happened and I do not know if Mercedes has a safety lock to ensure this could not happen. b.Open while parked and unattended. The vehicle would be unsecured with items being subjected to being stolen. c.Open while parked at th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2023
Frame rusted out front and rear cross members.
Incident date: Jul 5, 2023
On long trips vehicle shuts down and goes into limp mode. It has a very rough idle after restart when it allows you to go. The rims have massively lost large chunks of paint from them as well.It is never close to a dealership when it happens. This normally happens when you are running on the interstate and the vehicle dies in the middle of six lanes of heavy traffic. When this happens no warning... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2023
The frame of the back window is cracking causing water to leak into the cab. After talking to the dealership they are saying this is happening with RAM Trucks that has not been recalled. He stated that the control module is located under the rear seat which is getting wet and causing problems to the trun signals, starting of the truck and lighting to malfunction which could cause an accident. The... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2023
Door lock actuator Door does not auto lock leaving my rear passenger door unlocked even while driving. Has not been inspected as it is out of warranty
Incident date: Jun 27, 2023
We noticed on 6/24/2023 a small crack and few other minor cracks and a paint chip appeared out of nowhere on the fiber-glass/composite hard roof top at the driver side rear edge above the gas tank of my Jeep Wrangler 2023 that I bought from your dealership. My vehicle details are as follows: Make: Jeep Model Wrangler Sahara 4X4e Year... Read more
FREIGHTLINER
CASCADIA
(2021) - STRUCTURE:BODY
Jul 4, 2023
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
Rear passenger door will not open from inside or outside
VOLKSWAGEN
TIGUAN
(2019) - STRUCTURE:BODY
Jul 4, 2023
Incident date: Jun 8, 2023
The passenger side windshield panel flew off while driving 70 mph on the highway. There is now a rattling sound when I drive over 30 mph. There were no warning signs, only a loud crack. This could have been very dangerous if someone had been next to or behind the vehicle.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
Since June 5th, 2023, I have had to have the passenger side windshield pillar mount trim replaced 3 different times due to clips breaking and the trim piece begins to become unattached when driving. It was replaced again yesterday and not even 2 hours after it was replaced, the top clip that is attached to the trim piece and clicks into the body of my car, it already broke off from the trim piece ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the trim on passenger’s side windshield had detached from the windshield. The contact stated that the trim on the driver’s side windshield had also detached. The vehicle was diagnosed. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contac... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2023
My car was parked overnight in front my house on the street, and I remote started it around 4 pm. As I was looking out the window to check if the car started- I saw it moving forward. I ran out of the house and within a few seconds- the car rolled into my neighbor's truck and sustained damage to the hood and frame. This is a safety issue because the car is a push start car- and should not have sta... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
First the passenger door handle broke and Tesla fixed it, now the driver door handle broke. Seems like a safety issue and these things are just designed to break.
Incident date: Jun 26, 2023
Rear driver door does not open from the outside or inside. The doors are unlocked but will not open at all.
Incident date: May 14, 2023
After parking the car, I opened the front passenger door from the outside and then attempted to close it but the door would not latch. The latch was not engaging to keep it should. I can hear the lock working when pressed with the key remote and on the door, but did not change the catching of the door. This is a safety issue because the door is currently tied shut with rope as I am working on g... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2022
I have problem for the color white pearl is pealing the car front car side an doors
Incident date: May 18, 2023
The rear window of our 2023 Honda HRV exploded with no incident whatsoever. We had parked the car on Sunday, July 2, 2023 and taken walk on beach at 7:30 in the morning. When we left at 8:15 we heard a noise from the back as we drove off and looked in rear view mirror to see that the back glass was shattering. Continued to shatter as we made our way back home - 1-1/2 miles. This is a Sunday an... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2023
The hood on my 2023 Honda CRV moves up and down when traveling over the speed of 60 mph. I called my Honda dealership several times and have been told each time not to bring it in because it would be a waste of my time, and this is normal on this model to have a vibrating hood, due to design and use of light weighted metals. They went on to say, there is nothing Honda will do for this. It remind... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2023
While driving the car at any speed between 35mph-70mph, one of the doors will occasionally unlatch. No more than one has unlatched at the same time. All four doors are set to lock automatically once the car is in motion. When a door unlatches, I get a visual alert on the dash, car dings loudly, and I can visually see a 2-3 inch gap between the open door and the vehicle. The door lock symbol on the... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2023
The sliding door power lock actuators fail. Making the door totally inoperable. This is the same issue that prompted Mopar warranty bulletin D-21-15. The dealer Jeff Belzer's Dodge of Lakeville MN. Service writer [XXX] says that this vin of vehicles is not in the bulletin. The vehicle is in the coverage period. It should be in the bulletin, should there be a fire or other emergency required to ex... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2019) - STRUCTURE:BODY
Jul 2, 2023
Incident date: Jul 2, 2023
The paint on this car is defective. It peels off of the car without any action or agitation by the owner or outside forces. This causes multiple parts of the car rust to under the painted areas, including the roof and hood. This is a common problem with this model and color as several owners have posted about the problem online.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
When my car is exposed to water (rain, a car wash) the trunk completely floods and does not drain. It has flooded so much now that my amplifier does not work. I took my vehicle to Chevy to have the known recall on this vehicle repaired but Chevy claims that they will not do anything for me. I am afraid that the car can potentially catch fire and burn my home down as I park this car in my driveway.... Read more
Fire
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE 4XE
(2022) - STRUCTURE:BODY
Jul 1, 2023
Incident date: Jun 9, 2023
Please check all recalls on my car.
Incident date: Jun 29, 2023
Significantly rusted out truck bed framing. I purchased the truck from a private seller a couple of years ago, and the bed had a rubber mat and plastic side panels in the bed. I was unaware of what was underneath at that time. On 06/28/2023, I removed the rubber mat, and side plastic panels to reveal major rusting with the truck bed. The bed is at major risk of separating from the frame. If... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2023
Spot welds broke off of the door limiter. Took it to ford while under warranty at 34,000mi and they could not fix due to mechanics strike. Came back after the strike and was told that since the vehicle is at 36,800 miles they would not cover it, even though they had info that I was there before the warranty ran out. They did remove the part so it would not break the glass but it left the door sagg... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2023
Panoramic roof leaks water which can cause water to drain into vehicle. Causing mold to accumulate (black mold) which is hazardous to a person’s health.
Incident date: May 1, 2023
Tailgate opening randomly going down the road.
Incident date: May 16, 2023
This is a fully electric vehicle and upon arriving at a charger, the charging port door on the car would not open. It is a manual door - normally just push on the outside of the door and it pops opens. In this instance, pushing on the door did nothing, the door was stuck and would not open, putting my safety at risk as I could not charge the vehicle and had only limited range left to drive. No lig... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
Found Truck bed floor rust corrosion in the bed of 2014 tundra. Bed has localized corrosion and rust perforation in specific areas on the top side of the bed. Bed assembly does not appear to have been properly sealed using hemming and sealing procedures outlined in CRIB bulletin:163 sealing Hem-flanges and body seams. The truck bed underside is rust free except where the bed sections were welde... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
2014 hatchback nissan versa note Water leak to passenger side front and back cowl plug clog cannot get at to clean. window not work& other electric issues could follow. from several days of severe rain.
Incident date: May 30, 2023
I was driving as usual and suddenly the air bags exploded inside the dash causing damage to the passenger window and the front crystal. Seconds after the drivers airbag also opened and consequently the alarms. I did not impact anything and the car won’t start again.
Incident date: Mar 3, 2023
The front windshield side trim piece detached from my vehicle while driving and was hanging on by a tiny piece of rubber. I had to pull over on the interstate to pull it off which was very dangerous.
Incident date: Jun 30, 2023
The 2017 hyundai tucson will trap you inside the car. The doors will work intermittently and other times they simply will not open. Even when the car is unlocked. This was recalled on certain models and years but not this one. Huge safety concern being trapped inside the car or stuck outside car.
Incident date: Jun 19, 2023
I was pulling out of a parking lot going about 3 mph. There were no other vehicles around and the windshield cracked right in front of me. I called my insurance and explained to them the strange event that just took place, and they said that it would be a deductable of $500.00 or around $1000.00. Reasearch has proven that quote. The next day I went out to the car to start it up so the kids wouldn'... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2023
I am concerned of the blind spot created by the size of the right and left support structures on either end of windshield. They also have a grab handle attached to them increasing the size. When at a stop and looking for cross traffic they create a blind spot of approaching vehicles. I believe this was why I thought no traffic was approaching when i entered roadway and then saw a vehicle app... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2023
Component: Passenger side windshield trim Safety Risk: I was traveling on the interstate between 70-75mph when the trim flew off. It went directly in the path of the vehicle behind me causing them to swerve. They nearly hit the vehicle in the left lane by doing so. Problem confirmed: No, just happened and have not contacted dealership yet Component inspected: No, was destroyed after being run o... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2022
My 2022 Ford Bronco 2 door hard top has wind (air leak) noise where the T-top joins the hard top. The weatherstripping does not properly seal causing wind noise, possible water intrusion (potential mold issue). This wind noise has been brought to the attention of the dealer and Ford's regional field engineer. The wind noise can cause hearing problems but not hearing emergency vehicles, and potenti... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2023
The trunk release mechanisms of my Honda Accord EXL coupe failed, both manual cable and electrical trunk release. My trunk does NOT open and when I need to access my spare tire in the trunk - I will NOT be able to. A real danger since I live in Canyon Country and often phone reception is poor. The only Honda Model that does NOT have any external nor internal emergency trunk release option. There i... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2017) - STRUCTURE:BODY
Jun 29, 2023
Incident date: Jun 29, 2023
Front and back subframes of car are/were rusted. The front was replaced last year and the rear needs to be done. I'm waiting for an estimate for that. Pic shows the rust taken by my mechanic 2 weeks ago..
Incident date: Jun 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali. The contact stated while exiting a parking lot, the passenger’s side running board detached from the vehicle causing minor damages to the passenger’s side of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted but provided no assistance and advised the contact that the running board needed to be replaced. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
First of all i drive a 2016 Ford Fusion. Two years ago as i was leaving work my back driver's side door swung open and i thought i forgot to shut it. As i went to attempt to shut it it wouldnt close. My boyfriend had to meet me at work and tie it closed with rope that he had. I contacted Ford and they said they would fix it and charged me almost $500. Now just last week as i get into my passenger ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2023
My 2008 Honda RIdgeline has a frame rusted to the point where it has been deemed unsafe to drive by my local Honda dealership and Honda USA. My 2008 Honda Ridgeline is PA titled and was involved in recall 22V-430 (NHTSA recall number) / 22-021 (Honda recall number). I took my truck into Wright Honda (Uniontown, PA) on June 2nd, 2023 for the 2006-2014 Ridgeline Rear Frame Repair Safety Recall. Th... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2023) - STRUCTURE:BODY
Jun 28, 2023
Incident date: Apr 28, 2023
A flexible sealant is utilized to fill seams in the roof channel prior to primer, paint, and clear coat applications. Defects in the sealant protrude from the flat surface creating a weak a point in the painted surface. Cracks form around the defect and allows water intrusion below the sealant in direct contact with bare metal. Rust accumulates below the defect and begins protruding from the surf... Read more