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: Aug 15, 2022
While driving, the fuel door body panel detached from the vehicle. Uncertain when or how it occurred. The component was there when the journey started, but upon arriving at the destination it was missing(12/08/2022). At the previous fuel stop almost 1 week prior(12/02/2022), there was no indication that the body panel attachment was compromised. This component failing and detaching at highway ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2022
Mercedes no longer supports the sos ( tel-aid) system, so this system no longer works...each time you start the car, the sos inoperative warning light is on, and it blocks other safety features ( speedometer etc..). You have to reset the light each time you get in the car. Without the support of the system there is no emergency alert theft tracking ,airbag deployment sent to MB etc etc. Mercedes n... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
I have a 2005 Honda Element, undercarriage and suspension components have severe rust. I tried to get an inspection from Virginia and it failed immediately due to the rust. The mechanic lowered the vehicle as quickly as he could because of it falling off the lift. ultimately he told it is unsafe to drive. After doing some research I found out that Honda Canada has done a recall on Honda elements f... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that there was mold and water damage odor inside the vehicle. The contact discovered that the front driver's side floorboard was significantly soaked. The contact stated that she placed towels on the floorboard to prevent water damage. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the driver's side floorboard was removed and replaced. The dealer... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2017
My 2020 Dodge Ram 1500 has water intrusion due to a manufacturer defect in the back window area. There are 2 cracks on either side of the window and and water pours in soaking the carpet and back seats. The water has also effected the back curtain airbags.
Incident date: Oct 12, 2022
Driver side door will not open from the outside of the car. The latch is not releasing inside. However the door can be open from the inside. The handles present themselves but it seems to be an issue with the latch releasing so the door can open. This can lead to a really bad outcome if it was an emergency situation. There has already been one fatality because of this known defect and I don't want... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2022
Front hood top coat issue. I bought the vehicle in Oct ‘22, and it had a pre-existing issue on the front hood.
Incident date: Jan 8, 2023
The sunroof exploded while driving. If the inner shield hadnt been up the glass would have fallen on 2 people and a dog. The explosion was so loud my left ear is hurting. Nothing dropped on the sunroof. It exploded upwards. We thought our car had been shot.
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 5, 2022
Frame and body prematurely and aggressively rusted despite constant care and upkeep. Toyota recalled the exact frame on their Tacoma of the same years and did not recall the 4runner frames. It’s criminal and dangerous to the user and other vehicles on the road.
VOLKSWAGEN
CC
(2016) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 7, 2023
Incident date: Jan 6, 2023
When I put my car in drive (to move forward) from a cold start, the vehicle hesitates, does not respond to the accelerator pedal, and does not move. During this time, the transmission does not engage, and the vehicle shakes and produces a loud clunking sound from underneath. After that faulty start, the vehicle operates normally, until the next cold start (vehicle is at rest for 30 or more minutes... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2023
The muffler heat shield has become detached from all 4 fasteners and drops onto the top of the muffler. When starting the engine could hear a loud metal banging noise from the rear of the vehicle. Where the heat shield attaches to the body on 4 studs and is held in place by 4 zinc plated pal nuts, around the pal nuts the heat shield corrodes and separates from the zinc pal nuts allowing the heat s... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2023
When i applied the brakes the car pulled to the right so I brought it to my mechanic to find out the rear control arm bracket pulled out of the sub frame near the body bushing the rest of the car is not rotten only parts of the sub frame
Incident date: Jan 3, 2023
Front door panels makes a vivrating noise when driving at low speed Dealer didnt help
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2017) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 6, 2023
Incident date: Jan 6, 2023
Loud buzzing on driver side sliding door when locked. Door failed to open.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2023
While driving our Palisade on the freeway, the sunroof exploded without warning. Fortunately, the sunroof was closed and we had the internal compartment closed and no one was behind us on the freeway. So the glass did not enter the vehicle or hit another vehicle. But if the indoor compartment was open then glass would have entered into the vehicle and striking individuals in the car. The shattered... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2023
The rear driver side door latch will not latch and stay closed. The door swung open while I was driving. it has not been reproduced. it has not been inspected. I believe something is wrong with the door latch, but I do not use this door very much.
Incident date: Dec 15, 2022
My vehicle has a sun/moon roof. There are 2 drains that go down the side. The problem is there is a white piece of plastic that has plastic in the center at the bottom of the drain. If this gets clogged it causes the moon roof to leak water all over the interior. When this happened to me I was driving water and fell into my face and eyes. This was very unsafe. To fix the issue I used pliers ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2023
A portion of the car's hood closest to the windshield is angled downward, which reflects the sun into the driver's eyes. When driving south mid-day, the sun hits this part of the hood and the driver gets a blinding reflection. It's not just when facing the sun directly. When driving toward the sun, as the road bends about 20 degrees one way or the other from head-on the sun's reflection remains, s... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2023
As I was going up the ramp from Peachtree-Dunwoody Road onto 285E on Thursday, Jan 5th around 7pm, there is a tree on the left hand side that has long branches that extend into the road. The branches of the tree hit the side of my car. I heard it as I was driving but didn’t think anything of it. When I got home I had the chance to look at my car. There is a scratch on the side of the car that th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2023
While driving at approximately 45 mph on Florida Highway 10 with no other cars around the sunroof suddenly shattered. There was a loud “pop” and the sound of glass hitting the top of the car. The sunroof and shade were closed at the time and most of the glass ended up in the street. There is considerable paint damage to the roof of the vehicle from the glass hitting it after shattering.
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2014) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 5, 2023
Incident date: Dec 29, 2022
Malfunction of rear subframe and control arms due to rust causing the subframe to crack. When breaking the rear wheels swerved almost causing a collision on the highway. My mechanic inspected the car and deemed it unsafe for driving as this can cause injury or death to me and others. The car is currently being repaired. This problem is being ignored by MBUSA, however MB in Europe acknowledges ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that the hydraulic brake lines were leaking. The brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the contact was informed that there was rust covering the subframe of the vehicle and fuel tank. The dealer declined to complete a recall repair under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V311000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2009) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 5, 2023
Incident date: Nov 20, 2021
The brake lines and subframe were completely rusted and the vehicle was unsafe to drive. Dealer confirmed at regular service appointment. I have documentation and competed all regular maintenance. Dealer would not cover costs for what appears to be a major defect. I had another shop replace the brake lines and subframe.
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2013) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 5, 2023
Incident date: Dec 19, 2022
1. The component that failed was the rear subframe for the rear transaxle and wheel suspension system. It was inspected by a licensed MB service department and determined the drivers side of the rear subframe had rusted completely through and was separated from the frame. The passenger side of the rear subframe was also severely rusted and at risk of breaking. The subframe is currently being repla... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
SLK250
(2015) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 5, 2023
Incident date: Nov 16, 2022
The roof panel on my car separated from the body of the vehicle during normal highway driving. This failure is similar to recent prior recalls on other Mercedes Benz models where, due to failed glue bonding, sliding panels on those models detached from vehicles during driving conditions. At least one news article described those component failures as being due to a "defect." In my case, the ent... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2022
2018 Hyundai Sonata Sport+ with 23K miles that has White Pearl exterior paint. The paint (W8 or WW8) is peeling off from several locations (Hood and Roof). This has been a know issue with this type of paint on Hyundai vehicles but manufacturer is not taking any responsibility that paint or paint job is defective. One can google this issue and thousands of user complaints are there of different f... Read more
HYUNDAI TRANSLEAD
VAN TRAILER
(2015) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 4, 2023
Incident date: Mar 3, 2022
Side underride by a 2003 Form Mustang on 3/8/22. The trailer did not have any side underride guards.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 4, 2023
BOTH SLIDING DOORS OPEN UP WHEN GOING DOWN THE ROAD AND BOTH SLIDING DOORS WILL NOT SHUT ALL THE WAY UNLESS U PUSH ON THEM HARD TO SHUT BUT THEY WILL STILL OPEN UP REGARDLESS
Incident date: Jan 22, 2019
Dear Sir or Madam I am writing to inform you of a defective issue with my 2015 KIA K900. The top dash from driver to passenger side has warped and pull back tremendously. It is my concern and safety that this will create a problem for the airbags and interfere with the airbag deployment on the passenger side and headlight sensor. This is a safety defective issue that can interfere or cause malfunc... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2023
The left rear door would not open from the inside when unlocked. In an emergency, my passenger would not be able to get out on their own.
Incident date: Nov 2, 2022
On November 2, 2022 the control arm mount for the rear driver side wheel of our 2012 Honda CR-V failed while the car was in use; as a result, the car was no longer drivable. The car was towed to an authorized Honda service center and the condition was assessed as follows: oThe frame rail had deteriorated/rusted to the point where part of it was completely gone. oA new control arm could not be inst... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
The vehicle was being towed by a Class A RV using a manufacturer approved towing system. All connections and safety measures were properly installed and tested just prior to incident. Vehicle has been towed using the same equipment for several years with no incident. The attachment from the frame to the front-end assembly completely separated and the vehicle body went into oncoming traffic. The v... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 20, 2022
Rear view camera stopped working as I was backing up and ran into a pole damaged my right rear wheel well and panel.
Crash
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
Water has been making passenger’s side seats wet both rear and front. Making fungus to grow. That could result in poor health. Its been more than a year. Earlier suspected that water might have been spilled. But its always wet.
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 3, 2023
Incident date: Dec 29, 2022
While driving down the highway at approximately 55mph, my car abruptly swerved left nearly causing an accident with the vehicle in the opposite line. My car was taken to my personal mechanic where he found the rear subframe to be completely broken on the left side due to severe rusting. Luckily the break lines were not damaged during the breakage. I investigated this issue online and it seems t... Read more
TOYOTA
FJ CRUISER
(2014) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 3, 2023
Incident date: Jun 7, 2022
Rear Body Mount rotted, frame very rusted and thin, could pose issue with structure. All the times bringing to dealer, nothing was mentioned regarding how bad the frame was.
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLK350
(2010) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 3, 2023
Incident date: Jan 3, 2023
I had my 2010 Mercedes GLK in for B service today (Jan. 3, 2023), and the repair team inspected the vehicle and informed me that I have a RUST HOLE approximately 1" x 2" in size located adjacent to an attachment point for the wheels in the REAR SUBFRAME. If it breaks, it could cause the vehicle to become difficult to control. Additionally, they informed me that the BRAKE LINES are also RUSTING/... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2020
I purchased this 2003 Toyota 4Runner in 2018 under what I assumed was prime condition, for a vehicle that spent the majority of its life in Nebraska/Kansas before I moved to Texas in 2021. At 87,400 miles at the time of purchase, the vehicle had no visible damage to the exterior besides a few paint chips, some minor hail damage and scratches, and some easily fixed surface rust in the paint on the ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the driver's side front tire kicked up a stone from the street which entered the cabin and struck the contact on the left side of his forehead. The contact stated that he understood that inadequate fender coverage allowed road debris to be picked up by the wheels and thrown into the cabin of the vehicle.... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2022
I own a 2009 mazda 6 witch is my only vehicle I had tooken it to a mechanic shop due to noise comming from the front and rear of the car under farther investigation I was notified by the mechanic that the entire front and rear subframes were badly rotted and rusty i than took the car to a mazda dealer for further inspection we’re I was notified that they would replace the front sub frame under r... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2022
Paint peeling in large flakes from front hood area of vehicle. Dealer documented paint issue on Jan 2, 2023
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2017) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jan 2, 2023
Incident date: Dec 27, 2022
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The passenger sliding power door lock will not release electronically or manually. It can be available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? This leaves the passenger on that side trapped in the vehicle. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or in... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2022
The front Undercarriage/ Aero Tray on My Model 3 started to tear apart after driving in the rain on the freeway. This is a part of the existing SB-19-12-001 Tesla Service Bulletin. While driving on the freeway on a rainy day in Los Angeles, I heard the undercarriage tray start dragging on the freeway. Did not hit or run over any objects to cause the tray to rip. Contacted Tesla and showed Tesla se... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2022
The left rear passenger window glass shattered spontaneously putting the passenger in the rear seat at risk of injury. This has been happening in teslas as reported in these forums https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/rear-door-glass-spontaneously-shattering.209972/ https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/model-y-rear-passenger-window-spontaneously-shattered.252987/ https://teslamotorsclub.com/... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
I have severe frame rot, holes forming in the frame!
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
Car emits a very audible squeak when shifting right above 30mph and 40mph, car surges at lower and constant speeds, tach will slowly drop when applying throttle, surge slightly, then function as normal again
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
The truck has problems with electrical on and off. Today because driver assistance sensors did not work I got into a wreck.
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The paint on my truck is defective, it is bubbling and falling off on the drivers side.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
driver side rear door will not open and the front passenger door takes a couple lifts if the exterior handle to get the door to open.
Incident date: Nov 14, 2022
Front passenger door began making loud snapping noise when closing or opening. Window was affected, would only go down halfway and required manual assist to close. Took to dealer, repair not covered by warranty. Told spotwelds at door check were busted. I had the spotwelds replaced on 12-29-22. It was quite expensive and didn't seem this should happen in a car only 2 years old..