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: May 4, 2022
The power hatch door liftgate support rods problems. The hatch door won't close. This is the third times. First two times were under warranty, this time is after warranty. The liftgate must have mechanical or design problem when manufacturing. If the hatch back door suddenly drop, it will hurt my head or body when I try to reach my trunks.
Incident date: Aug 4, 2022
The frame rusted at the attachment point for one of the fuel tank support straps. The fuel tank sagged as it was being supported by only one strap.
Incident date: Aug 2, 2022
The automatic liftgate fails to latch and requires extra steps that most car owner would not know to temporarily resolve the issue. My situation has been difficult to replicate. The liftgate will open but not close. It will also close but not open. It will also latch but not securely. This evening, the hatch opened but failed to close. It also latched but found out at 55mph that it was not properl... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2022
Like other Toyota Sienna owners, our backseat power doors stopped working. It doesn't close or open. I am really afraid of if we make an accident and can't open the door to move out my child safely. It's a common error in Toyota Sienna s .
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
While I was driving on the highway my hood popped up thankfully the safety catch held it but it was very unnerving I haven't been able to recreate the problem
Incident date: Nov 1, 2019
2014 Kia Sorento in Snow White Pearl. PAINT FAILURE The paint is rapidly delaminating from the hood and rails, as well and new areas on the back of the vehicle. The bare metal is exposed. It is beginning to rust. This began in 2019 at around 80k miles. I've reported it to 3 different dealerships and all have dismissed my complaints, citing the expired factory warranty. This is a known issue and... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2022
Leak in the fuel system vent line, vent line rupture. Leaking of fuel when car is parked in the Sun.
Incident date: Jul 25, 2022
In an auto collision where a car rear end the vehicle from an idle position into an 18-foot box truck in front which was also idle. The vehicle smashed in the front and back which it was deemed a total loss and the airbag did not deploy. This caused the driver to have several injuries including a head concussion. When contacted the dealer service department where recall maintenance had been per... Read more
Crash
1 injured
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2015) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Aug 3, 2022
Incident date: Aug 3, 2022
2015 Volkswagen Jetta active grille shutter. A shutter system on the front end of the vehicle on the lower half of the radiator that allows air flow during different temperatures. The shutter assembly along with the electrical motor seems to go bad after a set amount of time. Giving off a Check Engine Code P05A0 as the shutters freeze open. Volkswagen dealerships have quoted $700-900 to replace t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2022
I own a 2010 Toyota 4Runner VIN # [XXX]. I bought the vehicle late last year and found that the vehicle paint was peeling. I took my 4Runner to the one and only dealer here in Laredo, Texas. They told me to take it to their company body shop. The body shop looked at my 4Runner, took pictures and submitted everything to Toyota. This was late November or early December 2021. I called the body shop... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2017) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Aug 3, 2022
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated there was an abnormal clicking noise detected from the driver's side rear sliding door. The sliding door had seized and failed to open. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer however, the vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2022
There is a warning light showing a code 1450, unable to create fuel vacuum, that at first was thought to be an issue with a current recall for the car that was fixed. But after a routine oil change a fuel leak was found. I was told by the mechanic that it appears to be a fuel tank deformation similar to the 19S22 recall. My Ford focus was not apart of that recall and I was told by Ford to conta... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2022
The roof rack side rails that come standard on the vehicle are only secured by glue on the front with minimal weather proofing rubber. When driving, the front of the rails lift up and water and dirt can get into the front supports of the car in the left and right of the windshield. This is extremely dangerous and others have reported similar issues. The front of the roof rack side rails needs to b... Read more
FORD
FUSION HYBRID
(2018) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Aug 3, 2022
Incident date: Aug 3, 2022
I was trying to move items around in my trunk. As I lifted a bag to pull it out, I felt sharp metal cut deep into my finger. I looked in side and saw that the trunk lid was just the frame with holes and no protective covering at all over the metal frame on the top of my trunk. I did not go to the hospital, but it was very deep and probably needed stitches.
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 2, 2022
The sliding power doors no longer function properly. The door closes, and immediately unlatches. The door can be forced closed, but can and does then unlatch while driving. Kia of Cape Coral confirmed the doors are not latching properly due to the door motors. Kia agrees the doors are covered, but refuses to remedy the issue until the motor is unable to move the doors at all.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
Sunroof exploded when driving on highway. Safety was put at risk with glass and being startled when driving. Contacted dealer and also FCA, pending contact back. No prior signs that glass was pending failure. Glass blew outwards from the roof.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2011) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Aug 1, 2022
Incident date: May 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the brakes. The contact stated that the dashboard was also cracked. There was a dollar-sized hole in the dashboard. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where they informed the contact there was a hai... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
The power rear lift gate mechanism frequently does not work. Even when car is unlocked the rear lift gate refuses to open just giving a 3 beep warning. The back can be manually opened but not by me as it is extremely hard to lift. Sometimes the gate only opens partially, or only closes partially. After my husband manually moves the gate it does not close fully and does not lock so we have no guara... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2022
There is a crack down the middle section of the liftgate for quite some time. The liftgate has been unlocking and opening automatically by itself. On only rare occasions has the liftgate opened all the way while driving. On the morning of 7/28/2022 while the vehicle was parked in my driveway the liftgate was discovered to have again unlocked by itself and opened slightly and now with one of the tw... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2019
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Optima. The contact stated that the steering wheel would jerk and shake. In addition, the steering wheel would vibrate whenever the contact would drive over rough roads. The vibration would omit a loud vibrating noise as well. The vehicle's driver seat would move out of position independently. The contact also mentioned that whenever they attempted to move the seat it f... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2022
I took my pilot to Gerald Jones Honda in Augusta to have recall of hood latch fixed. It has gotten worse and loose and almost blows up when I pass large trucks. I took it back to Gerald Jones and they said they couldn't do anything, In the mean time i have contacted Honda, sent them a video of the moving hood and I have been waiting on an answer of what to do. I am am scared when I drive it that t... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
EQS 450
(2022) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Aug 1, 2022
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
mercedes announced a recall for my vehicle the 2022 EQS but in several months has not provided a remedy
Incident date: Jul 29, 2022
The sliding doors of the Van do not stay closed. We could be driving down the road when they open and the chime starts going off. We find this is commonly associated with the scenerios right after the auto-close mechanism closes the door. (This is another issue as it does not reliably close the door.) To resolve the door suddenly opening situation, we have to stop, put the vehicle in park, and u... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2022
The rear subframe has completely rusted out. It actually broke due to the rust.
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2022) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jul 31, 2022
Incident date: Jul 14, 2022
In April 2022, my dad purchased a brand new Honda CRV 2022 hybrid touring edition. This car was deemed as one of the safest cars on the market and was his main intent while buying it. A couple of weeks ago this car was the prime suspect of a fire that impacted both the car and our house. Let me break down exactly how this occurred and where the blame should fall on this situation. When I was slowl... Read more
Crash
Fire
Incident date: Jun 5, 2019
Pearl white paint chipping all over
Incident date: May 1, 2019
The body is experiencing rapid delamination and paint pealing. The paint color is pearl white. The problem began in May 2019. At first, the roof began to peal and now the a-post is pealing on the driver's side. It leaves the bare metal exposed.
Incident date: Jul 24, 2022
Car paint delamination (roof), Pearl White color. Car is 4 years old, 51,000 miles, garage kept. Paint peeling off of roof down to car metal. This delamination should not be occuring at all with a 4 year old car. Have contacted Hyundai Corporate with pictures. Claim number issued. Contacted local dealership where I purchased car new in April 2018. They have taken pictures, sent information ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2022
Known manufacturer defect in rear sliding window plastic frame that cracks and allows water to enter into the rear cab of the truck. This leads to wet seats, headliner and carpet. If undetected or not corrected this could lead to mold growing behind the rear seats. This also is causing rust on the bolts that hold the rear seat in place. It also affects the various electronic controls that reside b... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2022
The hood doesn't stay open. The hood uses two gas struts to be opened and they failed causing the hood to slam into my head and neck. The hood doesn't have a prop up bar which can keep the hood propped open. My car is a 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid with 70,000 miles on it. The hood was opened all the way for 5 minutes before it slammed shut on me.
1 injured
Incident date: May 1, 2020
The truck was brought in to dealer to inspect/repair wiring for trailer outlet. When they and began raising the vehicle, the rear lift arms broke through the frame on both sides. When I drove it short way to the repair shop (about 5 miles), the frame on the left broke and sagged and I nearly lost control. The repair shop was in sight and I was able to make it at under 10 mph. The road between the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2022
So the part that is a malfunction is the rear doors weren’t made with any child lock and of course one of my kids opened the door while i was driving on the highway.I have a 3 and 5 year old and it scared me so bad I had to hurry and pull the hummer over and park and just held my son. I couldn’t even drive after that because of how bad it traumatized me. My mom had to come get and take me and ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2022
My subframe cracked in half which caused my tire to blow out on the highway. It almost caused me to crash into the gardrail and potentially other cars. My jeep has 110k miles on it and now it’s not safe to drive.
Incident date: Jul 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle's driver's side door had severe rust that was causing the skin of the vehicle to weld onto the outer panel of the door. In other areas of the vehicle, there was severe rust causing the paint to begin to bubble to the point that it was welded to the outer panel of the door. The dealer was not able to repair the rust on the bo... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 35 MPH, a deer struck the rear passenger’s side door. The vehicle was towed to the collision center. The contact stated when he went to see the vehicle, he noticed that the hinges on the door were rusted. The collision center stated that the vehicle came with the hinges rusted and to contact the manufacturer... Read more
FOREST RIVER
VIBE
(2018) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jul 29, 2022
Incident date: Jun 29, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 Forest River Vibe equipped with Castle Rock Tires, Tire Line: Radial ST226, Tire Size: 225/75/R15, DOT Number: JULT1MT. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, she heard a loud abnormal sound coming from underneath the RV. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact noticed that the rear passenger's side tire was flat. The failure mileage was 9,000. The contact... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
AMG CLA45
(2014) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jul 29, 2022
Incident date: Jul 27, 2022
While driving on the freeway the glass piece between the windshield and sunroof flew off of the car, causing a major safety hazard.
FORD
TRANSIT CONNECT
(2014) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jul 29, 2022
Incident date: Feb 8, 2022
In February 2022 the driver's side door stopped being able to latch. The door was unable to securely close. The driver's door was able to swing open on turns and the driver would be able to fall out of the vehicle during a crash.
FORD
TRANSIT CONNECT
(2014) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jul 29, 2022
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
After having the panoramic sunroof replaced in 2019 due to a recall, the roof started leaking again causing mold to grow and making us fear for the structural integrity of the vehicle due to the possibility of unseen rust. The Service Department said it was not related to the original recall and that it was an epoxy failure. We feel this is just a continuance of the original defect and there was a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2022
Today, in my 2 month old 2022 Ford Explorer ST. The latch that holds/locks the hood (over engine) broke while driving 25 mph on city street and the hood smashed into my front windshield. I have never opened the hood since purchasing the vehicle and the hood ajar light never lite up until after it smashed into my windshield. I took the car to Ford Service and they are deferring responsibility. Eve... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2022
The complete chassis frame under the vehicle, contains a lot of rust and holes due to corrosion. Some years ago, a Toyota dealership asked me to bring the vehicle in to one of their dealerships, where an undercoating was painted on the frame surface. However, the coating is worn away and the rust is visible again and this time there are even more deterioration.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2019
My (pearl) white 2013 KIA Optima is peeling paint from its front hood and A-pillars. This has been happening since I first bought it in 2018. My car had 55K miles on it and has never been in an accident. I have taken it to the KIA dealership of Fishers with no success. THEY LIED TO ME! Each time, I was told that my car had been previously painted by someone else, and that business did a bad... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2019
My (pearl) white 2013 KIA Optima is peeling paint from its front hood and A-pillars. This has been happening since I first bought it in 2018. My car had 55K miles on it and has never been in an accident. I have taken it to the KIA dealership of Fishers with no success. THEY LIED TO ME! Each time, I was told that my car had been previously painted by someone else, and that business did a bad... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF R
(2016) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jul 28, 2022
Incident date: May 11, 2022
Chrome trim around the shifter began peeling and exposed sharp edges. Sharp edges of raised trim are close to a storage cubby so there is a risk of touching them and being cut, something which has happened to me (driver). Issue has not been inspected by a dealer or manufacturer etc. No warning lamps or other symptoms were present. NOTE: This issue appears to be the same as one covered under NHTS... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2022
Yesterday, 7/27/2022, I had my 2007 Toyota Tacoma Access Cab at my mechanic's shop for a minor issue. While on the lift he noticed significant rust on the frame rails. He brought me over and showed me extensive areas where the metal was completely rusted through. I have never seen anything like this on even the oldest of vehicles. Subsequently I did a search online and found that this was a kn... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2022
Component: Engine Cradle/Front Subframe - (9L8Z-5C145-A) Large holes rusting in it on passenger side. Mechanic recommends replacement as otherwise hole could weaken the structure to the point it breaks, control arm could pop out. Seems to have been a known issue on older models like 2001-2004, but any newer models are not covered by Ford's recall, despite many people on forums saying they have ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2021
Paint delamination at multiple locations from manufacturing defect(s) not man made or acts of nature damage
Incident date: Jul 28, 2022
I bought this car in February of this year, and the problems were present at purchase, I have brought it in and had them looked at but unable to determine what was wrong. The car sometimes stalls out whenever parked, or idling. Every time i put gas in, then start it, the vehicle will start then immediately stall. I have to start it and push the gas to keep it from stalling and quickly put into dri... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2019) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Jul 28, 2022
Incident date: May 15, 2022
The frame of the vehicle has significant rust through. I attempted to go through warranty claim and they denied it and said it was normal. I took it to a body shop who advised that this should not be happening and they recommended a full frame replacement and they advised the rust would spread.
Incident date: Aug 8, 2019
My paint has been peeling off over the years and it just really got bad to the point I could not take it any more. So I finally look to see if the was other vehicles within that year make and model had the same problems and this is why I am doing this.