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: Nov 1, 2024
Water leaking in the drivers side frame that goes down the inner column by the dash onto the floor board, leaks above the driver visor, and in the back frame in the trunk of driver side. I have had it checked over by a Ford dealer twice and they claim it was my sun roof-which it is not. When I tried to have it checked again with a non Ford mechanic, it’s been too cold and rainy so the problem ca... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2024
Trim piece of chromed plastic on the front of the hood broke off and flew over the truck while traveling at 65mph. Fortunately no vehicles were close behind, but it could have damaged a following vehicle and/or caused them to swerve to avoid. This part is obviously a defective assembly. Photo available
Incident date: Dec 18, 2024
Two recalls for this make year and model car had been recalled previously but not for my VIN specifically and the issues are appearing. The first is “doors may open driving” recall on your website and the second is “engine cylinder head may leaks oil” which is also on ur website. Both were recalled for this make and year of the ford fusion but not for my VIN so ford is stating they cannot ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
Pearl white color paint chipping, and breaking due to water and air. Bad batch of primer and coating has caused the paint to chip and peel across the body of the car.
Incident date: Nov 14, 2024
Spontaneous rear window shattering twice. Danger to the driver and passengers.
Incident date: Dec 17, 2024
Cracking front windshield (temporarily fixed by clear tape), broken window regulator motors on both passenger and driver sides stop lifting the glasses up and down, passenger side plastic window part (vertically snapped on the upper part of passenger door) fell off, engine light sometimes on and off with unknown detected problems.
Incident date: Dec 14, 2024
1. Corrosion which is a Jeep/Mopar known issue - paint bubbles on the aluminum doors/hinges. No recall/fix. 2. Death Wobble: Also known as loosing control to steer the car. This is a huge issue with all stock and this has not been addressed yet. There are a lot of videos and cases out there to proof this case. 3. Coolant Reservoir leak: Recently there are 276 coolant reservoirs needed from Mopar f... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2024
While trailering our 42 foot 5th wheel down [XXX] in Florida I looked out my sideview mirrors and found the forward aspect of our passenger side opening into traffic during travel. I have also had to add external straps to bay doors as they have opened up during travel. All of these items are available for inspection. I am trying to get the slide fixed today as it is an integral part of our living... Read more
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER SPORT
(2018) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 17, 2024
Incident date: Dec 8, 2024
The snow-white pearl paint is peeling off - this is a common problem, and the paint is flaking off - not adhering to the base material - seems like a factory defect. This will be a huge re-paint cost to be fixed, and it is just getting worse over time
FORD
F-150 HYBRID
(2024) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 17, 2024
Incident date: Dec 15, 2024
Sunroof has got jammed in open position. You have issued a statement on this now Kia will not manufacture the parts to the roof (backorder really) and wants to charge you $5000 to put a whole new roof on -
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 3500
(2007) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 16, 2024
Incident date: Jun 1, 2010
The vehicle has an open recall (NHTSA Recall #12V542) for the spare tire carrier lift plate. I brought the vehicle to a Toyota dealership to have the recall addressed, but the dealership refused to perform the repair, stating that the frame is too rusted to proceed safely. They recommended a full frame replacement due to severe rust damage, which includes holes and significant structural weakening... Read more
Incident date: Nov 21, 2024
My 2018 Volvo XC90 had repeated water leakage from the panoramic sunroof. In most cases, when the vehicle is parked flat or the front is at a slight angle, water leaks in and collects in the cargo area. It collects into a plastic compartment over the battery located on the right side of the cargo area and/or on top of the rear cargo mat. When the vehicle is moving and it is raining, water leaks... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2024
As I was traveling down the interstate at about 70 mph the front upper grille moulding flew off and almost hit the vehicle behind me. The clips that held this on the vehicle are very weak and this is happening to many of the same vehicles. Had I hit a car behind me there could have been significant damage, and luckily there was not a motorcyclist behind me. I did not hear any rattling or have a... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2023
Driver side door check arm bracket has completely broken off due to bad spot welds. Makes driver side door function very poorly. The check arm completely broke off while opening the door in my driveway.
Incident date: Dec 15, 2024
Rear power tailgate module fried due to moisture intrusion. Trunk will not close. Lock stuck in closed position.
Incident date: Dec 13, 2024
They sold me a vehicle at the dealer. Three days after I bought it, I had to buy tires for it. Because they were in bad condition, they also charged me for a liquid called 3m nitro and I don't understand why they put it in if the tires were in bad condition, and they also promised to fix some details on the bumper and details on the paint on the body of the truck, and the transmission has already ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2024
my car has a recall, and dealer told me it can not be solved. for this reason, I can not rent my car in Turo due to incomplete recall, and I also have safety concerns
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
While driving approximately 70mph down the freeway the upper grille assembly snapped off and went airborne, it struck the passenger side of my windshield putting 2 large scratches on my windshield. It then hit the roof of the vehicle and continued over my vehicle. Upon inspection the guard is held on by extremely thin clips and all clips sheared in almost identical spots. This creates a huge saf... Read more
Incident date: Nov 2, 2024
Driving along the highway at highway speed, the sunroof exploded over our head. The glass blew outward from the center of the sunroof. There was nothing the hit the glass.
Incident date: Dec 13, 2024
Right power sliding door stopped closing all the way and would constantly beep. Now, power sliding door opens too far which has broken the motors causing the beeping to resume. This is an safety issue as anything hanging out the window would be crushed (such as a child's head or extremity). We have done a fuse reset as suggested by Kia, then also replaced the motor and the actuator, and it still o... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2024
All my doors stick and sometimes I have to fight with my car to even get a door open. Also, when trying to accelerate sometimes my throttle response is slow and i will not move for a few seconds.
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2014) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 14, 2024
Incident date: Dec 1, 2019
•Unknown parts or system malfunctions; yes, an inspection can be issued •The car is parked very close to the house and continuously producing poisonous and harmful gas, battery liquid and glasses splattered more than 20ft away. •No, before the incident there was no issue observed. •No, but from the fire department report the cause of the fire was "failure of equipment". •No, there was ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 12, 2024
I purchased the above-referenced car in July 2020 almost immediately after purchase the indicator light came on with Chasis failure and the car lowered to a safe distance to the ground. Unbeknownst to me the car had been declared unsafe to drive previously. The airbags had been deployed and placed backward the front sensors were painted over and not operable. I had to take legal action against fou... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2024
On walk through rear awning flew off in slight breeze, took 4 years to get repaired with covid and parts availability, could have just as easily came off on the road, had two 3/4'' screws holding it on and into skin, not frame. Upon looking at bedroom night tables gap at front cap found rub marks on wallcovering and sawdust from rubbing/flexing cabinets from perceived frame flex. back garage man d... Read more
Incident date: Dec 13, 2024
On Thanksgiving, the rear door of our vehicle closed unexpectedly on my back while I was loading food and gifts. It seemed stuck; I had to lift it manually to reset it. It then resumed working normally. However, recently, it fell on my husband’s head while he was unloading groceries. He has a history of concussions, and I am very concerned about the safety risk this malfunction poses. Please in... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2013) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 13, 2024
Incident date: Nov 13, 2024
While driving down the highway, then without any warning the front upper lip of truck grille flew off randomly. The broken piece shattered windshield and caused damage to body of vehicle. Reported to dealer, but they said I must have hit something to cause the damage. I did not hit anything. I was simply driving down the highway. This was a failure of the truck.
Incident date: Oct 21, 2024
Interior cabin Air Conditioning Unit leaks water inside the cab area. Water leaks below the passenger dash area, creating mold to the carpet and flooring. Water damage caused to the inside of the vehicle on multiple areas around the passenger front side inside the cabin.
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2013) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 13, 2024
Incident date: Dec 10, 2024
My 2014 Ram's cab is allowing water to enter into the interior. This appears to be a very common problem with this era of Ram. First, I noticed my third brake light would blow at least once a year. If you do not replace it, the information center on the truck displays that the driver brake light is out, which it is not and is a completely different bulb. I realized this after stopping at the parts... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2024
Water ingress into rear side door latch - froze - door opened while car was in motion
Incident date: May 30, 2024
My 4runner have major frame rust issues and is a major safety hazard. This a known issue to Toyota and a recall needs to be made.
GRAND DESIGN
SOLITUDE
(2021) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 12, 2024
Incident date: Dec 12, 2024
On interstate, the vehicle felt like it had a "float" feel and occasional shimmy while driving. Upon parking in town, stranger identified vehicle's driver-side rear wheel was not straight. Observation showed ground-contacting point of tire was angled outward from car. Diagnosis by both Nissan dealership and subsequent independent mechanic was extreme rust of undercarriage causing upper control ... Read more
CHRYSLER
PACIFICA PLUG-IN HYBRID
(2022) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 12, 2024
Incident date: Dec 12, 2024
The welding job and the weak, inferior metal used to stabilize the the axels is faulty. We had an eight foot piece of iron fall off on the highway at 60mpg and nearly caused a massive pile up accident on top of damage to our 5th wheel, also making it nearly impossible to drive until we could find a metal fabricator to fix the problem, a simple weld job was not possible due to a poor, dangerous d... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Dec 10, 2024
The vehicle’s door handle malfunctioned twice, causing a door to open unexpectedly while driving at normal speeds. Small children were present as passengers during one of these incidents, increasing the risk of injury had the door opened fully or had another driver reacted suddenly to the open door. There were no warning lamps, audible alerts, or error messages before these occurrences. The hand... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2021) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 12, 2024
Incident date: Feb 9, 2023
Possible frame flex on 5th wheel, had nose cap replaced in June and was told nothing else was wrong, then why did my nose cap crack. Just want it on record with all the issues with GD trailer failures..
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
My wife and I were driving Westbound on [XXX] in Washington state just East of Seattle when the driver side slide out went out on its own while my wife was sleeping on the couch. After taking it to the center it was purchased at they told me it was a failure of the safety retainers on the locking dogs that keep the unit secure when retracted. The manufacturer denied to repair. INFORMATION REDACT... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2020) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 12, 2024
Incident date: Dec 5, 2024
2020 Grand Design 395M I am writing this with concerns over possible Frame or Structure issues in our unit, the following is a list of objects of concern. 1.Screws attaching underside of nose cap to upper deck breaking 2.Wall next to stairs entering the upper deck showing signs of movement and wearing on wallpaper. 3.Support uprights on left and right side between night stands and upper cabinet... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2024
The rear hatch lid has a mechanism that closes the hatch when foot movement is sensed near the rear bumper. Unfortunately, it sometimes detects foot movement when a person is working on baggage in the luggage area. It then sets off an alarm and attempts to close the hatch on the unsuspecting person. The owner’s manual asserts that there is built-in pinch-protection to stop the hatch and avoid ... Read more
2 injured
Incident date: Dec 12, 2024
Upper molding of grille flew off while driving. Seems to be a common problem amongst 2022 Models of AT4
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2022) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 12, 2024
Incident date: Dec 12, 2023
The door locks freeze in the unlock state and doors will not close and lock. This is a recurring problem for several years. Door will not close and stay closed until the truck heats up.
Incident date: Mar 18, 2024
Product recall caused multiple accidents in vehicle resulting in permanent injuries
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
driving down the highway at 70 mph and the drivers door came opened it was caused by a faulty door lock actuator
Incident date: Dec 10, 2024
One of the Pilar (passenger side )flew off
Incident date: Nov 29, 2024
As I was driving on the highway the upper top moulding from the grill came off causing scratches to the hood. This is dangerous if it flies off into the windshield. This has been an issue for GMC.
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2023) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 11, 2024
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
Water comes in the car and fills the back seat floors with water. I think its comming in from the frame.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE L
(2022) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Dec 11, 2024
Incident date: Dec 27, 2023
Recall data refreshed on Dec 11,2024 1 Unrepaired Recalls associated with this VIN Jan 19,2024 Manufacturer Recall Number24S02 NHTSA Recall Number24V031 After almost a year, Ford has not made a fix available for this recall
Incident date: Dec 11, 2024
White paint peeling off above windshield.
Incident date: Dec 6, 2024
I took my truck in for inspection to sell it. My auto technician said that my frame by the passenger side, rear was completely rusted and cracked and unsafe to drive. I called Dodge on 11/14/24 and they opened a case # [XXX]. They told me to take it to the dealership. I took it to 5 Corners in Cedarburg, WI and had them do an inspection where they also took photos and said that the truck was unsaf... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2023
August of 2023 the vehicle was taken to Charles Maund VW in Austin Texas due to the hood latch disconnecting/breaking under the hood. November of 2024, just outside the 1 yr warranty period, the hood latch again had become disconnected/broken under the hood. There is an obvious defect in the hood latch system and puts drivers at risk as the hood cannot be opened if needed possibly stranding a d... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
Locked the doors normally with the remote. Went into the doctor's office. Returned to the car the driver's door would not unlock. All other doors worked normally. Could not unlock the door with either handle, the switch or the remote. The Dealer says that the door latch mechanism failed in the locked position with the door closed. This would make it very difficult to exit the car in an accid... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2024
Receiver hub got wet due to either leaking window or third brake light. Receiver hub was damaged and made the vehicle became inoperable. Dealership and Chrysler refuse to cover repairs saying that it’s not covered under any warranty