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 19, 2024
Sway bar was loose from manufacturer. Purchased 7/31. In the first two weeks of driving, I noticed an unusual sound when I turned the vehicle hard one way. At first I thought it was the frame flexing as it was new, however, it seemed to get worse. I noticed the steering become more loose as days went on. I called my salesman who asked me to bring it in to have service take a look. Turns out th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
After weathering hurricane Milton, the rear liftgate on my 2018 Honda Odyssey will not open. No apparent damage was done to the vehicle, however after starting the van, the dash stated there is a power liftgate issue. This warning was not present before. After doing some research the issue appears to be the tailgate control module, as many other people have found this to be the case. Some people... Read more
GRAND DESIGN
MOMENTUM
(2023) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 16, 2024
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
Driving down the road at 60 mph, the front upper grill piece just came off, flew up into the windshield and then over the cab of the truck and landed in the street. This is a known defect on these trucks and has happened in 100's of cases. When it happens it makes you react as if you had hit something with the truck, if there had been anyone behind me it could have also caused damage or made them ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
The main and nautilus doors to the camper will not stay closed during travel. This usually happens with 10 miles or less and I have to stop to close them.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2010) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 16, 2024
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
The dashboard is cracking and falling apart.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2024
I was driving in the Columbia Gorge on highway and the Drivers Keyless entry trim Blew off, and broke in half, the top half hit the car behind me dented his hood and put a nick in his window. I'm very thankful the piece that broke did not cause an accident or kill anyone. The lower half (with the keypad) was flapping in the wind being held on by electrical wires. The keypad blew a fuse, sending m... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2024
When the brakes are applied while in low speeds and you are driving on rough pavement or you hit a bump in the road the car skids and won't come to a stop. It feels like the ABS has kicked in. There are a few brick roads in my town. In just one block when I stop it will skid almost completely through the stop sign. I have to brake almost halfway before I get to the stop sign. The other day I wa... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2024
Front upper grill trim piece flew off truck causing a safety hazard for myself and others behind me. Flimsy tabs had broken and wind ripped the trim off.
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2021) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 15, 2024
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The front and rear bumpers of the 2024 Hyundai Sonata have an issue with the bumper brackets. The defective bumper brackets are causing many people's front and rear bumpers to pop out. While these have mostly been 1/8th inch popping off so far, my concern is this may become a bigger hazard as these cars age. Facebook groups with Hyundai Sonata owners have discussed this being a common issue. Those... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2024
Was opening the sunroof and heard a popping sound. Wind deflector arm broke and now the sunroof will not close all the way leaving the risk of interior of car getting wet and creating mold since I live in an already humid climate.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
Two of my three 2019 Tacoma’s drivers side door hinges broke clean off the door frame.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
Severe rust to vehicle frame COMMON TO THIS VEHICLE, no accident. Rust has corroded frame despite normal use and normal care. Vehicle hasn't reached 75k miles yet, and the frame is failing. How is this not a recall?
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
I had a faulty secondary hood safety latch. My hood came up and flew off while I was driving at 45 miles per hour. The safety latch did not catch like it should have. I have since had it repaired which cost about $8,000. The hood still comes unlatched and pops open.
Crash
Incident date: Oct 11, 2024
The accident happened at Noon on [XXX] at the Amazon Fresh/Post office parking lot’s far right exit lane facing [XXX] The address is [XXX] . We were leaving the parking lot and I stopped at the exit lane with 2 cars in front of us. After the first car exited, the second car, a black Ford Explorer, moved forward. I released the brake slightly but my foot was still on the brake pedal. At this mo... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
This incident occurred on the morning of [XXX]. I was driving my new, 2024 Toyota RAV4 hybrid on the highway (it has less than 20,000 miles on it). There were no vehicles or other obstacles or road debris of any kind near me. I suddenly heard an incredibly loud, explosive sound. It was like a gunshot or as if a body had fallen on my roof. I then heard the noise of wind. My sunroof had explod... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2024
The rear subframe has plastic "stone guards" to protect the frame from being damaged in off-road conditions. Where these stone guards are attached, the subframe has rotted/rusted large holes. Water and salt from winter seasons can get trapped behind these guards. A subframe on a vehicle at this age should NOT have complete holes rotted through. Let alone a vehicle brand such as Audi, known for qua... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2022
Engine: Severe surging at low power settings, especially during engine warm-up. This surging is not related to air conditioner compressor cycling on/off, or turbo lag. Body: Rear hatch "kick to open" feature often activates suddenly without warning and without a deliberate kick motion by operator. This feature cannot be disabled; only the actuator can be disabled using instrument panel menus.... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 3500
(2024) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 15, 2024
Incident date: Oct 3, 2024
Hood latch seccondary safety latch did not catch hood and hood flew up causing inability to see and luckily only damage the car itself. This is a dangerous problem with Kia and should be investigated for the safety catch becoming corroded and sticky. Its design is defective and it should be recalled and reworked so that it can not become corroded and sieze preventing safe operation in the event th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2024
The passenger side door of my 2008 Honda Odyssey fell off when attempting to close it and nearly fell onto my child. The automatic sliding door was closing and around halfway closed it fell off of the track and started opening back up unprompted, thus damaging the rear right quarter panel as well. This is a major safety issue as it nearly crushed my [XXX] daughter, but thankfully was caught in ti... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
Sunroof Randomly exploded driving down the road.
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2020) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 14, 2024
Incident date: Oct 5, 2024
On Saturday October 5th at roughly 8:30 p.m. heading West on I-94 near battle creek, MI, the glass sunroof on our Mercedes suddenly exploded out and shattered. We were traveling at 75 mph with little surrounding traffic and no over-head obstructions. It took a second to re-gain control of the situation and slow down to a stop. We had the sun-shade closed, saving us from glass shards raining dow... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2021) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 14, 2024
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
Upper bumper flew off driving on the highway
Incident date: Mar 22, 2023
For many months while attemting to slide open or tilt my sun roof the sun roof would jamb and not move. Then one day after I was able to get my sunroof into the tilted up position I was unable to get it to re turn down and sealed. Took my Vehicle to the FORD dealer near me where they confirmed that the sun roof track had been severely damaged and would need to have the entire frame rail replaced a... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2013) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 14, 2024
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
The NH-788P White Orchid Pearl Paint that was given an extended warranty due to a "paint peeling problem" on the Fit and HR-V models is now affecting Civics. I currently own a 2017 Civic Hatchback with the same paint, from the same country of manufacturing origin, within the same time frame, and was never given an extension warranty and currently am being denied help. The worst paint peeling, un... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
Door handle is stuck/broken. Door cannot open from the inside or outside. Passengers are stuck in car.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2014) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 14, 2024
Incident date: Sep 23, 2024
This Honda Odysse 2018 model has leak water on rear corner . You have to find out where is leaking and fix it , if you don't fix water leak after you install new control unit it will happen again . To find out where is leaking is a major problem. Honda DO NOT recall on it
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2020) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 14, 2024
Incident date: Sep 15, 2024
The dealer found significant rusting on the front subframe and some on the rear subframe. The front was enough there's a hole in it. I was told it was not safe to drive as it would not hold in an accident.
Incident date: Oct 13, 2024
Undercoating of vehicle was not properly installed causing the frame to rust out creating a serious safety concern as the fuel tank can fall from the vehicle due to extensive rust. Toyota is aware of this situation however refuses to repair the problem.
Incident date: Oct 13, 2024
The component due to an improperly produced steering gearbox worm wheel, the wheel can swell during use, reducing the grease film thickness between the worm wheel and worm gear in which this was recalled on Oct 3, 2024 but did not discovered it until Oct 13, 2024 in an incident caused by the recall. All of the sudden my steering wheel became hard to maneuver and when I had difficulty turning it, I... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2016) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 12, 2024
Incident date: Oct 10, 2024
I previously brought my car in for a recall in 2014 for underbody corrosion and it was repaired; however, now there has been severe corrosion of the underbody, not just the components listed in the recall but nearly the whole underbody is severly rusted and corroded (see pictures below). My mother was driving my car in July 2024 when the rear subframe completely snapped near the control arm while... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
I was involved in an accident. During the accident none of the airbags deployed. The impact was so hard that it lifted the truck up off the ground and spinned us around 90 degrees. This resulted in the individuals seated on the passenger side of the truck to be thrown into the door fairly hard, with one passenger hitting her head on the window even with the seatbelt on. The point of impact was the... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
This is a follow up to complaint #11459461 filed on 4/3/22 at 9:16:43am. I was not able to send documents at that time. Documents included relate to follow up on complaint #11591104. First pdf file: pages 1-4 Service bulletin from Chrysler - my model year not included; pages 5-7 service invoice and picture of missing engine cradle pan; page 8 original repair invoice; page 9 copy of original... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2024
VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH PAINT PEELING OFF DIAMOND WHITE 2014-2016 WITH PAINT COLOR CODE OF NH603P- SO COMMON THAT ACURA ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN (19-029). THE PROBLEM IS ACURA SAYS IT IS BASED ON YOUR VIN. EVERYTHING I HAVE RESEARCHED SHOWS MOST VINS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT (LIKE MINE) AND MANY PEOPLE ARE PISSED OFF> JUST GOOGLE "2016 WHITE ACURA MDX WITH PAINT PEELING" AND YOU WILL S... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The child lock is on the back left door and I can't get the door open from the inside or from the outside of my car it's been this way for two years first the dealer said they would fix it for free because it was a recall on it but they had to order the part then he never called back then a year later they said the part came in but they wanted to charge me alot of money to get my door with the chi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2024
The passenger seating area is contained within a slide out of the motorhome. This slide out crept out roughly two inches during 4 hours of travel. This indicates the slide out was not secured in place. This also makes the motorhome wider and the slide out could continue to move out. There are not warnings or other indicators that this situation existed. The slide out creep is a known issue by... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2024
The paint on my 2016 Toyota Tacoma is failing after a few years of owning the truck, it has been well maintained and washed but the problem keeps getting worse. I have searched online and it seems to be an issue with white and magnetic grey colored Toyota cars but no recall on magnetic grey paint.
Incident date: Oct 6, 2024
Before a recent trip, I noticed that one of the wheels on my trailer had cracked. I checked the other wheels, and they appeared fine, so I replaced the damaged one at my local Les Schwab. After a four-hour drive, I discovered that three more wheels had cracked. I contacted Les Schwab, and they came out to replace all the wheels and tires. While at camp, I inspected further and found that two of t... Read more
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER SPORT
(2015) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 10, 2024
Incident date: May 14, 2024
In December 2023 I purchased my first car, a 2016 Hyundai Tucsan Limited Edition. The car had approx. 70k miles. After only 9 months, I noticed I was unable to gain access into the rear passenger side door. I quickly ruled out child locks, faulty fuses, and any other issues as directed in the owners manual. The window is still functional. As of today, 10/10/24 Ive had no luck being able to open th... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2024
Toyota has had issues with their frames rusting out and the 4th generation 4Runner is not exempt from this issue. My 2003 is requiring extensive work to keep it on the road safely due to frame rust. A recall to replace frames should be in place.
Incident date: Oct 5, 2024
Our 2108, Ford F-250, Lariat model with extended cab, the sunroof brackets (plastic) broke and the sunroof can not be opened or closed, and became loose. The brackets that hold the glass in place are made of plastic and they deteriorated to the point where they would no longer hold the glass in place. This is possibly a safety concern as the glass may detach from the roof and cause injury in the c... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2024
Paint is peeling off of the door handles, the roof, and the mirrors. There is no reason for a 2017 to have this issue. It started 6 months after I bought the car in 2022. I called them Hyundai customer center with no help.
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
Water leaking into the A pillar where airbags are located due to faulty seals in roof rails.
TOYOTA
COROLLA CROSS
(2024) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 8, 2024
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that there was water leaking into the cabin of the vehicle near the windshield on the upper left and right corners. The third brake light on the rear windshield had moisture inside the housing, causing the leak into the cabin of the vehicle. The contact noticed the floorboard was wet. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. The vehicle had... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2024
Tailgate dropped while driving on the freeway. I was towing a utility trailer at the rime and the Tailgate hit the hitch area and scratched the Tailgate. It also dropped when not towing anything. I am leary to haul anything in the back of my truck
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2020) — STRUCTURE:BODY
Oct 8, 2024
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
rear back glass) Back glass explosion diving down interstate distraction to say the least.)chevy recalled some but not mine)just happened no inspection)no warnning
Fire
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
The upper trim piece of the grille broke off while driving down the road the other day. The piece flew up onto the window creating a distraction to myself and the vehicles behind me. The problem can not be reproduced by the dealership as its broken in pieces on the side of the road. Based on internet research this is a common occurrence. The vehicle has not been inspected by others There where... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
During a rear end accident on the highway when someone slammed on their brakes, I hit them at around 40 mph and slamming on my brakes to prevent it and the airbags did not deploy. The light was on the dashboard after the accident as if they did the deploy, the seatbelt blew out and will no longer retract. The front frame of the vehicle bent inwards at a 90 degrees angle puncturing the AC compresso... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
While traveling out of state, the latch on the passenger’s side door would not latch. Doing a quick google search, we found that in 2015 and 2020a recall was issued for a broken pawl spring tab. We did not own the car in 2015 and never received a notice for 2020. Since the door was unable to latch, I had to physically hold door while my husband drove down the interstate. We contacted our loc... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2024
Brand new vehicle recently purchased 9/28/2024 at the Dealership, Toyota of AA, Michigan. While driving at highway speeds greater than 70 mph, the flimsy hood balloons/bubbles up and starts flexing visibly and violently with almost 2 inch amplitude waves and looks like it wants to become unlatched and slam into the windshield. Pretty scary! This is definitely a safety risk that raises the fear in ... Read more