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 49,170 complaints - component: SUSPENSION
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2017) - SUSPENSION
Sep 19, 2023
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
Holes in frame it only has 46,263 miles.
Incident date: Sep 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle rolled over an uneven road surface and the contact heard an abnormal creaking and squeaking sound coming from the front driver’s side wheel well. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but had become a recurring fail... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS
(2018) - SUSPENSION
Sep 19, 2023
Incident date: Sep 19, 2023
Driving down the highway and another car turned into my lane. I turned/swerved to the left to avoid collision and all side and curtain airbags deployed in the vehicle. I did not crash into anything. There was zero damage to the exterior of my vehicle. The manufacturer (Stellantis) claims there is nothing wrong with the vehicle, and that it detected the vehicle was going to roll over, and that i... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2023
Electrical System is failing. Began with the Electrical sunroof will not open/OR slide all the way open, the sunroof Electrical problem has been this way since I purchased it in 04/2019. Next the touchscreen panel for the radio AM/FM, will shit off while driving down the road randomly and sporadically. CD Player quit working indefinitely, i cant even get my CD out of the CD player. Will not play ... Read more
2 injured
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2022) - SUSPENSION
Sep 18, 2023
Incident date: Sep 17, 2023
Was told by a mechanic that there is a safety recall for sub frames on Mercedes vehicles. After an inspection the mechanic noted that it was suggested to replace due to a recall on the c-class models. After looking up the VIN it suggested that a 2009 does not have a recall - same sub frame issue.
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2009) - SUSPENSION
Sep 18, 2023
Incident date: Sep 18, 2022
Right rear self leveling shock has "failed" at 55K miles. My mechanic said it was broken and leaking. Not covered under warranty. This car has a tow package therefore the self leveling shocks and have to replace both rear. Kia customer service said they are unaware of any issues, however 1/2022 issued Technical Safety Bulletin #113 Rear Shock Absorber Assembly Noise. It's not the whole shock t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2023
While driving on Louisiana’s poorly maintained I20 at @70 mph, we hit a bump & our 2015 F350 began violently shaking. We almost lost control, but managed to shift from left lane to shoulder in heavy traffic. Inspected tires & saw nothing amiss. Continued on trip back to TX & it occurred 2 more times whenever we hit a bump. Freaked us out & we were terrified each time we hit a bump, but drove und... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2023
Less than a year after the purchase of the unit I noticed the wear on the inside of my tires on the back axle of the trailer. Also the rear wheels seemed tilted with the bottom of the tire further out than the top. I stopped at Brewbaker RV, where I bought my trailer and they diagnosed the problem as a bent rear axle. They said I probably hit something and did not offer to make any arrangements fo... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2023
Experiencing the well known Jeep "death wobble" at highway speeds above 65MPH when riding over a minor surface bump. Very violent shaking of entire vehicle. I have to immediately reduce speed to below 45mph to stop shacking. Reducing this speed at highway speeds is very dangerous, especially if occurring in the passing lane.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2023
2021 Tesla Model Y LR AWD- RUCA (Right Upper Control Arm) started to creak and squeak (sound like a very old mattress). Dealer was contacted. An invoice was sent and was quoted an outrageous repair price. Deal was informed that this is a well known issue and a flaw in the built of the part. Dealer stated: Yes, we know but you still have to pay full price for parts and service. I left the dealer wi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2023
Took my truck to a body shop to have dings and a few rusted spots on it repaired. The business owner and repair person put it on the rack and after examination, informed me that it was not worth the repairs, because the frame and undercarriage was too extensive and might as such cause safety issues. I chose not to have it repaired because of this issue.
Incident date: Sep 10, 2023
I noticed noise coming from the front driver's side wheel especially when turning. Upon inspection, I found that a nut was missing from the front suspension lateral link that fastens the link to the sub-frame. Also, the 2nd bolt fastening the link was very loose. This is exactly what happened as noted in the NHTSA Part 573 Safety Recall Report - 23V-235. Tesla service says that "there are no o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2023
Please see attached document, as my whole description would not fit in the box.
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
I was driving through a busy nyc street very slowly. Probably 10 mph or less. I was on a red light. then i moved forward when the light turned green, my handle felt weird and the car was moving side ways. I first thought it was the tire that blew off. So I immediately stopped the car and had my husband look at the tires. No holes, no pressure was lost. I thought it was so odd, so I started moving... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2013) - SUSPENSION
Sep 16, 2023
Incident date: Sep 14, 2023
Passenger front coil spring broke causing vehicle stability and suspension issues at driving speeds. Item is currently available for inspection. Problem has been confirmed as the part is broken in half. No warnings were presented prior to the failure. This appears to be recurring problem around 30k miles on this vehicle according to online forum post [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FR... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2023
We have taken our 2016 Acura MDX to our local dealer three times in the past to complain about noises (clicking and thumping) coming from the front end of the vehicle. Each time the vehicle was under warranty and the response we got from the dealer was "no problem found". Two weeks ago (02Sept2023) we took the Acura MDX to the same local dealer and are told both of the front control arms need to ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2023
Rear subframe corrosion and failure. Based on my queries this apparently a common issue. I am adding my report to add weight to this common issue. Vehicle is approximately 13 years old, is in good condition, and has not suffered any accidents affecting the rear subframe. Overall only minimal rust or corrosion is found during a visual inspection while on a lift. This vehicle has passed annual ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
My vehicle has excessive rust issues that I’m being told by the dealership will compromise my safety. There is currently an extension of warranty for only the subframe in rear, but the rust is extended beyond that and is applied to the components needed to be removed in order to replace the subframe. Such as the exhaust pipe and brake lines as well. All are corroded to a high degree up to and in... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she was unable to keep the vehicle centered, and the vehicle was pulling either to the left or the right. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle seemed to return to normal functionality; however, the failure had since become a persistent failure. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
bought as certified pre-owned from a very large dealership in Clearwater. Driving off the lot there was a bad wobble and shake from corner to corner of vehichle. Took in day 2 of ownership to dealer to have them reinspect it and they let me drive away home too come back the next day after service manager started the car was completely safe to drive because there was no loaner car for me the day th... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E300
(2017) - SUSPENSION
Sep 14, 2023
Incident date: Sep 13, 2023
EXCESSIVE SHAKE AND UNCONTROLABLE STEERING WHEN RIDING ON ROUGH SURFACE OR BUMPS IN THE ROAD. EFFECT WILL NOT DISSAPATE UNTIL VEHICLE IS BROUGHT TO A STOP. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES RECENTLY.
FORD
ESCAPE HYBRID
(2022) - SUSPENSION
Sep 14, 2023
Incident date: Aug 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Outback. The contact stated there was a clunking sound coming from the front suspension location and the vehicle started feeling unstable while driving approximately 30 MPH. The steering wheel began to sway towards the left causing the contact to use excessive force to steer the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the deal... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Harley-Davidson FXLRS. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V591000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distrib... Read more
HARLEY-DAVIDSON
FXLRS
(2021) - SUSPENSION
Sep 14, 2023
Incident date: Aug 29, 2023
THERE ARE LARGE HOLES IN THE FRAME, AND THE SHACKLES ARE READY TO FALL OFF. SUSPENSION IS FALLING APART. BRAKES ARE NOT SAFE FOR STOPPING POWER FOR THE VEHICLE. MASTERTECH AT ZIEGLER TIRE.
Incident date: Sep 26, 2022
Track bar bracket broke off at 65 mph due to violent steering death wobble. I had no steering when track bar bracket welds broke off axle. No Sterring. Yes, independent. Had to have vehicle toed on flatbed. Yes, Insurance said they will not cover catastrophic failure of the steering or the damage. No warnings other than dramatic front-end vibration that broke off the metal bracket.
Crash
Incident date: Aug 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver’s side wheel detached from the vehicle. The contact was able to navigate the vehicle to safety. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front driver’s side ball joint had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the VI... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
under the program of 15N01 the 2014 Ford Explorer is not part of it and it should be as my vehicle is experiencing the same issues. The program currently ends for vehicles manufactured January 2014 and mine was manufactured in April of 2014. I would like this added so my vehicle can be repaired under the program. The make, model and body styling is the same as previous years and has the same parts... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2023
My car has auto stop and every time it cranks back up my radio blinks off, my lights blink off, all the lights on my dashboard come on and the error message Steering Assist is Reduced comes on the message center. Sometimes it doesn’t want to crank back up. Today when all that happened the message service stabilitrac also came up. I can’t find any recalls.
Incident date: Sep 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 55-60 MPH with her in the front passenger's seat, the vehicle was shuddering significantly, and the steering wheel was shuddering back and forth. The driver lost control of the vehicle and the vehicle nearly drove into a ditch. The driver was able to maintain the vehicle on the shoulder of the r... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E 300
(2019) - SUSPENSION
Sep 13, 2023
Incident date: Sep 12, 2023
1) Front suspension Death Wobble causing loss of control of truck. 2) Lost control of the vehicle running off the road at 70 mph through a fence. 3) Ford has attempted to repair the truck 3 times, the warranty company claimed there is no probem withe the truck the 4th time and declined repair. 4) Pictures have been supplied to insurance, no other inspections. 5) There are no warnings. The fi... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 10, 2023
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Lower control arm bushings are worn out. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The vehicle starts to wobble and vibrate violently when driving above 70 mph, creating potential safety hazard at such a velocity. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independe... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2023
I purchased this 2017 Chevrolet Trax in Dec 2020 with 36748 miles on it. In I believe 2022 I had to have the front driver side tire rode replaced as it was broken at just a little over 50,000 miles on it. Now at 73,027 miles I had to have both sway bars links replaced as they both were broken as well. Upon further inspection from dealership the also found the left front suspension strut needs repl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2004 Jeep Liberty. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V085000 (Suspension). The vehicle was taken to an undisclosed dealer, where the recall repair was completed; however, the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle started shaking violently. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a parking lot where the front passenge... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2021
rear subframe corrodes and detaches from car. a class action lawsuit has been filed in georgia and california. this effects many mercedes models. dealer stated the lawsuit extends to 08 models as well.
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2012) - SUSPENSION
Sep 13, 2023
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
Popping noise during turning at low speed and steering wheel does not return to center coming out of a turn.
Incident date: Nov 18, 2022
I believe the brake or something related to the brakes failed. I ran a stop sign, with no evidence of brake marks on the road. I crossed over a highway hit a side walk almost hit a house. The safety of myself and others was at extreme danger. When finally came to a stop I couldn't put my car in Park, or back in drive or shut my car off, i beleive i had no braking or something electrical failed.... Read more
Crash
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2010) - SUSPENSION
Sep 12, 2023
Incident date: Sep 10, 2023
Frame and suspension components are complete rusted and rotting off of frame. I am afraid to drive the truck in fear of it falling apart on me while on the road.
Incident date: Sep 10, 2023
AT MY 10,000 MILE SERVICE, ON JUNE 08, 2023, I WAS TOLD THAT THE REAR SHOCKS WERE LEAKING. I WAS ALSO TOLD BY THE FORD DEALERSHIP THAT THEY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BUT WERE ON BACK ORDER DUE TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF SHOCKS THAT HAVE FAILED ON THIS MODEL VEHICLE. IT IS NOW SEPTEMBER 12, 2023 AND THE SHOCKS ARE STILL ON BACK ORDER AND I NOW HAVE 14,500 MI ON THE VEHICLE. OVER 3 MONTHS AND ADDITIONAL 4... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear axle assembly needed to be replaced. The parts needed to repair the vehicle were on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufactu... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle began to shake violently. The contact was able to safely pull to the shoulder of the roadway. After restarting the vehicle, it returned to normal functionality but has since become a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined the tie rods... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2023
Was driving through an intersection in traffic when I heard a loud explosion/metal-on-metal sound from the front drivers side of the vehicle. Instantly received two warnings in the IP; one for "Performance Limited" and the other for "Service Suspension Soon". The IP also stated speed was limited to 80MPH. I didn't notice any difference in driving but decided to pull over and check. Upon checking I... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V544000 (Exterior Lighting), 23V413000 (Suspension) and 23V577000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was made aware of ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2023
I have a death wobble. Ball joints, sway arms replaced, wheels rotated and balanced and still has death wobble
Incident date: May 16, 2023
Both rear springs broke at 70000 miles.
Incident date: Sep 8, 2023
Thr manufacturer did not put rear tire links on my vehicle. I purchased brand new tires 3 months ago and my two rear tires are already showing sings of wear and tear. I went to a mechanic to see if I could get a full alignment on my vehicle. When they started on thr alignment, they informed me that they could not proceed because the vehicle was missing the manufacturer rear toe links. If I decided... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2023
I earlier made a report about my issue- but since then I discovered that BOTH rear springs were broken - multiple times- Repair was completed and I’ve attached photos of old parts Additional research shows that VW has an active recall campaign open on rear springs for the 2013 and 2014 Sportwagen and some 2015, but not the 2015 that I own….
Incident date: Sep 4, 2023
WE own a 2012 Ford F350 and have had two bad incidents with the dreaded “death wobble” and are afraid to even drive it because the truck now seems unsafe as it feels unsturdy as if it is starting to wobble and I don't dare even taking it on the freeway. My daughter had told me that the truck began shaking violently on her while on the freeway and I didn't fully understand what she meant until... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2023
There is a clunking and popping noise on the rear suspension or spring leaf when going between 5-20 mph, there is no active recalls for this but there is a lot of people complaining about this problem and the dealer does not wants to take responsibility for this issue need help. They are forums online all over the country complaining about this issue.
Incident date: Apr 19, 2023
Vehicle has known steering/suspension issue knows as the Jeep "death wobble". It has now been in the shop for this twice with no fix. The first attempt took place approximately June 17, 2023. The car is now back in the service center addressing the same issue and had to be towed to the dealership. Owner does not feel safe driving the vehicle. I am attaching service report from first visit.
Incident date: Sep 7, 2023
After hearing a popping in my front end for two days I took my car into my mechanic. He took a look at it and said he’d never seen anything like it before. My stabilizer bar had completely ripped apart from my subframe. He said the metal was as thin as a few pieces of paper and there was rust. He contacted Kia to see if there were any campaigns on my car and there was one for an anti corrosion c... Read more