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
Incident date: Jan 24, 2023
The steering and wheel alignment of the vehicle is habitually misaligned and pulling drastically to the right. The vehicle has been serviced and aligned multiple times, and the auto mechanic shop says that the alignment can no longer be set properly. They charged me extra for some additional part to help correct this and allow the vehicle to be aligned, however that did not help. Although the s... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality without warning, causing the steering wheel to become stiff. The vehicle then crashed into another vehicle. No one was injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the mechanic stated that the axle had fractured causing the failure. the axle w... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
We experienced a noise in the rear suspension area of the vehicle while driving, which prompted us to take the car to a Nissan repair facility for an inspection. We were informed the rear subframe components were rusted and needed replacing. We bought this car new in 2011 and it has under 85,000 miles. The car was garaged for most of its life and now needs several thousand dollars of rear subframe... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2022
While driving at highway speeds, the vehicle may encounter a bump in the road that causes the front-end of the vehicle to jump one direction or another and/or shake violently. This causes the steering wheel to shake back and forth violently, requiring two hands and a fair amount of force to control the vehicle. The vehicle will not stop shaking until speed is reduced below 50 mph. The most rece... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2004 Mercedes-Benz AMG E55. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the suspension of the vehicle lowered intermittently. A message advising to stop the vehicle due to low air ride suspension was displayed. The contact stated that the air ride suspension would no longer rise upon starting the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the front passenger’s side... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - SUSPENSION
Jan 25, 2023
Incident date: Jan 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH and going over a speed bump, the contact heard an abnormal banging sound underneath the vehicle like the tailpipe had detached and was striking the undercarriage of the vehicle. The contact also stated that the rear-end of the vehicle was considerably lower than normal. There was no warning light... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2019) - SUSPENSION
Jan 24, 2023
Incident date: Jul 8, 2022
I was driving east on imperial hwy around 11:50 when a car switched into my lane causing me to collide head on
Crash
Fire
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
While traveling at 70 mph on I-80 in Indiana, without warning, the right rear trailing arm broke away from the frame of the vehicle causing loss of control. The vehicle swerved across both West bound lanes four times before coming to a stop. Luckily it was early morning and there were no other vehicles near us. We were towed to a Honda dealer in Fort Wayne and they verified the vehicle was not re... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
Rear sub-frame rotted out and would not pass state inspection. Repair shop contacted local Mercedes dealer and was told they were not aware of a problem. However if you perform an internet search, it is a problem. Dealer had two sub-frames in stock, however they were reserved for scheduled repairs and did not know when they. My repair shop located an after market frame and the car was repaired. I... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2023
I purchased this vehicle in March, 2022. As of January 23, 2023, this vehicle has 15,700 miles. I first noticed a problem approximately four months ago. Whenever I go over a dirt road, it feels like the back end of my vehicle is flailing out of control, as if there is nothing to hold it to the road. Because I very rarely travel a dirt road, I just figured this is how this vehicle handles, and I wi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
We have taken the vehicle in to Zeigler kia twice to complain about a clicking noise athat sounds like it around the tire area. Neither time has the issue been resolved. We have also taken the vehicle in for a recall that possibly could be related to the sensors being inoperable. This issue has yet to be resolved as well. They are quite unhelpful even making us stay on hold for over 30 minutes to... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
The contact owns a 1998 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while inspecting the subframe of the vehicle, he noticed that there was a hole in the rear passenger side wheel well. The contact stated that the failure had increased significantly. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as an unknown recall had expired. The veh... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2023
Bought a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C300 4matic on 1/16/23 with only 80k miles. Alignment was off so took it to local Mercedes dealer today on 1/24/23. They advice that the subframe was rusted and not safe to drive, they are keeping it overnight to take a closer look and evaluate. Looked into it and found this is a common issue, experienced by many all over the world. UK has rust protection so they can ge... Read more
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE SPORT
(2016) - SUSPENSION
Jan 23, 2023
Incident date: Nov 15, 2022
When I drove over 50mph and hit any bump the front of the truck shakes wildly. Online says DEATH WOBBLE. This has been going on for 4 months. When taking my children to school 20+ miles away on the highway this has happened several times to and from school on the same day. Other vehicles move out of my line to avoid me while I slow the truck to under 45 mph. They are scared and nervous about get... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2020) - SUSPENSION
Jan 23, 2023
Incident date: Jan 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS warning light illuminated and he heard an abnormal sound underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the front axle fractured, and the front passenger’s side wheel detached. As a result of the failure, the vehicle started to slide. The contact engaged the parking brake to stop the vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
Read axle beam broke on the right side. Appears to have rusted through.
Incident date: Aug 23, 2022
WHEN DRIVING THE SPEED LIMIT ON THE HIGHWAY (70MPH) we experienced some rough road. The steering wheel and the whole vehicle began to shake. This has happened several times and the shaking stopped when we slowed down significantly. Thankfully there were no cars in our immediate vicinity or this could have caused and accident. WE are reporting this to the dealership today. A search on social m... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2023
My issues are related to the SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN 1997-2003 QX4 IN SALT STATES FRONT STRUT HOUSING CORROSION. I brought my car in for the recall at Infiniti of Bloomington, Minnesota and they only fixed the Driver’s side strut housing using a brace but only painted the Passenger’s side. Now the Passenger’s side strut housing shows corrosion and some perforation but repairable still under t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2023
On January 17, 2023, while driving down a commonly driven road (Muldoon) in Anchorage, Alaska at approximately 30 mph, I suddenly heard a large air escaping noise "Psh Psh Psh Psh" and it took me a moment to realize what was happening--the dash indicated the PSI of my rear driver's-side tire was deflating rapidly, to completely flat. Had the vehicle lost control in these snowy conditions, it could... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2020
FRAME IS STARTING TO RUST AFTER 60,000 MILES OF BEING WASHED REGULARLY. AN INVESTIGATION NEED TO BE PERFORMED TO DETERMINE IF MANY SIMILAR MODLES HAVE THIS ISSUE AND ISSUE A FREE FRAME REPLACEMENT IF ITS DETERMINED THAT THE ANTI CORROSION COATING FAILED.
Incident date: Jan 22, 2023
Driving and it will randomly have a death wobble...hit a bump or at a certain speed it will have a death wobble and is hard to control until slowed or stopped.
Incident date: Jan 7, 2023
Driving down the freeway, snowy conditions, going roughly 50 mph in a straight line, no curves or turns in sight, hit a very small hump in the road and suddenly I found myself sideways from what seems like a rear steer situation, i corrected as best i could and luckily i was in the only section of the road that didn't have a wall, ended up backwards in a shallow ditch. No immediate damage noted, ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 30, 2021
The left back lower control arm broke into while I was driving . There is not a recall on it yet. I was traveling over a bridge with light traffic when the traction control light came on and I was hearing a lot of noise coming from the Vechile .I turned my emergency flashers on And looked around the Vechile but did not see anything . So I drove with the flashers on to my car repairman . When he l... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2023
While driving at highway speeds (over 55mph) if you hit a bump in the road, the truck shakes uncontrollably and will not stop until the vehicle is slowed down significantly. I have had the steering dampner replaced and replaced the tires and shocks and still hasn't fixed the problem. This has happened numerous times in the vehicle!!
Incident date: Jan 17, 2023
Seat belt buckles have stop locking on drivers side and back seat belt after putting a carseat in the back. Front end driver side sounds like a crinkled noise and steering wheel feels like car wants to go a different direction then you actually turn.
LAND ROVER
DEFENDER
(2022) - SUSPENSION
Jan 21, 2023
Incident date: Dec 26, 2022
I was on my way to go do a clients hair on dec 1 2022 I was tragically hit by the airbag at a 2,000 force pressure My left side of my jaw is in pain As well as my skull I also have a condition on my chest musculoskeletal
Incident date: Jan 14, 2023
On 6 January 2023, while increasing speed to 55 mph my steering wheel began to vibrate to the point where it was almost uncontrollable and the front end was shaking badly. Vehicle has been in the shop for repair since 12 January 2023 at Henderson Ford dealership in Bay Saint Louis, MS. My safety and others near me on the road was at risk until I could slow the vehicle back down to 45 mph. No sy... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2023
I drive a 2002 Ford Focus Sedan. My engine light is on, warning light for trunk door ajar light is on (even though the trunk is securely locked, my front headlights due not work consistently (sometimes work, sometimes don't). My trunk does not always latch secure after I close it as well. I took my car to Advanced Auto Parts and had my engine light diagnosed. Engine codes that resulted were: B... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2023
While driving at freeway speeds, my vehicle’s front end and steering wheel started to vibrate and shake violently (steering oscillation). I had to slow down immediately and pull to the side of the road to avoid being involved in a collision. This continues to occur on a regular basis and I feel that this vehicle has an engineering flaw and a premature failure in the vehicle’s steering and susp... Read more
Incident date: Jan 13, 2023
This is the 5th time my car has broken down with this problem, the brakes lock up on the highway and the "stabilitrak" service light comes on. (suspension) This time there was a gasoline tanker right behind me. If this man hadn't been such an experienced tanker driver, I would now be a bloody spot on the highway, my kids would be without their mom, my husband widowed and my grandchildren would ha... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2022
at any given time traveling over speeds of 50-60 MPH truck has a wobble that can't be stopped until I slow down completely. at highway speeds this can be very dangerous.
Incident date: Jan 20, 2020
WHILE DRIVING THE TRUCK GOING OVER 50 MILES PER HOUR, IT GOES INTO A WOBBLE, SHAKING, VIBRATION MODE. I FEEL LIKE I'M IN A EARTHQUAKE. SOME TIMES IT COMES ON JUST NORMAL DRIVING AND MOST OF THE TIMES HAPPENS DRIVING OVER BUMPY UNEVEN SURFACE AND POTHOLES ROAD DOING OVER FIFTY MILES PER HOUR. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP RED MCCOMBS IN SAN ANTONIO TEXAS ABOUT THREE OR FOUR TIMES BEFORE WITH... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2023
I was driving on the highway and had to hard brake when traffic slowed down quickly. My car was all over the road swerving and I am very lucky I wasn't killed. Come to find out the rear subframe had completely rusted out. I have since found out that this is a very well known issue with Mercedes that they have refused to do anything about. I am sure there have been people killed because of this... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2023
The contact's girlfriend owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the rear axle was previously replaced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V608000 (Suspension). The contact stated that while his girlfriend was driving approximately 10 MPH and making a left turn, a loud bang was heard from the rear of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact's girlfriend was able to veer t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2023
I hit a small bump or go across rumble bars in the road my vehicle wobbles violently until I can slow down or stop
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) - SUSPENSION
Jan 20, 2023
Incident date: Nov 14, 2022
Rear sub frame and suspension welds have cracks and are broken a loose which when having to put on brakes suddenly cause car to servely pull and twist which can cause a bad accident or worse.
Incident date: Apr 12, 2022
This vehicle is extremely unsafe to drive. Vehicle is currently being rented. All four adjustable coil-overs’ springs have been heated in efforts to lower the vehicle. The person who performed this may not have understood that the car height could have been adjusted without heat. I have supporting documentation in form of photos and video informing the current renter who still drives the veh... Read more
Incident date: Apr 12, 2022
This vehicle is extremely unsafe to drive. Vehicle is currently being rented. All four adjustable coil-overs’ springs have been heated in efforts to lower the vehicle. The person who performed this may not have understood that the car height could have been adjusted without heat. I have supporting documentation in form of photos and video informing the current renter who still drives the veh... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
Volvo re-engineered the front struts due to the ones they used to be defective/known to fail. This re-engineering requires both left and right struts to be what they call "upgraded" at the same time, because they changed the mounting brackets and no longer make the defective part. My safety is at risk because this is a major component in keeping my car stabilized on the road. I now no longer tak... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2023
My car is still at the dealership (CrossRoads Ford ,of Indian Trail, NC). The vehicle has been there since 11/22/22. The Service Department keeps telling me they are waiting on a Recall Part to come in and have not given me anything else. The car will not drive, and they advised it was a Recall Part, but the system shows all Recall has been repaired? I need my car back- I have already paid 3 mon... Read more
TOYOTA
COROLLA CROSS
(2023) - SUSPENSION
Jan 19, 2023
Incident date: Jan 19, 2023
Frame Failure, A licensed technician said my vehicle is dangerous to drive and cannot be fixed because of the advanced rusting of the frame. As I read the history of some Ford Trucks I find this is a continuing problem with no recalls and wonder why they can continue to manufacture faulty, dangerous products
Incident date: Jan 18, 2023
There is a defect in the subframe of the vehicle which causes it to corrode and rust out. Apparently, this is a known issue with certain years and models, and has already been recalled in Europe, but not the US.
Incident date: Jan 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle experienced a death wobble. The front-end of the vehicle was shaking uncontrollably. The contact pulled over and regained control of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) - SUSPENSION
Jan 19, 2023
Incident date: Oct 4, 2022
2019 Lincoln Navigator Dealership delivery 9.14.22 Husband & Daughter drove around the neighborhood. Check engine light comes on suv is overheating. Husband immediately pulls into our driveway fluid is leaking out all over. Plus smoking. This was maybe two hours after it was in our possession. 9.15.22 Ford of Dalton has it towed to their dealership. 9.15.22 Suv was back in our possession. 9.21. H... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
This vehicle is not safe due to the "death wobble". My 2018 Jeep Wrangler with only 36,000 miles has become unsafe to drive. Anytime it's driven over 30 mph there is an almost uncontrollable, violent shaking that occurs. What is being done about this? Is it going to take serious injury or death to happen for this to be recalled?
Incident date: Jul 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle started to shake significantly from side to side. The contact then stated that on a separate occasion, while driving approximately 35 MPH, the front driver’s side tire started to wobble significantly. The contact then stated that her husband was able to pull the vehicle ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 19, 2023
on december of 2022 the power steering go out during I was driving with my family and the steering it was very hard to keep control of the steering I almost lost control of the vehicle the good news is no car it was around me I try to do my best to get home safety .after the mechanic diagnostic he mention it this ..ON MAY 2014 FORD COMPANY ISSUE A RECALLFOR THE 2011 -2013 FOR EXPLORER FOR A DEFEC... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2023
First issue: After starting the vehicle there can be a smell of gasoline in the passenger cabin for a little bit. Also after parking vehicle in garage and turning off engine, the garage smells of gas and remains overnight, it is not exhaust fumes. Sometimes it seems to be worse after driving in reverse. There is no sign of a liquid leak on the undercarriage or on the floor. Happens whether the gas... Read more
Incident date: Jan 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Aluma Aluma trailer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the welds to the tongue of the trailer inadvertently sheared off. The tongue of the trailer started dragging on the road, prompting the contact to pull over and secure the trailer. Despite the failure, the contact was able to drive the trailer to his destination. The trailer was not diagnosed or repaired. The man... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2020
I was experiencing what is known as the "death wobble" in my 2016 Ford F250 FX4 truck. The truck only has 56,000 miles but is out of warranty. I recently spent $1326.00 to have the problem repaired. Apparently this is a major problem with these trucks. I have the repair bill but didn't include it with this statement.