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: Dec 7, 2022
When I go to accelerate at low speed my vehicle shudders shakes and vibrates, no engine lights or codes have popped up, the issue is somewhere from transmission to the rear end. Im guessing transmission or torque converter. With my vehicle only having 136,000 miles and is well taken care of this is ridiculous, I have checked drive line and tires and everything seems to be working as it should so i... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
Both rear coil springs were found rusted and broken by Audi dealer and need to be replaced. Car shouldn't be driven since both broken coil springs are just resting on the lower control arms. Quoted $2,171.05 before tax and shop fees.
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2008) - SUSPENSION
Dec 11, 2022
Incident date: Dec 10, 2022
While driving noticed that the car was making a clunking noise from the right rear and car was not stable while making a turn and started to swerve to the right while braking. Jacked up the car this afternoon and see that one of the rear links rusted off from the rear subframe due to rust. Subframe is made of very thin metal that is not resistant to rust. Fortunately I didn't need to perform eme... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
Air ride suspension going out, shocks leaking. Do not have stability of car.
Incident date: Dec 8, 2022
6/15/22 blow out to left side rear tire causing hub to drag in ground and 2nd front tire to pop. Hub dug into side of highway leaving us halfway on and off and could not safely pull all the way over. 8/2/22 same tire left side rear blows out. 8/10 right side rear tire wheel and rim completely come off and roll onto highway causing 2nd right tire to sustain impact and blow. Rv was in shop for 3 m... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2022
I have experienced a "death wobble" on 2 occasions in 4 weeks. The truck's front end uncontrollably bounces when driving on the freeway causing me to have to immediately let off the gas and gently brake causing a dangerous situation not only for me and my family but potentially for others on the road.
Incident date: Dec 10, 2022
Was driving on highway on December 10, 2020 and when entered bridge doing approximately 70 mph experienced extremely violent frontend shaking (death wobble). Had to pull to shoulder of highway and stop to reduce it. This occurred again during same trip under similar conditions. Thought something on frontend had broken, but all seemed to be alright upon visual inspection. Plan to take into Ford ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF ALLTRACK
(2017) - SUSPENSION
Dec 10, 2022
Incident date: Nov 28, 2022
Car developed a knocking sound from the front-left which occurred during any movement of the suspension, i.e. from all minor perturbations of the road surface rather than major dynamic actions such as breaking or steering. The dealer diagnosed worn out sway bar bushings. They replaced these (and potentially other suspension components - work details from the invoice can be provided upon request) b... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2022
When driving the truck between 60 and 70 MPH and hitting a rough spot in the road (pothole, broken concrete section) with the drive side tire the steering wheel and entire front of the truck will shake violently. This will continue until speed is reduced below 40 MPH. In traffic slowing down to have the shaking stop is difficult and cause for a safety concern. If traveling on a two lane highway... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2022
My vehicle, which has been inspected at my local Toyota dealership, has significant rust corrosion, with perforation through the frame in several areas. I was told by the service manager that Toyota had sent out letters to owners (not a recall) to bring their vehicles in for inspection for this problem and that they would repair or replace the frame. I had not received any correspondence about thi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2002
got in a roll over accident where the air bags did not deploy and caused serious injuries.
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Dec 6, 2022
Repeated “death wobble” where the steering components oscillate rapidly left and right causing a lack of steering control. One repair attempted. Later occurrence and another repair. A third event, this time while pulling a 14,000 pound 5th wheel trailer. At about 63 mph the wobble started. I braked, the truck pulled left and I could not maintain my lane. An 18-wheeler behind me moved to the le... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2022
My vehicle started to shake uncontrollably at 50mph when driving. Research online indicated what people call a "death wobble". I contacted my local Ford dealership multiple times to see if my repair would be covered by Ford. On November 8th, 2022 I turned my truck in and on the 11th I was told what repairs needed to be done. On November 21st, I picked up my truck and parked it at my house. I drove... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2022
The 2022 Ford F-150 trucks are all having rust issues on the drivetrain and suspension parts. The Ford dealer has admitted there is a huge problem. It seems Ford has eliminated a coating on these parts which has allowed rust to develop even before they leave the factory. I took my truck to a local dealer and he refused to fix it under warranty. By checking the online forums you will see this i... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2022
When driving over 55 MPH and hitting a bump, the vehicle intensely and dangerously vibrates and nearly causes me to lose control.
Incident date: Nov 28, 2022
I bought a used, but well cared for, gently used and properly maintained, 2013 Model S P85 from an individual in CT on Oct 8, 2022 with 77937 miles on it. I had the car about a month and a half of normal use when it ran well with zero issues, which included driving all the way from NY to VT over Thanksgiving at highway speeds with no issue. When back in my own town and making just a few turns to... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2022
I’ve only had the car since Aug. Im the second owner, it drove just fine. Then I got an oil change. Then the car began to rev down hill and struggled to make it uphill. Then my exhaust became excessively loud. Then the wheel became loose ,and started pulling ALOT. I was on my way to get an alignment this morning and the whole front end began to buckle not even a minute down the road. I tmade it ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 22, 2022
Rear shocks are frozen (seized) Makes the vehicle hard to control on bumpy surfaces.
Incident date: Nov 28, 2022
Front shocks failed 2 years ago. Rear shocks just failed last week. Both of these failures affect the vehicle handling. The vehicle was inspected and failures confirmed by an independent service center. Both front and rear shocks had to be replaced. The complexity of the parts and system make these repairs costly. It cost thousands of dollars for each repair. It is a $70K vehicle and was manufactu... Read more
TOYOTA
FJ CRUISER
(2007) - SUSPENSION
Dec 7, 2022
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
the frame and associated components are severly corroded putting the vehicle in danger of the back axel detaching . i was informed of this by a repair shop who were concerned of the safety of operating vehicle. there is some type of coverage for related vehicles but not for this model. i think this is the same platform which was recalled under a truck model. toyota refuses any coverage or help for... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2022
Ball joint on front drivers side apparently broke...vehicle at a dealership now to determine if the weld is bad or what the issue is. I was simply turning into the driveway when the car came to a sudden stop due to wheel rotating 80*. Tow truck driver stated he had seen this happen with this exact yr and model of Trax. He mentioned a man had his vehicle 1 week and this very same issue had occurred... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2022
While operating my 2019 F350 on 12/3/2022 at approximately 65 MPH on an interstate the steering wheel began to shake/pulse violently from left to right for approximately 40 seconds. I was unable to control the vehicle during this time. About 2 minutes later the exact same symptoms appeared again, even more violently. I had a passenger in the vehicle record the second incident. During these inciden... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2013) - SUSPENSION
Dec 7, 2022
Incident date: Nov 2, 2022
Went to brake, heard a thump, car proceeded to loose control bearing to the left. Then went into other lane! Could not regain control of the car until it came to a complete stop. No warning light came on,. Took to mechanic, put it on the lift found rear right side of the frame rotted. This car is garage kept, nothing else is rusted on the vehicle. The vehicle is not near any water. This a kn... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2022
Driving 65 mph on state highway, after going over minimal bumps, front end shook terribly and would not stop. It almost caused a multi vehicle collision including tractor trailers. No notification from Ford until I brought vehicle in for diagnosis, Death Wobble
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) - SUSPENSION
Dec 7, 2022
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
Tried to get alignment and was told rear sub frame is rotted. Must be replaced. Car is garaged. Serviced at dealer. This shouldnt be happening. Car was involved in accident (mainly passenger doors damaged) which triggered us to need to get new tire which alerted us to alignment cant be completed and told to not drive car it's not safe due to rotted subframe.
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLB 250
(2021) - SUSPENSION
Dec 7, 2022
Incident date: Dec 4, 2022
Front right ball joint separated from lower control arm with no advance warning and the drive shaft was disconnected from the vehicle body. I was travelling at about 15 mph in a straight line through an intersection on a flat surface with no potholes. Then I saw a warning of a transmission fault in my instrument cluster, followed by a loud grinding sound. My car then came to a stop and I was una... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLK350
(2010) - SUSPENSION
Dec 7, 2022
Incident date: Oct 8, 2022
I am the owner of a 2010 Mercedes GLK 350 with 102,531 miles. The problem I have is the rear subframe rusted with a crack on the rear subframe making it very dangerous if the rear subframe fails while driving. This issue has become very popular with the c class Mercedes Benz.
Incident date: Dec 4, 2022
Traveling on the highway at approximately 65mph. Encountered a bridge expansion joint and the front tires and steering wheel began shaking violently which resulted in loss of steering and brake control. Apparently, this is a known issue with these trucks.
Incident date: Oct 27, 2022
In late October I started experiencing a total vehicle body "shudder" when driving on the freeway and hitting uneven paving. This condition started getting worse and worse. The car was unmanagable when travelling at a speed over 58 and hitting uneven paving - the shudder took over the entire car and steering. There was no recourse but to try to safely pull over and stop the car. Upon research ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
We were experiencing a loud rattling noise under the passenger side steer tire and when we hit bumps, it was hard to control the steering and bouncing. When inspected by our mechanic, we found that the frame had rusted through and broke near the passenger side wheel and will no longer pass inspection due to safety. The entire frame has extensive rust issues, even though under costed at time of p... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2022
F250 Death Wobble, driving on the fwy anything above 55 mph and I hit a bump or any typ eof transition, my truck shakes and wobbles extremely dangerously. Causing me to often have to stop on FWY to fix.
Incident date: Dec 5, 2022
Twice in the last two years I've experienced what is being called the "death wobble". A very violent shaking of the steering wheel as well as the vehicle after driving over some unforseen divet in the road at highway speeds. The first time was in the summer of 2020 and the second time just yesterday, 12-5-22. Both occured on 65 Hwy. Once on the east side of Sedalia and the later on ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2022
No accident to report. This will will be my second time replacing suspension springs and brake light assembly. I have reason to believe that the 2013 Kia Forte EX model has a recall on these item because my car isn't the only vehicle in for these exact issues. I wish to have these investigated because this is becoming most costly than expected.
Incident date: Nov 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at 50-55 MPH, the vehicle experienced the death wobble. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000. The VIN was unavailable.
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2014) - SUSPENSION
Dec 6, 2022
Incident date: Dec 2, 2022
Front end making a banging noise. Local car shop tells me the front Driver side STRUT COIL SPRING is broken and flopping around. Car steers, and drives ok.WHAT IF IT HAD BLOWN MY TIRE when it busted???? Have never seen one of these springs break myself. There are more reports on the internet about this with VW’S. A recall was issued on the 2019 and newer for the rear springs. Any before that yea... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2022
frame and leaf spring rusting badly. if the frame or leaf spring brakes while driving will cause accident and possible fire from hitting by fuel tank putting my life and the lives of others in truck as well as persons near truck. I had truck in for tire rotation in 8/2022 problem was reported. frame starting to rust badly will not be able to lift vehicle from the frame soon. no warning has been re... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2022
Complaint Filed Tuesday 18:14 hrs 12/06/2022. On 12/02/2022 I had a diagnosis at Marcotte Ford Holyoke, MA done my vehicle because it failed Massachusetts emissions CEL. Diagnose came back with the same description as the damaged fuel system and suspension which RECALLS, which should have been fixed before I registered the vehicle on 11/22/2022. I fear for my safety of fuel leak and suspension cr... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2022
Rear coil spring on passenger side broke and became detached, wedging against lower control arm. Coil spring had no signs of other damage; seems to be defective metallurgy (see attached photographs). Vehicle had 55,645 miles on it. Dealer charged $720 to repair. From online search, there seems to be a high number of Audi Q5's from 2018 model year with this problem, but Audi dealers claim it i... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2013) - SUSPENSION
Dec 5, 2022
Incident date: Dec 5, 2022
Discovered a severely "rotted/rusted" rear subframe and one of the passenger side suspension/control arm of the rear passenger side wheel is completely "detached/disconnected" from the rear subframe. During a hard brake, the car will "swing/drift" to the right and is very dangerous and prone to accident/catastrophe. Also, many other 2008-2014 C300 owners already have reported/complaints over the ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2022
In the last month of Nov,2022 I almost had 3 near accident incidents with my F250 Super Duty Ford due to a wobbling on front driver side wheels. I have done some research and looks like my truck has the wobble of death issues. I am afraid to drive again and it is our work truck and would like to know my options. Thank you
Incident date: Dec 5, 2022
At highway speed on Interstate-95, I hit a rough patch of asphalt paving and front end of vehicle began to shake uncontrollably. Vehicle continued to shake violently until speed was significantly reduced below the flow of traffic thus creating an extremely dangerous situation. All 4 shocks and steering stabilizer were replace with upgraded Bilstein brand products bya Ford master mechanic within th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 5, 2022
It went into severe vibration and vibration of steering. It was uncontrollable. It happened in my first highway trip since I purchased the vehicle. The vehicle had to be towed 100 miles. Cost of this was $5697.97. After I paid $30,000+. to Autonation in Spring Texas. Car was released to me with no inspection sticker. Electrical issues were looked at by the dealership and said there is nothing wron... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2022
I own a 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL (4-Door) that I bought new. It only has 7,522 miles on it and has never been off-road. On 12/3/22, I was driving on the interstate at the speed of 70 mph when my jeep began shaking vigorously and the steering became almost uncontrollable. I had to take evasive action, move over to the far right lane and slow my speed rapidly. Once my speed was under 30 mph, my jeep be... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2022
Driving at approximately 70 mph I traversed over a road divider of a suspension type bridge and immediately encounter the so called “Death Wobble” in my entire front end steering mechanism. The vehicle and steering wheel vibrated so violently that it caused a lane excursion. Applying brakes and slowing to 30 mph the steering came under control. This is the (3) third incident of this hap... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2022
When driving over speeds of 50mph or after driving over bumpy/ wavy roads, the truck starts shaking violently. It was bouncing so hard it almost shook the steering wheel out of my hands. I had to completely stop and pull over off the left side of the interstate. This has happened multiple times.
Incident date: Dec 3, 2022
The rear k frame rusted out ,all of a sudden the vehicle started swaying out of control on gravel or wet roads, no rust on the vehicle except the rear k frame, I parked the vehicle because it's unsafe to drive , I understand that this is a problem that effects more than just mine and I hope it's recalled or something is done about it, thank you for looking into it
Incident date: Dec 3, 2022
Driving down highway at Tx highway speed limit, going over a short bridge and over an imperfect road on 4 occasions, truck went into serious jerking & shaking and became uncontrollable when pressed brakes and trick departed and almost off road and I had almost no control of vehicle. . DEATH WOBBLE every time I hit a bump! At every speed. Can’t hardly hold onto steering wheel and everything is... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2022
Car has been garage kept entire time of owning. Sub Frame still rotted out causing so much damage to the car, the struts, the tire(s); etc, causing car to shake and tire to bow out. Car has been at a repair shop for over 7 months now trying to get a replacement part to repair it with no luck as of yet. This should NOT be the responsibility of the customer. This has been a known issue for many of t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 2, 2022
Right rear tire has worn excessively compared to other tires. There is a recall for this issue on some 2021 Audi Q7 but ours what not part of that recall.
Incident date: Dec 2, 2022
Rear control arm broke while driving.