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: Oct 20, 2022
had to replace left rear sway bar bushing broken bolt 7000miles. replaced right rear bushing and bolts 13000 miles parts discarded. had to replace all 4 shocks 13500 miles causing bad handling stock ford shocks lost rebound repairs found at oil change at kinnpin dogde in town as it is hard to find a ford dealer that will work on rv's or even oil changes
Incident date: Oct 11, 2022
Traveling on US highway 77 at about 60mph and hit a small bump and the truck starting shaking and the steering vibrating and was almost thrown off the highway in the opposite lane of traffic. Had to decrease speed quickly and almost lost total control of the vehicle. If a car had been in the oncoming lane we would have had an head on collision
Incident date: Nov 2, 2022
Vehicles tires begin to shake violently at speeds in the 50-70 mph range after hitting a small bump on the road/highway. The condition are so violent, that I have to slow the vehicle from 70+ mph to about 15-20 mph to stop the shaking that creates safety issue for other drivers on the road
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
Upon crossing a bridge expansion joint at around 65 -70 mph, the vehicle steering began to shake violently side to side. I was able to quickly reduce my speed and the shaking subsided once I was able to slow to around 40 mph. I have not contacted the ford dealer yet, but do recall seeing mention of this specific problem before. I started searching the internet for answers where I came upon the re... Read more
Incident date: Nov 2, 2022
Driving on freeway at 60mph hit a bump in road and the steering shook bad (death wobble), had to slow down to 25mph
Incident date: Nov 2, 2022
Vibration between 30-40 mph is usually caused by axles of this car, 06-09 models, that might have safe issue in long run.
Incident date: Oct 7, 2022
Door Locks getting stuck front two doors only. Steering wheel trembling while driving on road. All panels front dash side doors and middle section Un attaching. Topp roof of inside is also coming off. Hood paint is peeling right side of hood.
Incident date: Apr 4, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated while driving at various speeds over bumps, the vehicle emitted squeaky sounds. The contact stated that as she depressed the brake pedal, the vehicle pulled towards to the right and hesitated to respond. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the front driver's side tire tread was lower causing the failure. The dea... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2022
The rear suspension lower links on my 2013 Nissan Altima corroded and broke away from the joints on both sides. The rear passenger was affected in July 2022 and the rear driver side was affected in October 2022. Both incidents happened as I was backing out of my drive-way and the rear lower links literally snapped and broke away from the vehicle. After my Altima was at the body shop for the sec... Read more
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2022) - SUSPENSION
Nov 2, 2022
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
I was driving down a newly built road at 48 mph and all of a sudden it sounded like something was coming apart at the front right end of my vehicle. Everything sloped that way and then I was jerked to the right straight into a curb and then I hear a big boom. My psi went to 0 in my right front tire and I tried to steer left but I couldn't. My back end went into the air about 2-3 feet. I finally... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2013) - SUSPENSION
Nov 2, 2022
Incident date: Nov 2, 2022
I noticed my car was sitting lower than normal all the way around. While driving, I heard some unusual noises coming from the rear. I took the car to a mechanic for evaluation. The mechanic said three of the four coil springs had broken (both rear and drivers side on the front. I did some research and found there is an existing recall for broken springs in Volkswagen automobiles. Volkswagen's num... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2022
When making left hand turns under load, right wheel starts to slip, tuck, traction control kicks on, rear wheel starts modulating power with breaking, and then the right front wheel gains traction. this is a cycle and occurs every time I make a left and turn. This process occurs very quickly. Close to 1 time per second while making the left hand turn. It destabilizes the machine and causes parti... Read more
LAND ROVER
LR4
(2013) - SUSPENSION
Nov 1, 2022
Incident date: Oct 31, 2022
I recently had a failure, while driving, of the left rear toe link bolt on my 2013 Land Rover LR4. A few pictures of this fractured bolt (Land Rover Part # RYG501580G) are attached. The failure caused the left rear wheel to toe in about 10-20 degrees. Fortunately I was driving on a circular on-ramp to Interstate 15 in St. George, Utah. Had I gotten on the freeway and had this failure while cha... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2022
The right side, passenger side, front control arm has a crack which is propagating across the structure. I am concerned about loss of steering control if the structure fractures completely. I found the crack during an oil change. I am the only person aware of the issue. I have NOT had it inspected by the service department at a Honda dealer. I plan to replace this control arm.
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2021) - SUSPENSION
Nov 1, 2022
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
Uneven tire wear on front tires at 11,000 miles: The front right tire is bald along the very outer portion first 20% of tire surface, left front tire shows elevated wear but not bald. Wear pattern is consistent with alignment / camber issue. Brought to VW service and they claim this uneven wear is normal for the ID4. I advised them when you see this kind of wear it is not normal as the tires load... Read more
FOREST RIVER
PALOMINO
(2020) - SUSPENSION
Nov 1, 2022
Incident date: Oct 28, 2022
This is a Forest River, Palomino Solaire Travel Trailer model# 205SS. It is a dual-axle unit. While winterizing the unit and filling the tires, I observed that the frame has a large crack in on the right-hand side (passenger side) of the unit. The crack is "L" shaped and is about 5" (125 mm) total length. More specifically it is located where the rearmost axle bracket is attached. I believe th... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2013) - SUSPENSION
Nov 1, 2022
Incident date: Oct 29, 2022
While my car was being inspected at the Mercedes dealer from who I purchased the car, I was informed that the rear subframe was rusting out, needed to be replaced immediately (at the cost of $4250) as it is unsafe to drive and that the result could be catastrophic if I continued to drive it. They explained that they are having this problem with other C300 models in the US, Canada and Germany, but... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2022
This vehicle has the death wabble. It has happened at least 5 times in the last 6 to 8 months. The last incident the vehicle shook so bad we thought it was going to turn over. Only happens at higher speeds and whenever you hit a bump or.pothole in the road.
Incident date: Oct 19, 2022
While driving on the two lane freeway at approximately 65mph in the right lane, a lane change to the left lane was initiated as a slower moving truck was in the right lane. Following the lane change to the left lane, the front left tire hit the pavement recess accommodating the yellow reflector embedded in the pavement, which was on the inside of the fog line. Upon impact with the reflector rece... Read more
Incident date: Oct 23, 2022
2 brake lines rusted through causing me to loose my brakes. Had the car towed to my local garage. I just got a call today letting me know that my trailing or control arm is severely rusted and has a hole. This happened before, 11/1/2017 and the car collapsed. This was covered last time under the Salt Belt Corrosion Class Action Settlement. Hyundai is aware there is still a problem, but the un... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2022
While driving on a road with moderate potholes at about 45 miles per hour the steering wheel and front end stared violently shaking and did not stop until i came to a stop. I took it to the local ford dealership (Cavender Ford) and the service manager said it is a known issue and there is not a real solution for it. Apparently upon research it has been a known issue called Death Wobble. If I ha... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2013) - SUSPENSION
Nov 1, 2022
Incident date: Oct 20, 2022
We have been told by our Mercedes Auto Repair shop and subsequently confirmed by two additional auto repair shops, that our rear sub frame has deteriorated and that the steel brakes lines are also rusting creating a very dangerous situation. We were warned to drive straight home and not to drive it again. We have also been told that this is a "known" problem with Mercedes C and E class cars and ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
Repeating death wobble. Have replace all suspension and steering parts 3 times and the wobble returns.
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF
(2019) - SUSPENSION
Oct 31, 2022
Incident date: Oct 31, 2022
GTI has an overly squeaky front suspension. Suspension is 100% stock and unmodified. Searching online yields many Golf owners experiencing the same issues (in the USA and worldwide). People say to lube up the suspension with grease, but this could cause a safety issue if it gets on the brakes. Volkswagen claims this is normal, but I've owned nine Volkswagen vehicles and this is the first one that'... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2022
I suffered a catastrophic suspension failure on the front passenger side while traveling at 70 mph (speed limit).
Crash
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2012) - SUSPENSION
Oct 31, 2022
Incident date: Jul 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that upon taking his vehicle to a dealer for maintenance repairs; he was provided an estimate for the repair of corrosion to the rear subframe of the vehicle. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the failure could lead to a potential braking system failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed him that t... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2013) - SUSPENSION
Oct 31, 2022
Incident date: Oct 27, 2022
I was driving on the highway i hit the brakes as traffic was starting to build up and the car veered into the right lane and all of a sudden and almost got hit by a tractor trailer. It felt so scary, weird when hitting the brakes after that. I took it to my mechanic immediately and he said the rear subframe is rotted out and DO NOT DRIVE THIS CAR!!!!!!!!! I asked please get me an estimate on how ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2022
While Driving down the highway at ~75 MPH, the highway had a bit of a bumpy patch and when the truck went over this bumpy section of road the steering wheel started to wobble horribly and uncontrollably. It felt like a harmonic imbalance in the front end and continued until slowing down and pulling over. This is a very dangerous situation when this problem occurs- the vehicle cannot be effective... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2022
I was crossing a railroad at 50-55 miles per hour and the front end started shaking violently and was barely able to control it . almost had to stop to get the shaking to stop.
Incident date: Oct 31, 2022
On 10-23-2022 while driving on I64 in West Virginia I experienced extreme shaking in the steering wheel and bouncing in the front end of my Jeep. I took the vehicle to the Jeep dealer in Beckley, WV and when I explained the problem a member of the service department stated "That is the shimmy shock." I was told there had been an information bulletin put out on this problem and a temporary soluti... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2015) - SUSPENSION
Oct 31, 2022
Incident date: Oct 31, 2022
Truck only having 30,000 miles and garage kept has considerable rusting on frame memebers as well as cross members on the frame.. There is no paint on the frame or cross memebers just a wildly flaking black wax coating. After two years when in for service the dealer stated that this was "Normal" for this model. Two shops that have inspected the frame are conserned about the amount of rust and an... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2012) - SUSPENSION
Oct 31, 2022
Incident date: Oct 21, 2022
The rear subframe is broken. I was braking and the car lost control about two weeks ago. Ever since then the car feels like it's slipping whenever I brake or on a turn. I lose control of the car and I'm endangering my life and others. I went to take my vehicle to get inspected today and the said the rear subframe is broken and no fault of my own. The car was kept in a garage for years and only has... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2022
Uncontrollably shaking (death wobble). Lost control and had to brake quickly.
OLDSMOBILE
AURORA
(2002) - SUSPENSION
Oct 30, 2022
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
I am adding new parts to this vehicle 100 000 tune up
Incident date: Sep 18, 2022
I was going down the hill in my development, I made it approximately 2-300ft at 7-10MPH when suddenly there was a loud “bang”. I could not see anything, my airbags had deployed and blocked my field of vision. I ended up hitting an electrical pole. There was no need for the airbags to go off. I could have been killed. There is no airbag recall on my VIN number.
Crash
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2013) - SUSPENSION
Oct 30, 2022
Incident date: Oct 28, 2022
Subframe corrosion, no accident but dangerous and common issue with Mercedes Benz cars
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) - SUSPENSION
Oct 30, 2022
Incident date: Oct 29, 2022
While driving home last night (with passenger), I experienced a sudden pull to left and wobble\oscillation of the car when I made steering corrections to prevent vehicle from going into oncoming traffic. Car seemed to behave normally except whenever I applied the brakes. I proceeded home, where I inspected for the obvious such as brake calipers, pads. rotors etc. Then I removed the rear left tire... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
S550
(2007) - SUSPENSION
Oct 29, 2022
Incident date: Oct 29, 2022
Struts and braking system have been unstable since I purchased the car. Wiring harness leaks oil and caused ecu to intermintinli turn off and on. Also the heat control timing caused car to over heat . Eventually I replaced the ecu 2 years ago at dealer . Mercedes has parts that are not safe to be in these operating conditions with such heat causeing wiring harness to short out and dealer said tha... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2022
Both front shocks broke and needed to be replaced. Needed a 4-wheel alignment because of this. Broke steering damper. Part not able to get fixed as Chrysler won't release the required part until November 15th even though other Jeeps of this year have been recalled due to this issue. I have the repair paperwork. Experienced a "Death Wobble" on Thursday, October 27th. I'm lucky that I didn't p... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2022
INGINE LIGHT/SUSPENSION LIGHTS WENT ON. CAR JERKS AND SHAKES ON THE ROAD AND PULLS TO THE RIGHT MAKING IT HARD TO KEEP THE STEERING WHEEL STRAIGHT
Crash
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) - SUSPENSION
Oct 28, 2022
Incident date: Oct 7, 2022
Rear suspension crossmember mounting point for one of the control arms broke off allowing control arm to fail. Possible entire wheel assembly could now fail creating dangerous driving conditions especially at higher speeds. Took to a shop and confirmed. Called Mercedes dealership and they said it was not covered by a recall even though in Europe I believe it is. Many websites have said this is a... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2004 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while performing a 4-wheel alignment, the independent mechanic informed her that he was unable to complete the alignment successfully because the sub frame was severely corroded. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, she heard and abnormal sound coming from the sub frame and the vehicle started shuddering. The co... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
This has now happened on two separate occasions. When driving the truck at 55mph and hitting a small bump in the road the truck started shaking violently and would not stop until I slowed down to under 25mph. Upon researching this, consumers are calling this the Ford Wobble of Death. The truck became uncontrollable until I slowed down and the vibration ceased. Fortunately, it was on a straight... Read more
Incident date: Oct 27, 2022
My 2003 has severe rust around undercarriage mainly in the rear. The rear frame is corroded causing my drivers side trailing arm to come loose while driving on the highway. I almost lost control as the rear started to fishtail. Luckily I had no vehicles next to me which would have caused a major accident. I've done research and they do have the recall in Canada but not here in the USA. Honda shoul... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2022
After a routine breaking in traffic noticed a loud grinding noise. Upon inspection notice that the right rear suspension assembly was sitting on the inside rim of the wheel. The bolt at the bottom of the assembly had either come out or sheared off.
Incident date: Feb 7, 2022
My 2011 Hyundai Elantra with only 73,000 Miles on it was affected. Front Coil Suspension Springs cracked during winter month when road salt was being used for a big storm. I live in Northern KY almost on the Ohio border. It gets cold here and Road salt is used during the winter months which is why I believe the road salt has caused corrosion on the front coil springs .This defect has put my safe... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Compass. The contact stated upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for inspection prior to a road trip, he was informed that the rear cross members were severely corroded and had holes. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear cross members needed to be replaced. The dealer also informed the contact that he had to pay fo... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E350
(2014) - SUSPENSION
Oct 28, 2022
Incident date: Oct 27, 2022
When I took my vehicle to the dealership for service to have it inspected, I was told that it would not pass inspection due to the corrosion of the rear subframe. They told me this is a serious safety issue and that they are seeing a lot of Mercedes, especially in the last year and a half, that have this issue. The repair will cost me $4,500, Mercedes does not cover the cost even though it is a ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 24, 2022
While driving the 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL, the vehicle began to shake violently along with the steering wheel. I had to pull over and slow to a stop to make it stop. I was running at a speed of about 70mph.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2009) - SUSPENSION
Oct 28, 2022
Incident date: Oct 28, 2022
Fuel system leak at fuel pump due to corrosion. Found raw gas leaking out from under vehicle while vehicle in operation. Upon further investigation, found metal supply and return lines severely corroded and leaking. Repaired with new pump. While being repaired, noted severe corrosion on frame and cross members to include upper shock mounts and spare tire mount. Holes in frame were noted.