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: Sep 16, 2022
The initial unresolved issue is a slight tremor at speeds above 70mph. I was told that because of the speed limit that this occurs, it is above the limit of area the dealership. The are not able to road test for the issue. New issue is my Wagoneer is slipping into four wheel drive. I received a software update and now there’s a churning underneath my truck and it has become more of a strained r... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2022
The vehicle has been experiencing a death wobble in the front suspension for about 2 years. I have had regular maintenance of the vehicle at a local ford dealership. The first incident occurred shortly after I had the vehicle serviced for oil change and tire rotation. I was driving about 75 mph on the I-5 freeway and ran over a transition in the road from blacktop to cement, the entire front en... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) - SUSPENSION
Sep 15, 2022
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
Rear subframe rusted to the point car is not drivable
Incident date: Aug 29, 2022
THE STEERING WHEEL WAS PULLING TO ONE SIDE AS I DROVE TO WORK. AFTER I PARKED MY CAR I PUT IT IN REVERSE AND SOMETHING FELL OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR. THE REAR LOWER LINK HAD BROKEN IN HALF AND THE CAR WAS NOT DRIVABLE. THE TIRES BENT IN. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO UNIVERSAL NISSAN. THIS WAS A RECALL AND NISSAN WANTS TO CHARGE ME FOR PARTS AND LABOR.
Incident date: Sep 6, 2022
Driving at highway speed I hit bumps in the road which caused violent shaking in the vehicle and loss of control of the steering. I was forced to immediately reduce my speed to avoid total loss of control, almost causing an accident. Dealer called it the death wobble but was unable to repair due to the inability of replacement parts. I have videos of the my vehicle experiencing the issue again ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2022
The truck is scheduled to go in to a Ford Dealer Sept 27, 2022. The steering became unmanageable changing lanes at 50 miles an hour. I was almost impossible to controll the truck due to uncontollable shaking. If someone had been beside us we would have crashed. I am afraid to ride in the truck because there isn't any warning this is going to happen. I was literally scared to death. From my researc... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
E550
(2010) - SUSPENSION
Sep 14, 2022
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
Rear control arm attachment to subframe snapped off at the weld during breaking
Incident date: Mar 25, 2022
The frame on both sides of the vehicle in the front, where it connects under the radiator crossbar has rusted through.Not feeling to safe about this. also the transmission cooling lines are also looking thin. The dealership I have maint. done at informed me of this condition. Can send pictures if needed.
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) - SUSPENSION
Sep 14, 2022
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
--the rear subframe is severely rusted at 2 spots where the suspension and the body come together. If hit a hard bump or pothole it could break and cause a large safety issue. The rear subframe is $4751.00
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) - SUSPENSION
Sep 14, 2022
Incident date: Sep 8, 2022
I was driving my C 2011 MB and suddenly when applying the Brakes the car had a severe pull to the left and a loud noise from the rear driver side wheel. I made an appointment with my mechanic to have the issue looked at. There were no warning lights or other symptoms until basically the complete failure of the rear suspension. My mechanic informed me that the rear Subframe of the suspension on ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed to avoid hitting an animal and the suspension detached from the vehicle as wheel well the front driver’s side wheel was loosened and the wheel rail liner was fractured. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he was able to drive th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2022
When backing up at a low rate of speed (<10 miles per hour), I heard a loud grinding noise. When I got out of the car, I noticed that my driver's side wheel was out of proper position. Forward driving caused grinding or rubbing noises. When I took the vehicle in for service, I was quoted a repair for front fore links (lower control arms) for driver's and passenger side. Q: What component or syst... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, he heard an abnormally loud sound come from the driver’s side wheel. The contact pulled over and inspected the wheel but did not see an issue. The contact stated that he continued driving and while driving approximately 35 MPH, the driver’s side wheel detached and went into the wheel well. The veh... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2012) - SUSPENSION
Sep 14, 2022
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH going downhill, the rear end of the vehicle shifted independently to the right. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving at a slow speed to her destination. The contact stated her husband inspected the vehicle and became aware that the rear subframe cross member ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2022
Death wobble, steering extremely violent and difficult in heavy traffic with a need to slow down immediately. Risk to me and everyone around me because of the loss of control. The truck wouldn’t stop vibrating/shaking/bouncing until I came to a complete stop in the middle median of an interstate highway. Stopped to look at the truck and didn’t see anything. Tried again and it happened a second... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2022
Car Shimmy's when hitting a bump or rough pavement. If this happens when road surface is wet or icy I feel car will slide enough to cause accident.
Incident date: Mar 10, 2022
The contact's wife owns a 2012 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, the message "Service Rear Axle" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the rear axle was disassembled and it was determined that the rear axle differential seal was leaking. Additionally, the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V473000 (Suspension) however, the failure persist... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2016
We purchased this rv trailer brand new from Happy Daze RV in Sacramento, Ca. The manufacturer is KZ/Venture RV in Indiana. We bought it in Sept of 2016. We have had no issues with it in the 5 or 6 times we have taken it on a trip. I took the rv to have general maintenance done to the wheels and the mechanic found that nothing on the VIN sticker matched the equipment on the trailer. The axles, tire... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
While driving the vehicle at approx 10 mph the coil spring on the front driver side strut broke causing the spring to slide down over the strut and immediately hit the tire causing noise and vibration. Unable to drive and had to be towed. Hyundai dealer diagnosed problem, admitted it's a common problem with sonatas and cost to repair $1,300.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 BMW K 1600 GT. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V0230000 (Suspension). The dealer had been notified of the issue and the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had ... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2022
In May, returning from VA, we noticed an odd noise coming from the right front side of the car. Then the noise stopped. Driving a week later, at about 40 mph, I again heard the noise and as I approached a yellow light and began to slow to a stop, the vehicle pulled sharply to the right. I was able to regain control, drove slowly home, called our repair shop and brought it in for evaluation. The fr... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
GOLF
(2016) - SUSPENSION
Sep 13, 2022
Incident date: Sep 7, 2022
While driving car on highway heard a loud boom from rear right side. Stopped car and inspected, but no obvious damage. Resumed driving, and began hearing a repeated squeaking noise and some body lean in corners. Took vehicle to tire shop, where they removed right rear tire and found the right rear spring had snapped at the mounting location near the top of the spring. The attached photo of the spr... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2012) - SUSPENSION
Sep 13, 2022
Incident date: Sep 13, 2022
Subframe corroded/rusted out. Car is in excellent condition with no other rust or corrosion. Car has 58,800 miles and regularly maintained by dealer. Took car to TireDiscounter because of noise. Mechanic put car on lift and reviewed corrosion and other damaged cause by failed part. Mechanic called MB service department and was told that parts on 5- 6 months back order because of this issue. Bu... Read more
HOLIDAY HOUSE
18RB
(2020) - SUSPENSION
Sep 13, 2022
Incident date: Oct 9, 2020
While in tow, our almost new camper collapsed with the axel pulling away from the frame & tires pushing through the floor into the interior. Roadside assistance had it hauled to a RV repair shop who told us we were lucky to be alive & this unit did not belong on the road as the frame wasn’t strong enough to support the weight. Our insurance’s independent claims adjuster also found it was clear... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
METRIS
(2017) - SUSPENSION
Sep 12, 2022
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
Safety inspection of tires are showing abnormal and rapid tread wear focused on the outside facing section of tread on all four tires. While the section of tread on the inside facing section is near factory new. The vehicle was bought factory new and this is on the original set of tires. Mileage at this time is still below 25,000 as it is driven sparingly. Despite that All four corners exhibit rap... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2013) - SUSPENSION
Sep 12, 2022
Incident date: Sep 12, 2020
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the local dealer for servicing, he was informed that the subframe of the vehicle was severely corroded and all cross members of the vehicle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the cross members were replaced and welded. However, the failure persisted. The c... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2022
The car had damage because in the carfax they gave me on the left side of the car the shock absorbers fail and I always had that problem also The moldings the first time I cleaned it also fell apart at the time to revere and turn to the right when it is going back it has such an annoying noise
Incident date: Sep 7, 2022
Both rear springs broke. Possible risk to wheel and arm support. No towing, road hazard or excessive load. Car has 48,000 miles. Others reported same problem on Audi members site. Unable to reach Audi USA. Dealer says my problem.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was lopsided due to the driver's side front suspension measuring 38.25 inches from the ground while the passenger's side rear suspension measured 40.5 inches from the ground. The contact was concerned that in the event of a tire blowout, the weight distribution would cause a rollover. Th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2022
The rear sub-frame where the hub is connected to (drivers side), blew out /rusted out completely while driving. I just inspected the car recently and while I saw some surface rust on the rear sub-frame, I had no indications that the whole rear tire hub support-mount was about to fail. Inspecting the passenger side of the sub-frame, I suspect that mount is about to blow too. I was driving on the in... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
SL550
(2007) - SUSPENSION
Sep 12, 2022
Incident date: Sep 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 Mercedes-Benz SL550. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH on a slightly bumpy road, the message "ABC System Malfunction” was displayed. The vehicle started shuddering significantly and lost traction and stability control. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact was able to continue driving at slower speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it w... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2018) - SUSPENSION
Sep 12, 2022
Incident date: May 13, 2020
My truck has a severe vibration or shake extremely bad at 60mph and up.i have tried new tires, front end alignment, and several different shops have told me they don't know what it is drive shaft or axels
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
I was driving my Mazda today and while I was pulling into a parking lot I hit a pothole and my rear frame broke and now the car is sitting on one side almost touching the back right tire, when Mazda recalled the front frame they should’ve fixed the rear frame too I believe that this should have been recalled because there is the same problem all over the internet with this model.
Incident date: Sep 11, 2022
The rear subframe suspension has rotted out due to rust prematurely. Only has 84k miles ;brought it to the dealer and was told that the car was unsafe to drive.what do I do now?
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
The rear subframe is badly rotting out and broken in i right rear side. There is a large hole in the subframe next to the spring . The garage said it is not safe to drive. Same issue with the front frame and it was replaced under recall.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
My frame has rotted through, causing the rear bump stops to fall off, putting excessive wear on both frame and suspension components. In parts of the frame, it has rotted all the way around and caused a loss in structural integrity. Worst of all, there is a hole near the rear most strap holding the gas tank to the chassis, which is a risk to not only me and my pregnant wife but others driving on t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
While driving on a highway I went over a bump in the road and the vehicle started shaking violently and I could not control it. I applied the brakes and slowed to about 30 mph and the shaking stopped. No other motorists were involved.
Incident date: Sep 11, 2022
Traveling on uneven road leads to uncontrollable driving when u hit a bump the front end shakes to the point you have to stop even when passing a vehicle on interstates ( my incident) my mechanic has changed numerous parts , rotated tires ( installed 06 21) i cannot let my wife drive this truck for fear of her not being able to control the shaking if she hits a bump especially while on the interst... Read more
JAYCO TRAVEL TRAILER
WHITE HAWK
(2020) - SUSPENSION
Sep 10, 2022
Incident date: Sep 7, 2022
While driving down interstate rear axle hanger fell from frame of trailer allowing trailer to drop on rear taking weight from towed vehicle allowing it to become uncontrollable. was able to get stopped but was unable to move trailer from road do to axle alignment . a less experianced driver might have crashed causing death. this trailer frame design is not safe and needs looked into
Incident date: Sep 7, 2022
While driving down interstate rear axle hanger fell from frame of trailer allowing trailer to drop on rear taking weight from towed vehicle allowing it to become uncontrollable. was able to get stopped but was unable to move trailer from road do to axle alignment . a less experianced driver might have crashed causing death. this trailer frame design is not safe and needs looked into
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) - SUSPENSION
Sep 10, 2022
Incident date: Aug 29, 2022
Rear Sub-Frame completely rusted out on car that has only 68800 miles and garaged kept since new. The suspension failure is an obvious engineering issue. No rust anywhere else on the car. The vehicle sways and bangs there is almost no metal left on the framework that all of the other rear suspension components mount to and rely on for stability. I have pictures to show what an obvious pre-mature f... Read more
Incident date: Sep 10, 2022
I purchased my vehicle in May 2020. Since that time, there has been a noise that occurs when I apply the brakes. In March of 2021 I took my car to American tire shop where they charged me $1900 to supposedly fix an issue with the rear suspension 'arm,' but also stated it required more work and suggested it was a safety issue. The noise is still there and I fear potential safety issues but can no... Read more
Incident date: Oct 6, 2021
I purchased a used 2016 Tesla Model S in September 2021, with 58,961 miles. Within a month, a strange scraping sound can be heard as I was backing out of my driveway, it was the metal piece that was connected to the wheel. Somehow it had broken off and was bent in a position where it was grinding my brake pads down to unsafe levels. Telsa said it was caused by making a 'sharp turn' and is not cove... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2004 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic, she was informed that the subframe was severely corroded. The independent mechanic informed the contact that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V124000 (Suspension) however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. T... Read more
FORD
F-150 HYBRID
(2021) - SUSPENSION
Sep 9, 2022
Incident date: Aug 17, 2022
13800 miles, broken axle/wheel bearing retaining bolt. Screeching noise. Bad wheel bearing. Dealer will not replace wheel bearing because they do not correlate the broken bolt to a bad wheel bearing. Leaving me with a bad wheel bearing that I consider prematurely worn out and is making a clicking sound. Dealer says they cannot replicate the noise so will not investigate further
Incident date: Sep 4, 2022
Severe wear on rear tires, as the camber is off. Tire failure exposing cords. Potential to be a catastrophic failure. Many with this car experiencing same issue with 21” tire option. Car has poor suspension stance and or tires are incorrect for the load being carried
TOYOTA
FJ CRUISER
(2007) - SUSPENSION
Sep 9, 2022
Incident date: Sep 9, 2022
Frame rust has become a major safety issue even though we do rust prevention twice a year.
Incident date: Sep 7, 2022
Driving in the highway, the back shock absorber felt down crashing against the back right tire.
Incident date: Jun 25, 2021
The issued with my truck is the rust in the frame underneath, I purchased the truck in August of 2020. I didn't noticed any issued until I went to get the safety inspection done in June 2021 and it failed. The mechanic showed me the problem so I went to a body shop to get some metal added to the frame and got it reinspect it and it passed. After doing some research on these trucks saw that there w... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated while exiting a parking lot and going over a small speed bump, the vehicle inadvertently lowered to the floor. The contact noticed that the ball joint had detached from the wheel. The vehicle was towed to a tire repair shop where the vehicle was diagnosed and the mechanic stated that the front suspension lower ball joint had separated from t... Read more