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: Aug 1, 2022
I have a noise in the rear of vehicle when i hit a bump, I have a severe sway in the rear end towing anything. I have had m camper for over ten years, towed it with several vehicles. never have i had a sway towing m camper. with this truck I cant exceed 55mph or the camper is all over the road. the slightest wind will push the rear of truck so bad that it pushes me off the side or over the center ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2022
My mechanic reported that car's rear control arm has broken away from frame of car and is a very unsafe condition to use. No warning was given. Was found during normal inspection on mechanics lift. Manufacturer would not help during owners notification of problem but recognized the seriousness of the problem. Dealer has not been notified just my mechanic professional's recommendation.
Incident date: Aug 31, 2022
I have not had an incident but i was told by a Ford dealership that a recall would be applicable to my 2022 Ford Explorer ST-Line, 2.3L engine. The dealer stated that the rear suspension cross member only has one bolt. Ford put out notification to all dealers several months ago that that one bolt may fracture possibly causing the vehicle to not stay stopped while in Park. A fix was to have been pr... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2022
I own a 2005 Toyota Tundra 4dr. and in January of this year 2022 a recall was sent out on ‘Inadequate Hardness of Ball Joint Housing’. My Tundra is having ball joint problems meaning skeeking on the front wheels, vibrating until over 55 mph., and suspension problems. I called a Toyota dealership to get the truck fixed but they told me that back in 2007 the ball joints were already fixed. I sh... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2022
I have taken my jeep to get the thermostat sensor put in for the second time. This jeep has multiple mechanical issues that i have taken into a mechanic shop for fixing now the check engine light on.jeep came from drive time with these issues since I had the car they need to recall these jeep because it's a safety issue for possible accident.the issues have been a problem since 2020 when I got it ... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2019) - SUSPENSION
Aug 30, 2022
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
With approximately 42,600 miles on 2019 Expedition, two Ford Service Centers diagnosed the vehicle control issue as suspension related. Specifically, loss of vehicle control due to shocks. Upon inspection by Ford, shocks were found to be leaking and not providing adequate suspension. Two separate Ford Service Centers advised replacement of all four shocks. Wife had been complaining about this fo... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2022
Air suspension failure .Dangerous to drive. should be a recall and replacement at RAM cost
Incident date: Jan 28, 2021
Bought the vehicle brand new and have been dealing with a steering wheel/vehicle shake ever since. The vehicle feels out of control around 55-65mph(like death wobble) and the ride is rough at any speed over 50mph. This has been a serious issue on the highway with instances of crossing lanes because of lack of control over steering. No warning lights have ever come on. Been to the dealership many t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2018
When I hit any kind of bump in the road, especially when you change lanes the truck shakes so violently you have to slow down to about 10 miles an hour to get it to stop. This has been happening for years & on a few occasions it almost caused an accident. On one occurrence it was so bad the truck shook me off of the highway. This is an ongoing issue, I have tried many repairs to try to alleviate t... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
S400
(2010) - SUSPENSION
Aug 30, 2022
Incident date: Aug 27, 2022
Airmatic Suspension sprung a leak and could not be driven safely due to the vehicle getting severely low where the tire and rim tucked into the wheel well. When the airmatic suspension fails the vehicle can get so low that it can scrape the roadway, hit bumps and damage parts under which can dislodge and cause an severe accident or pile up. Requesting a Nationwide Recall on all Mercedes-Benz vehic... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2022
4wd SOLENOID AND ACTUATOR MALFUNCTION TO ENGAGE AND DISENGAGE 4WD AT WILL WITHOUT USING THE 4WD BUTTON CAUSING DAMAGE TO BOTH SOLENOID, ACTUATOR AND WHEEL HUBS WHICH CAUSE ISSUES WITH DRIVING AND USING 4WD ON THE VEHICLE SAFELY. THIS IS KNOWN ISSUE WITH 2003-2020 MODEL F150 (NON RAPTOR MODELS) AS WELL AS EXPEDITION. THERE IS NO WARNINGS OR MESSAGES TO ALERT THE DRIVER OF ANY ISSUES THAT ARE HAPPE... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the contact drove over a pothole and damaged the front passenger’s side tire. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the part to repair the vehicle needed to be repaired by the dealer. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where he was notified that th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2022
Yesterday, the Front Right Wheel completely separated from the axel while driving 25 mph. The truck veered sharply to the right, crashing into the driver's side of a fortunately unoccupied parked car, and continued to the right into the curb. I was not seriously injured, though my neck was strained. The tire and rim were destroyed, and it appears that the metal attachment from the wheel to the car... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Apr 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH and driving over a bump on the roadway, the vehicle started shaking uncontrollably. The contact pulled over but was unaware of the cause of the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the tires and suspension was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2022
My truck starting shaking really bad while driving after 45 miles per hour. I went to the repair shop today and they told me it was the death wobble. Could have lost control of truck as it was very terrifying.
Incident date: Aug 28, 2022
Front end of vehicle and steering wheel both shake violently after hitting a bump when driving between 50-70 mph.
Incident date: May 24, 2021
I was informed about my rotting subframe on my 2009 Jeep Compass about a year ago. I took it to a Jeep dealer for a second opinion as well as contacted Jeep. I was told about some extended warranty that I was not eligible for. Now, 1 year later, my vehicle will not pass inspection without replacement of the subframe. I contacted Jeep again. Of course, since this was extension of warranty, onl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2022
The passenger side rear lower control are rusted off of the back frame crossmember which shows a significant amount of rust! This almost caused an accident while driving. It broke loose while driving down the highway.
GMC
SIERRA 1500
(2009) - SUSPENSION
Aug 29, 2022
Incident date: Aug 25, 2022
I own the 2009 GMC this truck was bought new by me and it only has 41,000 miles on a 13 year old truck it is very well maintained. Both upper shock mounts rusted off and the rear spring shackles have holes in them I had a service center look at it and he said there maybe not enough metal to weld to. The whole frame and cross members are badly rusted and although it is not a safety issue both cab c... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2022
I have less then 40k on my 2019 f350 and I was driving home from work on August 24th on a back country road and all of a sudden my truck went into a complete shake as if I was going over rumble strips times 10... I was only going maybe 70km hr on dry/smooth road. I stopped the truck got out and looked at all my tires and nothing to be seen. Proceeded to head home and all was fine again. When this ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2022
Tesla model X is infamous for its acceleration shudder. they have replaced the drive shafts twice already. when you accelerate the wheel vibrates only between 15-35 mph. When you brake hard it does the same thing.
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) - SUSPENSION
Aug 28, 2022
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
Manufactory defect on w204 Chassis Mercedes Benz rear sub frame rusting allowing control arm to brake free affecting safety and drivability control loss, which has or could lead to severe accident. There no recalls for this defect and is a common issue with materials on back order for the rear sub frame, vehicle Is not drivable until frame is replaced.
Incident date: Jul 24, 2021
Purchased used 2006 Toyota Tundra in May 2021. Upon bringing vehicle to Toyota dealer for inspection mechanic informed me that the frame had rust perforations and was unsafe to drive. The condition was not fixed due to exorbitant cost and I was not able to pass inspection.
Incident date: Aug 25, 2022
Front end suspension shimmy> My granddaughter and I were driving at 60mpa and hit a bump and could not control shaking of truck until pulling over to stop. This happened without warning. Had to drive back roads to get home.
Incident date: Aug 26, 2022
The rear sets (left rear, and right rear) of wheel bearing and hub assemble for a new SONATA is really a terrible-quality parts. It deformed at a few thousand miles since delivery as a new car (i.e. I found it at 2400 miles, so it starts to deform and going bad earlier than 2400miles). As results, the two rear wheel and tires cannot go straightforward, rear wheels and tires are yawing during norm... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2013) - SUSPENSION
Aug 26, 2022
Incident date: Aug 22, 2022
THE REAR SUBFRAME ON THE CAR IS COMPLETELY RUSTED. I GET AN OIL CHANGE AND A INSPECTION OF THE CAR DONE AT THE DEALER EACH YEAR. NOBODY MENTIONED TO ME THAT THE REAR SUBFRAME IS RUSTED AND IS ABOUT TO CRACK AND FALL APART. WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK WHEN I SUDDENLY HAD TO STOP AND THE WHOLE CAR SHIFTED TO THE RIGHT ALMOST CAUSING ME TO CRASH. DROVE HOME AND NOTICED A NOISE EVERY TIME I HIT THE BRA... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2022
Car started making noise from the rear it’s at the shop now they say it’s not drivable frame rusted and flaking tires leaning inward
Incident date: Aug 4, 2022
While traveling w/b on I78 into Pennsylvania I noticed my car suddenly veering to the left. I stopped at a toll booth to proceed to the next exit to check on the problem and as I accelerated out of the toll booth the car began to fishtail wildly. After being able to bring the car under control I pulled off to the shoulder expecting, from the sound of the scraping metal, to find a blown tire. Wh... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 23, 2022
while pulling out of our garage, the aluminum left hand fore assembly cracked and a piece fell on the driveway. The left front tire then rubbed up against the wheel well, which made the car undriveable.
Incident date: Aug 26, 2022
While traveling on the highway and going over uneven pavement the truck began shaking violently and i lost control of said vehicle. once slowed below 40 mph I regained control.
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2011) - SUSPENSION
Aug 26, 2022
Incident date: Aug 25, 2022
My C300 2011 is having rear suspension problem which is unsafe to drive. I took in my car for my usual maintenance check and was told by the mechanic that the rear left driver side suspension is rusted and rotated out, to the point that it can break off and cause an accident. As Mercedes product, even the mechanic was surprised to see this happen on this car. Not surprised the dealer told me there... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2021
I've had 3 different issues with the transmission- There's been 1 recall on the clutch- The transmission put me in Great danger I was driving on the freeway about 60 mph when the car just popped into neutral- I was terrified and I managed to pull to safety to put the manual transmission into gear- I didn't want it to happen again- I had to hold the gear until I got to an exit to get off the freewa... Read more
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER
(2004) - SUSPENSION
Aug 25, 2022
Incident date: Jun 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2004 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed, the front subframe detached. The contact stated that the driver’s side front wheel was pointing outwards. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V458000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
Suspension links are failing after only 50k miles causing tires to rub wheel well liner.
Incident date: Jul 26, 2022
Purchased new Toyota Tundra in 2004. Performed rust recall at dealer on 07/22/15. October 2016, brakes failed. Brake line completely rusted. July 26, 2021, Toyota Tundra rejected at state inspection for badly rusted frame. Inspectors were unable to get wheel off to inspect brakes because of rust damage. Took to Toyota dealer on March 9, 2022. They performed airbag recall. Unable to do front suspe... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2021
The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-250. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 MPH, the front suspension started to bounce and vibrate, causing the vehicle to shift independently to the right lane. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact slowed the vehicle and the failure stopped. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2022
The inner edge of rear tires wear out very quickly leading to loss air pressure. Many other owner of Tesla 2021+ on 21 inch wheels and Michelin stock tires have exact same issue. Very dangerous if the tire bursts on highway, can lead to serious accidents.
HONDA
CIVIC HYBRID
(2012) - SUSPENSION
Aug 25, 2022
Incident date: Aug 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH on the highway, the suspension lowered inadvertently, causing her to lose control of the vehicle, and the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was towed to the residence where it was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the front driver's side axle had detached and needed to be repl... Read more
THOR MOTOR COACH
WINDSPORT
(2016) - SUSPENSION
Aug 25, 2022
Incident date: Aug 25, 2022
This is a 2016 THOR Windsport 29M with 9400 miles. Missing parts/damaged parts were discovered during normal maintenance check by certified ASE mechanic. RT rear anti sway bar retainer (#5486), (2) HB3 Bolts and (1) welded flange nuts are missing from motorhome. Additional inspection revels top welded flange nut missing due to weld not holding or never welded correctly. Bottom flange nut interna... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2021
At approximately 30000 mi the truck began shaking violently whenever it hit a decent bump. mainly when traveling over 60mph. This is extreme shaking what most call a death wobble. I took the vehicle to the dealer and they replaced the steering stabilizer which seemed to help for awhile. The truck now has 73000 miles on it and shakes so bad i don't feel safe driving it. I have replaced the steering... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C300
(2010) - SUSPENSION
Aug 25, 2022
Incident date: Aug 25, 2022
Rear subframe completely rusted through resulting in multiple attached systems to break off. When applying the brakes the rear end of the vehicle swings and can force the car into random directions. Upon any basic research this issue can be seen in similar Mercedes models across the globe consistently. If the issue was not diagnosed sooner the likelihood of a fatal crash would have been extremely ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2022
My vehicle had a total rear tire failure where the inside corner of tread separated from the sidewall. There appears to be abnormal wear on the very edge of the inside line of tread. The vehicle was just aligned and nothing was out of spec. Something about the tire design, weight of the vehicle, recommended tire pressure or suspension geometry is causing this failure. My tires were always kept... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2022) - SUSPENSION
Aug 24, 2022
Incident date: Aug 10, 2022
Vehicle vibrates quite violently when hit some potholes. Steering wheel is the part that vibrates more but vibration is felt throughout the vehicle. It is more prevalent at highway between 55-65 mph speed. I also noticed that car shakes unusually and tilts to one side at times making it quite uncomfortable for driver. back tires make slipping noice on potholes and feels like car is going to be un... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2022
It appears that the front air spring module fails pretty easily and causes increased stopping distance. On my vehicle, this failed at less than 38k miles (left), and at less than 50k miles (right). Both times it required full replacement of the "Air Spring Module". While I expect this to happen eventually, both of them occurred on a fairly low mileage vehicle.
Incident date: Feb 2, 2020
Front differential locked up without notice on highway at highway speed and almost lost control of my vehicle. Due to the front different locking up, the front driveshaft broke but did not come completely off right away and almost came through the floor of my vehicle. The floor where the drivers feet rest right underneath the brake pedal and gas pedal bent up a few inches and is almost touching th... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 18, 2022
Front Upper Arm Bushing on both the Driver’s and Passenger sides needed to be replace after less than 25,000 miles. Bushing failure causes upper arms of suspension to whack against the body and greatly effect handling, could lead to accidents.
Incident date: Jul 24, 2022
The rear K-frame of the vehicle is broken near the mounting for the left side of the rear sway bar. This caused the rear tires to wear excessively on the inside edges of both tires, this wear is not easily seen from the outside of the vehicle. It is fortunate that the vehicle had developed an exhaust leak and the tire wear was discovered at this time before anything more catastrophic happened, the... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the contact experienced the death wobble. The contact stated that the vehicle shook violently after driving over and unknown object on the roadway. The contact stated that he had previously taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic for repairs to address the failure. The contact stated that several fron... Read more
Incident date: Aug 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would shake abnormally without warning. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to the death wobble. The contact also stated that the EGR cooler was defective, causing the vehicle to downshift while driving at various speeds. The contact had the EGR cooler repaired by the dealer. The... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2022
Driving at 65 mph and hit a bump in the road causing excessive shaking and vibration in the steering wheel (Death Wobble).