Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 48,554 complaints — component: SUSPENSION
MERCEDES-BENZ
GL450
(2010) — SUSPENSION
Mar 7, 2022
Incident date: Mar 1, 2021
The vehicle has begun to "dance" and sway, abnormally on common highway bumps. It can be scary.
Incident date: Dec 5, 2021
Air ride suspension drops to bump stops when it rains. Causing the truck to have no suspension give that can cause severe damage. Truck has been at the dealers over this problem multiple times, they do not know what is causing the system to fail now. They have replaced the main components and the truck is still sitting on all 4 bump stops unable to drive.
Incident date: Oct 30, 2020
October 30, 2020, Ford issued a recall, 20S62, NHTSA recall 20V675. I have had the recommended inspection completed. However, as of March 7, 2022 (17 months later) Ford says the replacement parts are not available and they don't know when they will be available.
Incident date: Mar 4, 2022
Independent service center diagnosed vehicle safety concerns confirmed rear subframe rust.
Incident date: Feb 26, 2022
Dash lights went out and windows stopped working (incident date is for dash lights). Clocks are often blank. Clearly there is an electrical/wiring issue. I have complained about it to the dealer at the 5k check, 10k check and the 15k check. At the 15k check they reset the radio! Also when turning right it feels like the front wheel is curling under the vehicle and makes a terrible sound (... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2022
Bike threw code c0063. Vss fault. Limp mode. While researching possible causes I see this problem appears to happen with quite a few bikes
Incident date: Mar 5, 2022
Have experienced a violent shaking ("death wobble") on multiple occasions while driving at highway speeds. When this occurs, the steering wheel and entire vehicle wobbles/shakes and the only way to stop it is to quickly reduce speed. This has almost led to multiple accidents while driving at highway speeds.
LAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER SPORT
(2015) — SUSPENSION
Mar 5, 2022
Incident date: Feb 18, 2022
My 2015 Supercharged Range Rover Sport 5.0L V8 has unexpected rhythmic body movements while stationary. One side goes up and down then the other side goes up and down. This repeats every few seconds the whole ride, obviously more noticeable when stopped. You don't know if the dynamic system is working or not. It can push your car further in to the turn when it does it on a turn. If you are used to... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2022
On more than one occasion I experienced a violent shaking while driving on highway speeds. The incident happened out of no where. I had my child in the backseat so I tried to slow down quickly not sure if made it worse but the shaking / wobbling didn’t stop till came to a complete stop. I was in fear of our safety so i got of the highway pulled aside and checked my superduty for suspension or st... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2022
Front suspension does not have adjustable Camber. The wheels have a negative Camber that is outside of Lexus specification. This causes a very large uneven wear inside of tire, which is not noticeable from the exterior of car. Owners will be unaware, when checking the tires, that the inside of tire is worn to a point that can cause the tire to burst. Car was sent to the dealer, and they confir... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2021
Creaking/popping noise from passenger rear side of vehicle at 24,574 miles along with a grinding noise coming from the front driver side wheel. Took to dealership twice and was told there is not a rear axle just independent struts and shocks. Very concerning and not sure if a wheel is gonna fall off. I've seen other forums that have been having the same issue between the years 2017-2019. Please re... Read more
Incident date: Nov 12, 2021
My truck developed a severe steering problem. It is called the “Death Wobble” and is a harmonic vibrating and shaking of the front end and steering wheel. While traveling down highway 93 near Kingman AZ we experienced the first episode. It starts when the truck crosses over an uneven joint in the pavement or something like that. It happens while going about 65 MPH and starts vibrating and gets... Read more
Incident date: Mar 17, 2021
Front tires bald and worn out in a circular pattern in less then about 4000 miles tires were brand new then purchased another set of 2 new front tires and again tires were bald and in some area they had a circular pattern after 2000 miles
Incident date: Mar 3, 2022
On 03/03/2022 I purchase a new 2door jeep wrangler s 2022 at the Victoria dealership in Texas. During the test drive, while driving on the highway at 70 mph, I expressed my concern about the steering wheel acting out and feeling loose. It was a very short drive. The dealership personnel reassured me that everything was fine with the car and I would be safe while driving it. I was ready to drive ba... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2022
The left front fore link assembly broke while I was driving approximately 30mph. See photo. The car made a bad vibration noise when braking or driving over a bump. I was barely able to drive it back home. The car did not have braking ability. I had to have it towed to the nearest Tesla Service Center (80 miles from my home). If this failure had happened at high speed, I imagine this could have re... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2022
On high speed turns when you hit a bump just right the steering wheel/column shakes violently and the entire front end vibrates to the point where it feels like control of the vehicle is lost.
Incident date: Mar 4, 2022
The frame has rusted so bad it has completely separated from the body. The Ranger frame rusting is a known problem but it has not been recalled like the Toyota Takoma has been.
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, he hit a bump on the highway and experienced and the vehicle experienced the death wobble. The contact stated that the vehicle began to violently shake until the vehicle came to a near-complete stop. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2022
The front end suspension system , and it is available for inspection. The vehicle will not stay in one lane when crossing any uneven surfaces, potholes, or road transitions. Upon contact the wheels will bounce, skip, and turn immediately and sharply and can be felt on the steering wheel. Corrections have to be made with a tight grip on the wheel or the car will in fact turn sharply, and it has. Th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
I have experienced the very common problem of Death Wobble several times. Uncontrollable shaking of the steering wheel.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V675000 (Suspension); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer wa... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2015) — SUSPENSION
Mar 3, 2022
Incident date: Feb 3, 2022
Cars under carriage subframe is completely rotted. All suspension parts are detached from under carriage subframe. Vehicle is unsafe to drive.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2004 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that the vehicle intermittently lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that an abnormal noise would emit from the suspension. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and she was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provide... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
March 1st 2022 driving at highway speed on Rt 495 S in Massachusetts truck suddenly began to violently shake front end side to side. I was forced to brake, slow down till shaking stopped. Luckily cars behind me and to my right side were able to avoid hitting me. I pulled off highway and checked for something broken or loose. In forward and reverse I couldn’t find anything obvious. Will take my... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Vanleigh Beacon RV. The contact stated while driving at 60 MPH and looking at the rearview mirror, he noticed smoke at the top of the rear end of the RV. The contact pulled to the local Pep Boys and parked the RV. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the rear passenger suspension had dropped to the ground. Additionally, the contact noticed that the undercar... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Oct 28, 2021
I was on vacation with my family and pulled over to the side of the road to get something from the back and the service abs electronic light came up. it was intermittently coming on and off. it really dampened our trip because i have been stranded with electrical issues in this truck before. my family was scared the brakes were going to fail and we reduced our trips into the mountain areas we had ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the suspension suddenly failed, causing the front end of the vehicle to drop down and the vehicle became undrivable. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front driver's side lower ball joint had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was notified ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 Cadillac SRX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V473000 (Suspension) and the vehicle was taken to the local dealer where the recall repair was completed. The contact stated the next day, the stability traction control warning light and the ABS warning light were illuminated. The contact notified the local dealer of the failure. The contact associ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Taurus. The contact stated upon having the tires rotated on the vehicle, the independent mechanic informed her that both the rear driver's side toe link and the rear passenger's side toe link were fractured. The contact notified an unknown dealer, who informed her that there were unknown recalls associated with the failure; however, her VIN was not included. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Mar 2, 2022
The rear anti-sway bar is missing the driver side bushing, bracket and bolts. It is available at my home for inspection. I will not drive the vehicle (Forest River FR3 motorhome) until I can replace the bushing and bracket. The vehicle is very unstable in winds or when the vehicle is passed by a large vehicle. This creates and unsafe driving situation as the vehicle is pushed to the shoulder of t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Volvo VNL-860. The contact stated that her husband was driving at 65 MPH and towing a 53-foot trailer, and the steering wheel would overcompensate while making adjustment, left or right to stay centered in lane. The failure lead to constant steering adjustments. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2022
The front struts and links have had to be replaced at 41,000 miles on a vehicle purported to have upgraded off-road build.
Incident date: Feb 18, 2022
Driving down the road on highway hit a slight bump and the whole front end started bouncing (death wobble). Vehicle was uncontrollable and had to come to a complete stop before vehicle front end would stop bouncing. Took to dealer and they replaced the steering damper. I don’t know if this fixed it yet but everything I am reading says it only fixes it for a short period then it comes back. This... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
JETTA
(2021) — SUSPENSION
Mar 2, 2022
Incident date: Nov 1, 2021
1.It's not stable to drive in highway. Problem starts at around 55mph. 2. When I stop in traffic light suddenly rpm goes up and car jumps forward. It happened several times. The car was warm and in drive mode. I'm sure it shouldn't do this. Now when I stop in traffic light and pedestrian crossing in front of me, every time I put it to neutral and hold brake, in other ways just holding brake somet... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
Unknown. Steering is rough. Sounds
Incident date: Mar 19, 2020
Loud creaking noise (and sometimes what sounds like a spring) coming from the front passenger side suspension. At first this happened when the vehicle was backing up with the steering wheel turned and locked to the left. It's now extended to while braking. I know prior models were recalled for bad lower control arm ball joints. My vehicle didn’t fall in that window, but this vehicle should be i... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2019
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-350 SD. The contact stated that while driving at speeds exceeding 60 MPH, the vehicle would suddenly experience severe front-end vibration and shaking nearly causing the driver to lose control of the steering wheel. The failure had occurred on multiple occasions after driving over a bump in the road. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who installed tors... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2022
2013 JX 35, rear subframe is cracked. With this vehicle only being in service approx 9yrs, i find it hard that a frame issue is even possible. This sounds like a manufacturer defect than anything else. Inspection at my local dealer found the issue when I brought it in from oil change. 3rd party service centers have all stated that there is no way that this truck has a subframe issue
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
Experienced so called "death wobble". Truck started shaking violently and I could not control it. If a car had been coming toward me I would have hit it head on. No warnings prior to failure.
Incident date: Aug 13, 2015
Accelerating grinding sound in back chassis. Steering is harder than usual. Im not getting the power to accelerate properly all the time. Eventually the problem with salt cause im in Indiana too much salt on roads and i dont think things are sealed completely from manufacturers.
Incident date: Feb 28, 2022
Frame is rotted out. Vehicle is well maintained and it is upsetting. After spending good money for a reputable brand, the frame did not last. It is not drivable and is unsafe to be on the road. It is not safe to travel with my family. Everyone I know that has these years wrangler TJ model has this problem. Lower and upper control arms need to be welded back because they rotted off.
Incident date: Feb 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-250. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle drove over a bump in the roadway and started to experience the death wobble. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the road, restarted the vehicle, and continued driving to his destination. The contact called the local dealer and made them a... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the lower control arm detached. The contact became aware that there was rust on the control arm. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no further assistance was provided. The approximate failure... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2021
This vehicle had a wheel separation while traveling at low speed. The right rear wheel separated from the car. The cause is excessive rust to the trailing arm and specifically to the subframe to which the trailing arm is attached. The car is available for inspection. I also have photographs that show the problem. The safety issue is clear. After separation the car cannot be controlled if ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2022
On multiple occasions now I have experienced the F-250 "Death Wobble" while driving on the interstate. After hit a regular sized bump in the road the vehicle begins shaking violently, feeling as though a tire has blown. In both instances I was driving the speed limit (70 mph). The entire truck shakes violently, specifically the front end, cab, steering. Only by slowing down quickly does the shakin... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2022
Vehicle started making a front end noise when turning or hitting a bump.
Incident date: Feb 25, 2022
The following is an email that I had sent to CSX Risk Management describing what happened with my vehicle on Friday, 2.25.2022. I suspect that a defective leaf spring could have contributed to my accident. This is the passenger side leaf spring. I say this because I had to replace the same leaf spring on a 2011 Nissan Xterra PRO-4X before. I now have a 2015. -- I went over the CSX Railroad Tracks... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2022
I was driving on the freeway and all of the sudden the front end started shaking violently like I hit washboard ruts on a dirt road at 70 mph. I have come to know this as the death wobble. Fortunately it was not very busy at the time this happened and I was able to get to the section between the onramp and the freeway. I am glad I was not pulling my trailer, it would probably caused an accident... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2022
Traveling 70 mph on highway and went over an over pass. Upon hitting the bump at the transition to the bridge the truck began shaking violently and I was forced to slow to a complete stop in order to regain control.
Incident date: Jul 17, 2020
Rear trailing arm mounts rusted out and the arms dropped out from under the car I had almost 3 thousand dollars worth of repair done to it this summer And I really don’t feel the car is safe It has 92k on it and it hasn’t been driven on the road in years since this happened I finally found someone who would even attempt to fix it Why are the cars being replaced and repaired in Canada but n... Read more