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 4, 2021
UNKNOWN While driving at highway speed when a mild bump is hit in the road the front end starts to wobble violently first happened around 35000 miles and now is so bad the vehicle is not safe to driver at highway speed
MERCEDES-BENZ
SL500
(2003) - SUSPENSION
Dec 30, 2021
Incident date: Aug 21, 2021
The contact owns a 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL500. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, the following day he noticed that the front of the vehicle was lowered down. The contact stated that the car was too low a warning light was illuminated. The contact stated while starting the vehicle and taking his foot off the brake pedal, the vehicle would raise up independently and would be able to d... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2020
the car was bought certified used from Galpin Kia which is no longer in business. That location closed down. I had gone 2 times with the same issue and they refused to look under the car & mechanic basically said chill out it’s fine. Sent me to galpin Ford to which I talked to 2 employees and In tears expressed my fear and concern yet was told to relax and nothing was wrong .took to Kia new lo... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLC 300
(2022) - SUSPENSION
Dec 29, 2021
Incident date: Dec 8, 2021
When driving at 40 to 60 MPH and hit shallow pot hole or bump in the road the front wheels violently shake and the steering wheel (electric steering) violently vibrates for 5 to 8 seconds. Dealer checked the vehicle and claims there is nothing wrong with it but did turn off the "attention assist" setting from sensitive setting claiming it was the cause. The issue still exists but not as violent. I... Read more
Incident date: Nov 16, 2021
I have started experiencing the known “death wobble”. I have 68585 miles on truck.
Incident date: Sep 21, 2016
Was driving on the highway when my truck started shaking violently, had to pull over and check what was wrong, but no did not see anything wrong. Took it to the Ford dealership near me. Was told the tires were my problem had them replaced but the shaking continues. Ford does not have an explanation for me. What are my options?
Incident date: Dec 25, 2021
2017 passenger ball joint broke Driving about 25mph, no injuries No recalls were found, towed, repaired 2019 driver side ball joint broke Vehicle was stationary in a wait line at restaurant, no injuries No recalls found, towed, repaired 2021 Christmas night, passenger ball joint breaks again Speed was 60mph, minor injury occurred without medical attention. Haven't been towed or repaired yet.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Dec 22, 2021
Car was being pulled out of parking spot and front suspension failed. TESLA rode side service took car to TESLA dealer. TESLA said car was too heavy for parts and now the knuckles and the fore links for the front suspension need to be replaced. The car had a full alignment in February and everything was good. They said they were aware of a problem others are concerned about bit they can't do anyth... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2021
While travelling on an interstate highway going approximately 65 mph, the steering wheel and front end began to violently shake after going over the seam that separates the pavement from a bridge. The shaking only stopped after I slowed down considerably. The shaking was bad enough that I felt I did not have full control of the vehicle. The weather was sunny and 40 degrees and the pavement was ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2021
the frame has rotted to the point the vehicle cannot be driven. rusted with holes all in it unsafe
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2001 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was a wobble coming from the front passenger’s side tire. The contact was able to pull over and had the vehicle towed to a local mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the ball joints needed to be replaced however, the vehicle was not repaired. There was no warning light illuminate... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2021
My front sub frame was completely rotted, unsafe to drive and was repaired with Mazda's recall. It now appears that the REAR sub frame is rusting at an excessive rate. I have been reading several complaints where the same incidents are happening with the rear sub frame snapping while people are driving. Car is not safe. This needs to be addressed by Mazda. They are aware of front sub frame, b... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
GLB 250
(2021) - SUSPENSION
Dec 29, 2021
Incident date: Dec 27, 2021
This vehicle was purchased new, in cash, from the Mercedes-Benz dealership in Bellevue, WA. It was delivered to me, without being warned about the car being equipped with summer tires, the state of Washington has continuous rain, snow, and ice in a regular basis throughout the years, summer tires are not a good tire for an SUV such as this GLB unit in this region. On 12/27/2021 I went on an errand... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2021
air bag horn cruise control-no major accident...got air condition fixed and shortly after my horn stopped working but it works if my panic button is pushed. Horn Doesn't work when I lock the car. The cruise control and bluetooth stopped working and airbag light is on one after the other. I was told it was a clockspring and it's 1000 dollars to replace and is a 2.00 part . Vehicle isn't worth a... Read more
Incident date: Dec 24, 2021
Vehicle was taken to the dealer for repair. The dealer mechanics diagnosed a failed engine mount bolt. Vehicle mileage is 66965. This vehicle is driven lightly and this failure seems to be premature.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2021
While driving on the highway my car suddenly went sideways five times. I had no control over my vehicle and luckily did not hit another vehicle. Once I was safely on the shoulder, I saw that my rear driverside wheel was sticking out. I had it towed to the dealership and then found out that there was a recall on the rear toe end link adjuster. They kept my car for weeks and kept sending me assessme... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 27, 2021
Defective tone rings and sensors cause the Traction control system (TCS) and ABS system to be disabled. Cruise control is also disabled. Repair parts have been back ordered for months. Ford repair facility has advised vehilce is unsafe to drive .
Incident date: Dec 28, 2021
I started to hear a grinding and cracking and popping sound I checked the vehicle and the front left ball joint is bad there is an obvious crack in the joint that is easily visible when inspecting the area of the front left wheel and it’s components
Incident date: Dec 2, 2021
The engine cradle mount that holds the lower control arm failed because of severe rot but only one mount is rotted, very localized. Have picture of failed piece. The broken mount cause the passenger side front tire to move independently from the drive side wheel and makes it have hard to steer straight. Called dealer and it’s a very well known problem, you guys did a recall with early models a... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2021
front passenger side CV Axle/Boot, control arm, tie rod end fell apart causing tire to dislocate from vehicle. Vehicle has been properly maintained. It is at Mazda dealer service dept. It can be inspected there. If this fell apart on freeway it could have caused a major accident and loss of life. Dealer has not confirmed problem yet, awaiting their inspection. There were no warning signs or sym... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
DRIVING IN A HIGHWAY STATE 81 TOWARDS HARRISONBURG VIRGINIA WHEN MY 2002 TOYOTA TACOMA , PARTS OR EQUIPMENT UNDERNEATH THE TRUCK COLLAPSE CAUSE OF OUT OF CONTROL OF THE TRUCK , THE WHOLE SHOCK AND THE BALL JOINT IN THE FRONT ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK, THE PASSENGER SIDE AND DRIVER SIDE FALL TO THE GROUND, WHILE DRIVING DID NOT HIT ANY ONE BUT IT WILL CAUSE MY LIFE AT RISK . I DONT KNOW WHAT HAPPEN... Read more
Incident date: Oct 21, 2021
After going over a bump in the road at 70 mph, vehicle began to shake violently. Unable to control the vehicle. Had to come to a complete stop. Checked tires, all tires were good and had good air pressure. Took the vehicle to repair shop. Repair shop referred to the 'Death Wobble' . They checked for any loose parts in the front suspension/steering and did not find any. They replaced the ste... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2021
The contact owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, there was an abnormal sound, and the vehicle felt as if it had a flat tire. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that the rear driver's side tire was tilted inward and the rear axle was fractured. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V608... Read more
THOR MOTOR COACH
OMNI
(2021) - SUSPENSION
Dec 26, 2021
Incident date: Mar 17, 2021
The front cap above the drivers and passenger compartment come loose from the body. Mine has been to a few dealers and back to Thor's plant. They supposedly fixed it at Thor. But it is coming apart again. After Thor's head management came out and looked at it this last time they told me their is no internal support for the hole front cap. It's held on by self tapping screws where it meets the body... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2021
While accelerating on the entrance ramp to the freeway, which is free of potholes, or bumps, the front end of the truck began bouncing up and down violently. I was traveling approximately 50 mph. I immediately braked and the bouncing ceased. Luckily there were no cars behind me at that moment. I bought this truck used about 2 years ago with about 34000 miles on it. I do not know if the previous ow... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2021
Upper rear control arm is connected to the subframe of the car and it’s rotted/ rusted out where the bushing goes to hold the control arm in place. Where am I supposed to mount the bushing now since it’s no longer there.
Incident date: Dec 15, 2021
I get a death wobble to where I have to come to almost a complete stop. Even on the interstate
Incident date: Dec 4, 2021
Death wobble, any change in the road such as a bridge, older road, bump, ect.... The truck starts to shake uncontrollably, and have to come to a complete stop and start over.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2016
This is an issue of the car regularly pulling hard to the left without warning. My mechanic stated Honda ran out of a regular front-end part and began using an inferior part on some models over several model years. He also stated that neither attempted alignment or repairs other than a suitable replacement for the affected part(s) (currently does not exist) will remedy the issue. I now have a s... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2021
Traveling at highway speeds(above 55 mph) I’ve hit a small bumps in the road on multiple occasions. The problem has occurred several times where the vehicle shakes violently until I slow down to about 40 mph. Googling the problem informed me this is a problem with Ford superdutys and the phenomen is referred to as “death wobble”. The article provided a link to nhtsa.
Incident date: Nov 28, 2021
I purchased the vehicle in 07/2021 through the Drive time Dealership. The first concern is that as you go over the agreement the cost of the vehicle is well over the actual blue book value which $24,000 plus. But then there is the blinded words which cover the interest rate and the false mathematics that is used to confuse you. I realized that in the end of that process it is stated that I would ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2021
The truck vibrates uncontrollably when driving on the freeway at speeds between 65-75mph. This typically occurs when the truck hits a bump when driving in this speed range. Doing a google search and reviewing videos of this issue reveals a pheonomea referred to as 'death wobble'. This has happened to me at least 8 times over the past 8-10 months. I had the shocks changed recently hoping that t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2021
Air suspension failed while going 78mph, causing the vehicle to lower. With the vehicle lowered, the slightest bump can cause loss of control. I hit a small rise (present after a bridge) and the vehicle slid sideways. Luckily there were no other vehicles nearby and I was able to pull over to the side of the road (mainly due to the fact that I am a very experienced driver). This issue is known ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2021
Without any warning after hitting a small bump on a newly paved highway I had extreme violent shaking in the front suspension after hitting small bump on hwy going approx 60mph, truck shook violently, steering almost unresponsive, had to emergency slow to 25mph in very heavy accident almost rear ended in last incident.. This has happened 2x in the past 6 months 12/21/2021, 8/22/2021. Truck has 12,... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2021
The following has happened twice with the truck. While driving down the highway at @55 -65 mph the truck started shaking violently and the steering wheel starting shaking back and forth after driving over an uneven section of the highway. I was able to slow down and pull over until the shaking stopped. The dealership looked at it and decided that the damper was bad. The first time it happened was ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2021
The contact owns a 2010 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while her son was driving 60 MPH, he experienced what was commonly known as the "death wobble"; where the vehicle would shake uncontrollably without warning until the vehicle slowed down and resumed normal operation. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where they were initially unable to diagnose the failu... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 GMC Acadia. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the subframe underneath the driver’s side felt loose and not properly aligned. The contact merged to the right lane and continued to drive the vehicle. The contact stated that her son and daughter drove the vehicle and noticed the failure as well. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys wh... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2020
Every time I hit any sort of bump on the road (I.e the the lip on a highway overpass approach, or any standard road lip or bump) I lose complete control of my truck, it violently shakes and I have to come to a complete stop to get rid of it, which is dangerous when in traffic, I’ve owned the truck for a year and a half and have never been able to fix the problem, the local ford dealership I purc... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2021
At highway speeds if you hit a bump the front end goes into a wobble that translates to the steering wheel. If you slow down the problem stops .This has happened to me twice in the last 3 weeks. Incredibly dangerous especially in a 10,000 lb truck at 70 mph, and if you were towing something it could be catastrophic. I went online and found hundreds of people complaing about the exact same problem ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2021
My truck has ~31k miles. On 12/15/2021 I was driving on the interstate at highway speed. A few hours into my trip the front end of my vehicle, suddenly and without warning, began to bounce violently. My ability to steer the vehicle was severely compromised. I almost hit the median wall. I was finally able to get the vehicle to the shoulder and out of the roadway. My first thought was that bot... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was swaying. The vehicle then stalled with the service traction control and stability warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V473000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact called the local de... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2021
The contact owned a 2012 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph when they came to a small unevenness in the road due to a merging of roads. The contact stated that when they passed that point the vehicle suddenly displayed the death wobble despite there being no significant bumping of the vehicle. The contact had to come to a complete stop then pull over to the side... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2021
Suspension front end items became loose at 33k miles.Front Tire was at risk and did rub against drivers side front fender liner
Incident date: Nov 23, 2021
The contact owns a 2000 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH, she heard an abnormal noise coming from the front driver’s side tire. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact exited the vehicle and stated that the front driver’s side wheel was detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2021
The contact owns a 2001 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving her vehicle at approximately 35 MPH, the ball joint snapped on the vehicle's passengers side. The contact stated there were no warning lights illuminated nor any indication of a failure prior to the ball joint snapping. The contact stated that when the failure happened to her vehicle it caused her to crash into a ditch. The ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
The rear driver's side upper shock mount was found broken during an inspection. The part showed signs of possible metal fatigue, and not a corrosion induced failure, resulting in the metal stem (retaining the upper shock) to "snap" off the welded shock mount bracket.
Incident date: Dec 21, 2021
The 2018 Dodge Durango has a blown rear shock. I have wore shocks out but never seen blown seals. The car barely has 50k and is not covered under warranty, or my extended warranty. They are on backorder and apparently this is not a new problem. The soonest I can get a shock is the 23rd of next month. It is not safe to drive.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2009) - SUSPENSION
Dec 21, 2021
Incident date: Nov 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2009Chevrolet Silverado LD. The contact stated that he purchased his vehicle 2 months ago and when driving his vehicle at approximately 10 MPH, pulling off from a red traffic light, his vehicle's tailpipe had fallen off. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated at the time, nor an indication that something was wrong with his vehicle. The contact stated th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
With less than 30,000 miles, this car developed a "death wobble." At unpredictable moments, the whole car will start shaking and it is nearly impossible to control the steering wheel. Until you slow down to almost a stop, the shaking continues indefinitely. I've since discovered that this a known problem with Jeeps, but Jeep refuses to contribute a penny to fixing it.