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 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and turning, there was a popping sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The front-end popping sound also occurred while driving over bumps in the roadway. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer... Read more
GMC
SIERRA 3500
(2024) - SUSPENSION
Oct 1, 2024
Incident date: Sep 29, 2024
The contact's business owns a 2021 Ford Transit. The contact stated while an employee was driving at approximately 30 MPH, the rear passenger’s side tire detached from the axle and landed into a front yard. The vehicle was stopped immediately. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the hub bolts sheared off and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was currentl... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2024
I have experience multiple episodes of the "death wobble"that previous 2021 Jeep Wrangler have reported over the past year. The steering wheel starts to wobble at times going over 60mph or hitting a bump. It appears that that the auto maker does not have an answer given the reports I have reviewed by NHTSA.
Incident date: Jan 12, 2024
Returning from a trip to Sturgis South Dakota [XXX], the right rear spring hanger broke causing the rear axle to shift and start rubbing the tires together and which rendered the RV untowable. That was repaired and last month [XXX] we found the left rear spring hanger broken along with the center equalizer hangers being bent. I have contacted the chassis manufacturer and they are unwilling to fix ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who discovered that the oil level was low even though the oil had recently been changed. The contact was informed of a possible oil consumption failure. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, while drivin... Read more
MERCEDES-BENZ
C350
(2012) - SUSPENSION
Oct 1, 2024
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
After messaging Tesla due to noise and vibration, they reviewed the videos sent and preliminarily diagnosed the issue a control arm problem. They then stated that instead of having it assessed to determine the extent of the problem, that it was ok to drive and to wait 39 days in order for the problem to be assessed. I attempted to call Tesla they continually put me on hold for extended times up t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Toyota 4Runner. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was discovered that the undercarriage was rusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a left turn, the vehicle jerked and almost crashed into another vehicle. The contact was able to regain control of the vehicle and pulled over the shoulder of the ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ID.4
(2023) - SUSPENSION
Oct 1, 2024
Incident date: May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle began shaking violently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that unknown parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.
Incident date: Sep 19, 2024
Death wobble at speeds greater than 46 mph. I have to come to a complete stop to make it stop. I almost got rear ended by a semi before I could get off the interstate on the shoulder. My vehicle is a 2014 but I have experienced this several times since I bought it new. Took it to my local ford dealer to see if they can do anything to fix it. It’s really dangerous when it happens on a busy inters... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2024
I find myself in this situation due to a defect in my 2023 Hyundai, which is under Full Factory Warranty. I have had all my required services completed by Hyundai on time, and as the consumer had no idea anything was wrong with my vehicle. On 31 August 2024, just 25 days after being service by Hyundai Yuma on 6 August 2024, this defect caused a catastrophic failure in my front driver side tire res... Read more
Crash
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2015) - SUSPENSION
Oct 1, 2024
Incident date: Mar 7, 2024
Lateral links failed. It was exactly what was described in this recall. However my car was not part of the recall because it was manufactured outside the date range. Recall affected until Mar 2019. My car was produced maybe a month or two afterwards. [XXX] The fastener became loose and the entire lateral link popped off. This happened in the parking lot and the entire car dropped 3 inches. Had... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jun 26, 2024
Death wobble happened 5 times driving on the interstate. Couldn’t control steering and everything was violently shaking.
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
I was told there was something hanging underneath my truck and when I looked I found the sway bar had broken. It was not the end links but the sway bar itself. I have never been off roading or abused the truck.
Incident date: May 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving at various speeds over 45 MPH, the vehicle was shaking and vibrating after driving over bumps on the roadway. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact stated that the failure had occurred after the dealer installed the manufacturer's lift kit accessory to the vehicle. No additional information was available... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2024
Over the last 2 years I had both left and right side rear "lower link" suspension elements "rot out" and break while operating the vehicle. Both times leaving me stranded roadside. After the the 2nd failure I felt it couldn't be a coincidence and found Nissan has issued a voluntary action and admitted using faulty parts in Altima's between 2013 to 2018. They voluntarily extended the warranty to... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated that while reversing, the contact heard an abnormal snapping sound coming from the rear passenger’s side of the vehicle. The vehicle was stopped and inspected, where the contact observed a big spring pushing a bar into the ground on the rear passenger’s side. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ram 3500. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the death wobble while driving. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired because the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotlin... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the contact became aware of an abnormal wobbling coming from the front end of the vehicle. Additionally, there were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the local tire shop where the four tires were replaced and an alignment was performed; however, the failure p... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2024
This vehicle is using insurmountable amount of engine oil.since I purchased the vehicle in 2024 I've had the oil changed once and twice the engine oil was down 3-4 quarts and when I started it,the engine was rattling because of oil disappearing.i purchased this nice looking car for.$5000.,so it's not junk to me it must be fixed.i think GM should be responsible for this problem.
Incident date: Sep 30, 2024
The front suspension randomly shakes when doing speeds above 60 on the freeway. It’s very dangerous especially because we almost experienced running into a semi while driving on I-50 between a cement construction wall and the semi. I find it hard to believe that Ford will NOT own up to this. There is clearly a history of this. I simply want my front suspension fixed to meet safety standards.
MITSUBISHI
OUTLANDER SPORT
(2016) - SUSPENSION
Sep 29, 2024
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
Currently at 30,000 miles. Water pump goes out every 10k miles, rear differential went out, front control arm and strut went out.
Incident date: Sep 28, 2024
I have had this truck for 7 years and bought it with 35k. It now has 150k.This week ([XXX])I finally experienced the notorious “Death Wobble” at 60 mph in Atlanta, GA with my wife & daughter in the truck. This is a very scary situation when you’re going down the road with traffic behind you at 70 plus mph and the steering wheel starts shaking violently after going over a bump on the highway.... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Aug 16, 2024
The service stabilitrak and service powersteering will come up. Have had vehicle hooked up to computer multiple times no codes. The vehicle would not drive. The vehicle has started shaking. The engine light comes on. There is 30k miles on the vehicle. I bought this 3 months ago to have a safe vehicle. My spouse and I are disabled and we do not feel secure. I googled and it says probably a computer... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 40-80 MPH, there was an abnormal vibration in the vehicle. There was an abnormal humming sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the wheels, drive shaft, and u-joint needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The veh... Read more
Incident date: Oct 31, 2020
The contact owns a 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at various speeds on several occasions, the vehicle leaned to the right and then to the left intermittently. The contact observed an audible warning chime and a message to "Service Air Suspension Soon" was displayed. Additionally, the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2024
I had to put 3 sets of tires on my car by 50,000 miles. The Ford company told me to go to an alignment specialist because without putting some sort of aftermarket part on my car they can't properly align it and they are tired of fooling with it. I had taken my car for a regular 25,000 mile service, and my tires were so bad that the Ford company would not allow me to leave without rotating the ti... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
The issue I have been having since i bought the car has been a wobble/vibration from the front end. took the vehicle in to planet honda rt22 in union nj, where they told me my factory rims where bent which was false. i ended up selling my factory rims and buying a pair that i liked same size as factory. i put new wheels and tires on same problem. i then went back to the dealer ship for a second ti... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Ridgeline. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally and became unstable. The failure had occurred a second time while driving 50 MPH. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mi... Read more
HONDA
CR-V HYBRID
(2020) - SUSPENSION
Sep 26, 2024
Incident date: Dec 13, 2023
The driver power steering system message goes on every so often and I have to turn off and on to reset the light, but my concern is that it’s going to go off as I’m driving, and the fuel mileage as I’m driving it says mileage to empty and one time I was trying to get to the gas station and it hit 0 and it was still going the car, and the suspension makes noise when I go over the bumps and al... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2024
Car has been babied all its life but I recently started hear creaking and popping noises from front of car. Took it to my local shop as I have extended warranty and they looked and inspected and found that the car has a crack in the steering knuckle and said it is not safe to drive. After we all did some research it looks like most 2014-17 Range rovers like mine had a recall for this problem exact... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the rear end of the vehicle made an abnormal popping and clunking sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the failure was related to TSB Number: 18-NA-136. The dealer provided an estimate for the repair, but the contact declined to pay for the repair. The vehicle was not r... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2015) - SUSPENSION
Sep 26, 2024
Incident date: Apr 17, 2024
At approximately 6:30 am 9/25/2024, I was transporting a friend to her home in a neighboring city. After ten minutes of travel, I exited a four lane bridge. As I slowed and set up for traffic negotiations, We heard a bang, like maybe tire blowout, I initiated a full stop to safety, disembarked vehicle to find that; THE RIGHT FRONT BALL JOINT HAD EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE! Thus, the ti... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 2500
(2024) - SUSPENSION
Sep 26, 2024
Incident date: Aug 23, 2023
When traveling this past weekend at 60-65mph, after crossing a small bump in the road, my truck lost control and vibrated into the oncoming lane by more than 50%. My truck continued left while I held the steering wheel to the right. This is not the first time this has happened, but always happens when traveling at highway speeds. This time, however, was the most drastic and scariest loss of contro... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2024
I recently lost both front wheels in two different incidents within a month. Early August drivers side ball joint failed on me. And on September 25th the passenger side failed on me on the freeway almost causing a collision with a mercedes and a semi truck.
Incident date: Sep 26, 2024
Fui a encender la camioneta luego de hechar gasolina y no quiso arrancar.Que inmóvil.Hoy a la fecha está aún en el concercionario.
Incident date: Sep 25, 2024
The rear spring shackles that hold the leaf springs and axle to the frame of the trailer broke off of the frame while going down the road. I took the RV to Clyde's Frame shop in Pontiac MI. and was told that this is a very common problem with frames made by Lippert because they do not brace the shackles the way they should be to prevent this from happening. I have filed an insurance claim but they... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-250. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front of the vehicle was shaking abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the steering column had failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving 74 MPH, the vehicle vibrated violently, after which the steering wheel began to jerk from the contact’s hands, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2024
Problem #1: The Components that failed are the front wheel fenders, they blew off while driving down the highway, they have since been repaired. the repairman said that these blow off all the time due to how they are installed with plastic clips and glue. My families safety was put at risk because the moment that this happened the sensor was showing something that was about to hit us. had the auto... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2024
There is a vibration and traction issue when driving less than 25 miles per hour and when making turns. There is also concern with the radio/camera. The camera is.distorted at times and warning coolant light illuminates yet the fluids are topped abd tye sensor eas replaced
Incident date: Nov 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the rear end of the vehicle was jerking back and forth. The contact stated that the struts, radiator, and rear differential had previously been replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2024
As I was driving on the freeway at 65 mph the vehicle started shaking uncontrollably. I slowed my speed to 55 mph and it finally stopped. I attempted to return to 65 mph again and it started shaking even worse. I pulled off at the next exit examined the truck and it looked fine. I just drove it home at 50 mph. No warning lights or maintenance lights came on.
Incident date: Sep 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the "Electronic Parking Brake" warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the "Parking Brake Connector" had fractured. The vehicle was not yet repaired. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the v... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2022
I experienced the Ford truck death shake for the first time while driving 53 mph on a county road. Truck went over a few bumps in a consecutive manner and the steering wheel started shaking uncontrollable. This went on for close to a minute, I had a passenger and her child in the truck and it scared everyone. This is insane! This is Ford's top of the line heavyduty truck!
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
The rear shocks on my vehicle were checked and the left rear is requiring replacement at approximately 33K miles. The leakage was gradual and after the ride became noticeably rough, I took it for diagnosis at Safford Brown in Fairfax, VA. A failed left rear shock was confirmed. I am replacing to make the ride bearable, and in researching the issue, learned of a TSB for my model year issued by Hyun... Read more
FORD
MUSTANG MACH E
(2021) - SUSPENSION
Sep 24, 2024
Incident date: Jun 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 30-35 MPH, there was an abnormal squeaking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the bushing joint had fractured and needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The mechanic referred the contact to the dealer. The v... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2024
El carro lo agarré en el dealer hace dos meses, regresé al día siguiente para que me arreglaran la alineación que me la dieron mala cada vez que conducía por el freeway el carro a alta velocidad se me jalaba hacia el lado izquierdo y es muy incómodo estar presionando con fuerza a la hora de manejar por largas horas por lo que estaba expuesta a tener un accidente aparte del check del motor ap... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2018) - SUSPENSION
Sep 24, 2024
Incident date: Sep 20, 2024
The rear shocks on the 2021 trailblazer are faulty and are blowing out causing the rear tires to bounce and eat away at the tread exposing cords becoming a safety hazard. The rear shocks blowing out is happening on several 2021 Trailblazers causing there to be a national back order leaving these vehicles and drivers to be at risk of serious accidents and injuries.