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.

2,245,377 Total Complaints

140,173 Reported Crashes

56,794 Reported Fires

8,580 Reported 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

How to Read NHTSA Consumer Complaints › How NHTSA Investigations Work › Used Car: 7 Recall Checks to Run First › The Takata Airbag Recall: Full Story › OBD-II Codes Explained › All Articles ›

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Showing 117,775 complaints - component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Incident date: Nov 22, 2025

The digital dash cluster will randomly blank out while driving. After it sits for aboutba few hrs parked, it will turn back on just to repeat it down the road again. I tried bring it up with the dealership a few times and I was told they aren't able to replicate the issue and it's within factory spec. This is extremely dangerous since this creates issues of not knowing how fast the vehicle is go... Read more

Incident date: Nov 20, 2017

Cascading air conditioning system failures in my 2018 Subaru Forester. The failures occurred in the following sequence: 1. Expansion Valve Failure – The AC expansion valve failed, requiring repair. 2. Evaporator Core Failure – Shortly thereafter, the evaporator core failed, causing complete loss of air conditioning and requiring a second very costly repair. 3. AC Compressor Failure – Then th... Read more

Incident date: Mar 5, 2026

My truck only has 26000 miles and the transmission started acting very funny, shifting erratically, then it was stuck in 5th gear limp mode. There is some kind of bushing that comes loose in these 10 speed transmissions. It cost me $7597.48. And $150.00 towing.

Incident date: Jan 12, 2026

I just traded for this car! I am a [XXX] male! After I had already signed the Paperwork Then and only then I was told there was only one key FOB! Living in a remote area of the mountains I would have Never bought the car if I had known this! Not having a back up key is like not having a spare tire! It could actually be life threatening for a [XXX] ! I was told I could get a Fob online and any loc... Read more

Incident date: Mar 13, 2026

My 2025 GMC Yukon's infotainment system has repeatedly failed. The huge center screen frequently goes black upon starting the car. Once the screen goes black you are unable to control literally dozens of the vehicle's features including but not limited to climate controls, safety features, heated/ventilated seats, gps, lane assist, the radio, no backup camera, etc. When the screen blacks out, the ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 24, 2026

Infotainment system freezing, screen shaking, touch screen not working, disconnecting from android auto, unable to connect to phone.

Incident date: Mar 24, 2026

Without any warning, on March 15, 2026, I turned out of a parking lot onto a major road and I noticed it wouldn't accelerate above 20 mph, so I pulled off the road. I tried again and my vehicle still failed to accelerate. And on my third attempt, my vehicle decelerated and was about to completely stall. I managed to turn into a parking lot and avoid getting rear ended. However, this could have... Read more

Incident date: Dec 17, 2025

Car was off and parked and randomly caught on fire. Completely totaling the car

Fire

Incident date: Mar 20, 2026

I received a recall notice in October 2025 for the back up camera on my car. As of now, there is still no remedy. This puts me and others at risk of potential injury. I have waited patiently and still no solution. Can you help me?

Incident date: Mar 21, 2026

REAR WINDOW OF 2019 ACURA RDX SHATTERED SPONTANEOUSLY WITHOUT MANIPULATION.

Incident date: Mar 14, 2026

The Instrument panel that shows the Tire Pressure, Speed, Oil, Mileage etc. goes blank black then comes back on. Its been happening for a year and I did contacted Chevy about it. I waited for them to contact me back but they never did. I have taken it for the oil changes at the dealer but its usually on. I explain to the Chevy Dealer service about it over the phone, they told me it would co... Read more

Incident date: Mar 21, 2026

Vehicle has 78000 miles on it and has started to stutter/struggle to find gears between what I believe to be 3rd and 5th gear. It generally happens between 25-40 mph. This has consistently happened whether the vehicle is cold or warm. This, according to many forums I’ve seen, is a common issue with this model of vehicle and transmission. It was brought into my local ford dealership on 2/17/2026 ... Read more

Incident date: Mar 11, 2026

13.2 inch console display went blank on 9/15/25; remedy not available for over 6 months now; they still do not have a definite schedule to give me; toyota says to wait for another letter that should have been sent out months ago. Not sure if litigation is appropriate for this case.

Incident date: Nov 1, 2025

I was driving on the highway at about 80 miles per hour and all of the sudden, a piece of the front grill detached and flew off, hitting the top of the of the roof.

Incident date: Mar 20, 2026

While driving down the highway at about 60 mph, the vehicle made a loud noise like a gunshot, and the sunroof exploded. Fragments of glass fell from the sunroof onto the backseat and floor board and large chunks of glass fell after. There was not any indication that the sunroof was damaged prior to failure and there were no other cars around that could have caused a rock or other debris to fly up ... Read more

Incident date: Nov 1, 2025

On March 18, 2026, while driving a leased Honda Prologue in rush-hour traffic on a major highway in [XXX] , the vehicle suddenly shut down and would not restart for approximately two minutes. The incident occurred without any warning messages, alerts, or notifications and created an extremely dangerous situation. At the time of the incident, traffic had been stop-and-go for approximately three mi... Read more

Incident date: Mar 24, 2026

We are experiencing 2 problems. The primary issue is both front axle. CV joints are clicking and making poppy noises when you turn either right or left. secondary issue, the car is having is the. Reverse collision warning problem. It is engaging and breaking the vehicle. When there is nothing behind it, it happens constantly. And we've had to turn the feature off on the vehicle's information hea... Read more

Incident date: Mar 10, 2026

Digital Display & information screen goes black, you can't see anything at all. I had an issue with my Trax not to long after I purchased it had to take it back to dealership told service manager about it, nothing was done about the display. With the display out you couldn't read any warnings at all not even temperature and blown my engine. My Trax didn't have regular gages. The dealership had fre... Read more

Incident date: Dec 1, 2025

While driving at any time, the speedometer will instantly drop and the car feels like it's about to shut itself off. After a diagnostic with a mechanic, they stated this was the crankshaft issue; similar to a recall for other 2016 jeep compass. My vin is not currently associated with this recall notice, however based on these safety defects, it seems it should be considered under the recall

Incident date: Feb 1, 2026

Air conditioning has never worked. It was purchased in the winter. As weather warmed, we noticed the air conditioning was never cold. Dropped it off at the dealership. Their first comment before looking at the vehicle was that a rock probably hit it and broke the air conditioning. After inspection they said it was a rock so it isn’t a warranty item. Seems suspicious. Possibly warranty fraud to t... Read more

Incident date: Mar 2, 2026

In August 2025, I had taken the van for a drive to charge things up, got home, put it in park and parked it in my driveway, which has a mild slope. ~ 30 seconds - 1 minute after me leaving the vehicle, it rolled backward out of the driveway, across a busy street and 1/4 into my neighbors yard. I was mortified, there is usually a lot of people walking their dogs, kids etc...and cars going by. The v... Read more

Incident date: Mar 1, 2025

The service 4WD light is on in this vehicle. Upon taking it to my personal mechanic to fix the issue, it was determined that the code was associated with a recall. This recall did not include my VIN number but is a safety recall on other vehicles. When calling Jeep/Chrysler to determine my next steps, i was advised to bring the vehicle to a dealer as they could not accept anything from my personal... Read more

Incident date: Mar 24, 2026

The vehicle displays inaccurate fuel level and miles-to-empty information, creating a safety risk because the driver cannot reliably determine how much fuel is actually available or how far the vehicle can be driven. The infotainment system also freezes and CarPlay frequently becomes unusable. There was also a key recognition / “key not detected” malfunction. These issues have occurred in a ne... Read more

Incident date: Mar 20, 2026

I am writing to file a formal safety complaint against Tesla, Inc. regarding a software update failure that has disabled legally required vehicle functions on my Tesla for over two years. For more than 26 months, my vehicle has been unable to complete a software update through Tesla's over-the-air (OTA) update system. As a direct result of this failure, my vehicle's display screen does not functi... Read more

Incident date: Mar 24, 2026

While driving on the highway, I heard a loud pop that made me flinch and swerve. After parking I noticed the glass in the sunroof had exploded upward like a volcano, leaving a large hole. Fortunately the shade was closed, or glass would have come into the car while I was driving.

Incident date: Dec 9, 2025

When moving forward at very slow speed, the steering wheel bounces as if it had been hit by something and we hear a loud "thunk". The whole front end of the car vibrates. This has also happened once while completely stopped at a traffic signal. This has been happening for several months, and we know that others have reported the same problem, but the dealer is unresponsive. We are worried ... Read more

Incident date: Dec 22, 2025

My car failed to connect/stay connected to a charger. When a successful charge started, within 5 minutes , my dash lit up with warning messages to stop moving the car. Place car in park. Battery needs to be replaced. My car was in park at the time. Then the charging session ended and wouldn't reconnect. My car wouldn't start either. Leaving me stranded at the charging station . I called for tow... Read more

Incident date: Mar 17, 2026

Due to the design of the grill located at the front end of the 2025 toyota grand highlander the vehicle poses vulnerability for multiple debris items to fly up into exposed air conditioning condensor. The damage caused by the debris is not covered by the warranty because it is considered an outside occurrence. However the design creates the vulnerability for the ac to become damaged. It is also s... Read more

Incident date: Mar 4, 2026

I was driving on the highway going approximately 75mph, everything was 100% normal. All of a sudden, and at once, my steering wheel started to shake, the car lost power/acceleration and speed quickly dropped. The engine was making loud noises. We pulled over, called my mechanic I've had for 35yrs. We were able to get the car to the garage driving very slowly, it wouldn't go above maybe 30mph. My m... Read more

Incident date: Oct 15, 2025

I'm reporting a rearview camera issue in my Hyundai Santa Fe 2020. The camera image was previously static/distorted and has now completely stopped working. When the vehicle is placed in reverse, no image is displayed. This creates a safety risk, as the rearview camera is essential for visibility and preventing accidents while backing up. I am aware there has been a recall for similar rearview came... Read more

Incident date: Sep 19, 2024

The high-voltage battery on my 2022 Nissan Leaf is subject to Recall 25V655. The recall notice states that the battery cells can develop excessive lithium deposits, which increases electrical resistance and can cause rapid battery heating during Level 3 fast charging. Nissan instructs owners not to use Level 3 charging at all until a “remedy” is available. The issue is that the remedy describe... Read more

Incident date: Mar 20, 2026

My vehicle is subject to a manufacturer’s recall that was issued well over a year ago. It is allegedly unsafe to use Level 3 charging on my vehicle due to a risk of the battery combusting. The manufacturer has not announced a fix or even issued a current expected arrival date for a fix.

Incident date: Dec 17, 2025

I have been waiting for KIA to repair this recall for over 4 weeks. The local dealership states that the part is on backorder and hasn't arrived yet.

Incident date: Aug 20, 2023

Back window has dropped 1/4 to 1/2 inch to the right. and is not in alignment. Safety concern that window could fall out or pop out during accident. No reason for window to just drop. Believe not installed correctly or sealants have failed cause of defect and window to drop and separate molding down to become detached right side. See pictures attached.

Incident date: Jun 15, 2020

Drivers door latch is failing to engage properly making it so the door can not closed right away. No matter how you close the door it always pushes right back open sometimes the door will semi latch but still poses the hazard of opening while driving. It has been inspected by the dealer to confirm the issue. There has been a recall for this exact issue however my vin number was not included and up... Read more

Incident date: Feb 1, 2026

Car only goes 20 mph Engine knock Unsafe to drive I have multiple service repair documentation regarding engine knocking, oil consumption, unable to go above 20 mph. Car frequently goes into limp mode

Incident date: Aug 8, 2025

Tesla Model Y Performance with 47,000 miles. Driver's side, rear passanger door would not open. No accident or damage to the car or car door. Door could not be opened from the inside nor the outside with the handle. ISSUE: The Emergency Door release in the pocket of the door failed to release and open the door.

Incident date: Aug 22, 2025

Seeing the intermittent shift to park messages when the vehicle has been shifted into park and the ignition is turned to the off position. Shifter wire harness jumper & transmission controls A malfunctioning shifter raises fears of potential rollaway accidents, even if such cases remain rare. For anyone who has to park on a slope, this fear can cause serious worry. Yes, there is a service bullet... Read more

Incident date: Jan 19, 2026

VEHICLE INFORMATION Year: 2018 Make: Honda Model: HR-V VIN: [XXX] Mileage at Time of Incident: 96,993 Incident Date: 03/10/2026 I am filing this complaint regarding the premature and complete failure of the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) on my 2018 Honda HR-V with approximately 96,993 miles. DESCRIPTION OF FAILURE: The transmission on my 2018 Honda HR-V failed without prior warning. ... Read more

Incident date: Sep 3, 2025

Backup camera recalled August 2025, noticed received in the mail however when attempted to fix it he camera I was told they are waiting to get parts in stock. It has now been several months and they still do not have parts to repair the recall. I have had multiple instances where I have almost backed into a car, I have also backed into parking poles. The camera is upside down and very confusing to... Read more

Incident date: Jan 14, 2026

My son, [XXX] , has opened a complaint/Case #XXX with Kia. His 2023 KIA Forte had been idle for at least 24 hours when the engine compartment caught fire. He became aware of this when the Fire Department knocked on his apartment door around 4:00 PM 12/26/25 and said they were evacuating the building because a car was on fire. He went outside and was shocked, to say the least, that it was his car. ... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Mar 9, 2026

Notice the windshield was cracked after leaving a restaurant!

Incident date: Mar 23, 2026

I was told the best thing to do was report it here. Our son was driving his 2019 Honda Accord and suddenly everything on his dashboard lit up. Was told it is a blown head gasket. We were also told that the shop has had over 81 Accords in with the same issue. They said Honda is trying to sweep it under the rug rather making a recall. We were told this is what they see: The head gasket mate... Read more

Incident date: Mar 17, 2026

Something is happening when I get gas, the vehicle has trouble starting. It often times feels like it's going to die when it idles. Electrical issues have started to occur where I cant switch off the air or my lights wont turn off.

Incident date: Mar 10, 2026

Transmission was supposedly rebuilt back July 26, 3021. Now transmission has had a new dual clutch replaced but other concerns are still there jerkiness on accelerations. In 2021 the transmission was not fully rebuild as per recall. Only clutch assembly was done and not the back end. Which now could be the problem. Second, colonial Ford sated transmission rebuilt has lifetime warranty which a lie.... Read more

Incident date: Mar 20, 2026

Water began accumulating in the front footwell area of the vehicle, resulting in a soaked carpet and persistent musty odor. The condition developed during normal operation of the air conditioning system, without any external water intrusion (no flooding or open windows). The issue appears to be caused by a failure of the A/C condensate drain system, which is not properly draining water outside th... Read more

Incident date: Mar 24, 2026

I am filing a complaint regarding my 2022 Acura MDX Type S with approximately 70,700 miles. The vehicle developed a suspension system warning, and upon inspection by an Acura dealership, I was informed that the suspension stroke sensor and floor wiring harness are corroded and require replacement. I was quoted approximately $12,000 for the repair. This failure is extremely concerning because the v... Read more

Incident date: Jan 19, 2026

Component that malfunctioned - "Keep you eye on the road" On a 300 mile trip the alarm went off numerous times even though my eyes were on the road and at times it would disengage the Cruise Control. At highway speed when a car is following closely the disengage of the cruise control and a rapid reduction in speed could cause an accident. The dealer indicated that this system is controlled by so... Read more

Incident date: Mar 23, 2026

The infotainment system stopped working and the dealer said parts were on back order and that they have no eta for the replacement parts. It's been two months.

Incident date: Mar 23, 2026

The frame of the back window is cracking allowing water to come in through the back glass. This is causing the headliner and other components such as air bags and other electrical components to get wet and damaged. This could cause risk of fire or failure of safety components within the vehicle such as air bags, cameras and other sensors. With water intrusion comes the high risk for mold to devel... Read more

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Vehicle Safety

Consumer Safety

Infrastructure

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Consumer Safety Complaints

What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?

How to interpret what you read

If you've experienced a defect

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