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 117,775 complaints - component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Incident date: May 7, 2026
My windshield cracked significantly after shutting the passenger side door. I chalked that up to maybe a possible chip was put under stress, until a few months later, my driver's side window burst spontaneously right in front of my eyes as I was shutting the trunk door. The pieces went half inside the car and half outside the car. Even though most of it was chunks of glass, I have been sliced and ... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: May 31, 2026
Vehicle radiator cracked at 31k miles on the highway leaving myself and my family stranded. My roof has been leaking since I bought the vehicle and Mazda keeps saying they can't replicate the issue and if I can find it they will then fix it. I don't think that's my job. I bought a car that I expected to be able to drive safely without issues. I don't want to play find the issue because I'm not a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2026
Transmission blew on a 7 year old vehicle. Was replaced entirely and is NOW having the EXACT SAME PROBLEM AGAIN!
NISSAN
PATHFINDER
(2024) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 4, 2026
Incident date: May 1, 2026
Windshield cracks- I got two windshield cracks from a very small rocks, going at very low speeds. The glass does NOT seem thick/resistant enough. the two crack occurred on the SEPARATE occasions. There are multiple complains about his known issue with GV80 and other Genesis vehicles. After getting a small chip, it quickly develops into a crack as the glass is not holding as it should.
Incident date: May 25, 2026
The info screen, Instrument cluster and backup camera are very dark, it's so dark you can't see the fuel level and engine temperature level, if I switch the headlamp switch to off the screen gets brighter in auto mode its dark, lately it's been flickering and going bright to dark. been to dealer 2x they say," no updates available, no stored codes, lights operating as designed no issues found'. I ... Read more
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2017) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 4, 2026
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
Honda confirmed my 2015 Honda fit VIN was part of the paint warranty extension program, yet the paint has continued to fail and spread significantly after the warranty extension expired.
FORD
EXPEDITION
(2017) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 4, 2026
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
The rear backup camera is distorted and the image has flipped upside down
Incident date: May 28, 2026
My daughter that is [XXX], her in the passenger seat, me driving were traveling down a street. I slowed to enter a turn lane going maybe 10 mph and heard a loud bang. I said "what was that noise." I glanced at my daughter she looked dazed and said "I don't know but something slammed into the back of my head." I pulled in where we were going and looked to find the head rest was popped open behind h... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2026
Transmission kept slipping out on the freeway. Led to a near accident. Then ended up broken down on a highway while towing a trailer. Transmission couldn’t find gear for the next serval times we tried to place in gear. Then on the third time it went into gear and started driving again only to slip out and lead to another breakdown on the highway. Still had to drive it into dealership in its unsa... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2026
After stopping at a red light behind a few cars in a left turn lane, the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) system turned off the engine. A moment later the light turned green and I let my foot up from the brake pedal. The engine failed to start. The hazard lights turned on automatically. I reapplied pressure to the brake and pressed the Engine Start/Stop button, which had no effect. Electrical systems remained... Read more
FORD
BRONCO SPORT
(2023) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 3, 2026
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
A message from SiriusXM pops up on the screen from which every system of the vehicle is controlled. That screen is then inoperable until that advertisement is closed by hitting a button in an unsafe location on the screen relative to the driver. This has been harshening to me every time I’ve started the car over the last 2 days.
FORD
F-150 HYBRID
(2021) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 3, 2026
Incident date: May 28, 2026
Vehicle will not consistently shut off. Shift to park error received upon trying to shut vehicle off. Concerns on if the vehicle is actually in park and if it is safe to exit vehicle. Concern that vehicle is not in park and electrical units aren’t being properly shut down (i.e. radio).
Incident date: May 28, 2026
The 2019 Volkswagen Final Edition SE Beetle’s rear trunk latch/lock will fail and not open from the outside with the car unlocked and using the key fob due to it being jammed closed. In an emergency situation, there’s no manual way to open the rear hatch, and there are no visible markings showing where the override is to be or what to do to open it up from the inside in an emergency. Further... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
My breaks do not work in reverse. Pump valve seems to be bad
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
This is what came up on my screen.Steering wheel assist reduced.Drive with care. My hot and cold gauge drop to C and stayed there for about 4 days and my a/c was blowing out hot air. I was told a lot of these Suvs have done this.
Incident date: May 9, 2026
Idle Stop issue- We were at a stop light and the engine idle stopped. When the light turned green and the foot was taken off the brake, the engine did not turn back on. We had to turn hazards on and turn van completely off. We tried several times to restart the vehicle and the engine did not respond. We finally got it to turn on a couple minutes later but the engine sounded as if it was struggling... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2025
No incidents yet. My review camera doesn’t work at all.
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
I have a [XXX] child who is in a car seat, fully locked in. He is able to open the door handle from the inside. The door handle is in arms reach. Totally unsafe, the child can open the door with the car in motion. It has happened numerous times. My sister has the same car with a [XXX] old, being able to do the same thing. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 ... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2025) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 3, 2026
Incident date: May 15, 2026
Initial Breakdown: July 2024, my 2021 Kia Soul (under 40,000 miles) idled roughly and stalled while in motion. It restarted, but as a precaution, I towed it to Kia Greenbrier Chesapeake while it was operable. After diagnostics, the vehicle would no longer start. Warranty Denial: The dealer blamed engine sludge from two missed oil changes in 2022 and quoted $10,000 for a new engine. In August 2024... Read more
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2017) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 3, 2026
Incident date: Dec 1, 2025
My sunroof windscreen arm broke which in turn caused the glass to go off track. The windscreen arm is a known issue! But there is no recall. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY $7000 to fix a known problem!
Incident date: May 9, 2026
Sunroof exploded I was driving at high speed on a highway. sounded like a gun fired. glass must have flown back towards other cars. Noise was terrifying and I slowed to gain my composure before pulling to the side of the highway and calling the police. Car is currently at a local dealership. My initial thought was that something like a rock hit the sunroof, but on my own inspection it appears the... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2026
Sirius XM ads showing up and there’s no way to opt out. The ads are distracting/difficult to close and cover a good amount off my media system even while driving.
Incident date: May 15, 2026
There have been numerous days that I press brake to start car in which it does not start. I wait until it will. The trunk seems unaligned as there's more gap on right side. Carpet in front floor is not correct as I have to tuck under trim by door constantly. Backup camera seems distorted and has been not correct in lines to park but remains distorted by the unclear view and awkward angle. While dr... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
Sunroof while driving exploded - the boom was extremely scary
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
Transmission, going towards home up a mild hill, broke top of hill trans shifted to next gear, rear wheels locked up and tires squealed. doing around 40 mph. Took it directly into the shop, and the trans was destroyed inside. broken parts in the pan. Trans could not be repaired, had to get a new transmission. I limped to the dealership, just noisey under vehicle. There was special covera... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2026
OnStar Telematic Control Module. Disables emergency crash capabilities. Problem confirmed By OnStar and dealer that unit is Bricked. Warning light on dash Read; Service Emergency calling . See attached upload below where I wrote VIN incorrectly but correct VIN is located in upload
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
The turn signal system intermittently malfunctions. When using the turn signal, the auto-cancel function sometimes activates the opposite signal, and at times the stalk does not stay engaged when attempting to signal. This creates a safety risk because surrounding drivers may receive the wrong turning/lane-change indication or no indication at all. The issue has occurred intermittently while drivi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2002
Yesterday, while driving home on a surface street, I experienced a sudden loss of drive power, multiple dashboard warning lights, and violent shaking throughout the vehicle, creating a significant safety hazard for both me and surrounding motorists. It is fortunate that this did not occur at highway speeds. The shaking was so intense that the head-up display on the windshield was visibly vibrating... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2026
Car is having a shift to park error message. I am unable to leave the car in parked position without restarting the vechicle several times and moving shifter to Park, Nuetral and Reverse Several times. There shows no recalls on my car. However this has to be a saftey issue covered under warranty. I transport my children in this car and dont want any incidents with the car rolling away hurting us o... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2026
I am driving a car that can potentially catch on fire due to a fuel injector problem that they can't seem to fix. I have high anxiety about it.The parts for the recall have been on order for almost a year and I do not feel safe driving my vehicle. I have a five year loan to pay off and I do not want this vehicle. I will be contacting a lawyer also.
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
When I was at 41,528 miles, May 18, the LKAS, ACC & RDMS errors all turned on at the same time. So those systems just stopped working randomly. When I restarted the car, all errors turned off but it turned on again after 10 days, May 28 with 91,966 miles. I brought it to the Acura dealership and they couldn't replicate it. I think this is an issue because one of the highlights of this car is safet... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2025
Dear Sir or Madam: I am submitting a safety complaint regarding my 2022 Audi Q3 involving water intrusion from the sunroof. At approximately 41,000 miles, approximately a month ago, water began leaking through the front edge of the sunroof despite the sunroof never being opened prior to the issue. The leak was not caused by clogged drains or lack of maintenance. Water entered through the overhe... Read more
Incident date: May 15, 2026
The screen shakes. Goes black. Zooms in randomly without prompting. Started dialing up people from recent calls. While trying to get the navigation working. I started drifting into oncoming traffic. Fortunately was able to course correct and avoid collision. Buttons are most time not responsive to touch. It is distracting. The system has never fully worked as promised and is a distraction. And as ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
I purchased a 2021 Tesla Model Y (VIN: [XXX] ) used directly from Tesla. I am the first retail owner outside of Tesla. I am currently experiencing a knocking noise from the driver side suspension. I have requested that Tesla inspect and complete the following federally mandated safety recalls and service bulletins, none of which appear in my vehicle’s service history: • NHTSA Recall 21V-835 / ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2026
Seat occupancy sensor failed for the second time. The car will randomly shut off if I am inside because it does not detect a passenger. When I exit the vehicle, the car will stay on for an extended period of time due to failed seat occupancy sensor. This is a widespread issue affecting all makes and models of Tesla. They are aware of the high rate of failure and have not made any attempt to issue ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2026
On Thursday, May28 I was driving my 2025 Ford Mach-2 on Schrock Rd. in Columbus, Ohio at approximately 3:30 PM when the hood (the "frunk") of the car unexpectedly unlatched and opened, flying up to a vertical position and obscuring my view of traffic. I was driving in the left lane of this road at 40-45 mph. My view of the road was immediately obstructed, but I was able to crouch sufficiently to s... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2026
, I had MY Honda dealership replace my touchscreen and head unit due to issues with ghost touches and apps switching back and forth. Once I got my car back, which took two weeks, the problems seemed to be resolved. However, after a few weeks, the ghost touches started happening again, about once a week. I was planning to live with that, given the amount of time they had my car. Now, fast forward... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
I am requesting that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigate a potential defect affecting 2017 Nissan Rogue vehicles involving the sunroof drainage system. My vehicle has experienced repeated issues with the sunroof drain becoming clogged, which causes water to leak into the interior of the vehicle. When the drainage system becomes blocked, water enters the cabin an... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2026
The entertainment system is dangerous and actively so. The system pushes pop up advertisements for sirius xm among other distracting features that require taking attention away from the roadway to dismiss
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER
(2025) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 3, 2026
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
While the van is at a complete stop at the intersection it shuts off and behaves as if it needs to be restarted. A message appears instructing me to press the brake and push the start button to start the van. I took it to Honda, but they were unable to find the issue. They replaced the battery to see if that would fix the problem, but about a month later, it happened again.
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE HYBRID
(2023) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 3, 2026
Incident date: Mar 26, 2026
Engine fails it violenty thumps and studders and drops from highway speed with no warning. This is a mfg. defect and also an EXTREME SAFETY CONCERN. The engine studders and thumps and we were almost rear ended by a truck when our truck could not go into gear properly. It is very scary! Dealership confirmed that they have many vehicles with same issue and recommended a Super Flush of transmiss... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
I am submitting this complaint regarding a catastrophic CVT transmission failure in my 2019 Honda HR-V at approximately 97,500 miles. In May 2026, while driving in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, my vehicle suddenly experienced a complete loss of propulsion. Multiple warning lights illuminated on the dashboard simultaneously. Although the engine would rev and the vehicle could be shifted into gear... Read more
Incident date: May 31, 2026
Sirius XM radio pop up advertisement disables the touch screen and features until the little red x button is hit in the top right corner away from the driver.
Incident date: Jun 2, 2026
A commercial advertisement for SiriusXM took the entire infotainment screen until I could click the small X to close it. I was driving at about 35 mph on a road (this has happened at least twice since I bought the vehicle). It impacted my safety and others as it covered navigation information which is important to understand easily and quickly in unfamiliar areas. The annoyance and required fine m... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2026
Taking my car in for now the 3rd time for the headlight error "Headlight System Malfunction. Have the vehicle inspected. The first 2 times it occurred around 3000 miles where they first tried a software and reset then it did it again so took it back and they swapped the left headlight which had failed. Then it was good for a few months until the issue came back recently around 7500 or so miles. No... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
CC
(2017) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 3, 2026
Incident date: May 19, 2026
WHAT FAILED: Ford's recall-tracking and consumer-information system. Ford has internally inconsistent records re: Safety Recall 25V315 / 25S49 (Rear Camera Screen Software Update) on my VIN [XXX] . Vehicle and Ford-account portal available for inspection. STATUS SUBSYSTEM SAYS CLOSED: (1) Mailed "Successful OTA Update" notice received 6/1/2026 (verbatim): "the software to remedy this concern has ... Read more
FORD
F-150 HYBRID
(2021) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 3, 2026
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
Charging port door will not open. Not sure if it is an issue with acuator, which employee in service dept at dealer said that is common problem. Seems like if this issue with less than 20k, perhaps should also be recall item.
FORD
F-150 LIGHTNING BEV
(2023) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 3, 2026
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
Recall with car regarding coolant. Last year Hyundai apparently addressed; however, coolant light came on, despite coolant being full. Told by different dealership that with these issues, it needs to be checked and rechecked multiple times; otherwise, issues arise again (as in my case). Want this addressed by dealership. They are charging me a diagnostic fee of $198. Previously, when brought car i... Read more
FORD
F-150 LIGHTNING BEV
(2023) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Jun 3, 2026
Incident date: Mar 31, 2026
Battery dies all the time. Parasitic drain from the Starlink program in the car. There is/was a lawsuit. It involves some DCW fuse or something. Ive had to prematurely replace my battery. It also seems to be affecting the radio. It switches stations randomly.