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 17,413 complaints for ACURA
Incident date: Sep 7, 2021
Car was going at 75 miles down to 40 miles then engine died.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2019
The low beam headlights have become very dim and it is difficult to see at night. I have replaced the bulbs and it did not help.
Incident date: Aug 27, 2021
Vehicle suddenly decelerated without warning. Transmission would not shift to a higher gear causing the vehicle rev. Warning lights on the dashboard started going off at the same time. Lanes departure and adaptive cruise control warning went off. Had to have vehicle towed to dealership. Lucilky this happened on a rural backroad and not on the freeway or busy road as someone could have rear-ended t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 31, 2021
Vehicle will suddenly shift into neutral while driving and won’t shift into drive until the vehicle is turned off and restarted
Incident date: Apr 1, 2021
My 2017 Acura ILX makes a loud clunk, and shifts extremely hard when coming or coasting to a stop. 1-2 gear seems to be the only time this issue arises. This issues creates startling reaction from the driver due to the loud clunk and force of the shift in gears, as well as loss of confidence in the vehicles ability to safely come stop without issues. Reproducing the issue is difficult because th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2021
My 2017 Acura ILX makes a loud clunk, and shifts extremely hard when coming or coasting to a stop. 1-2 gear seems to be the only time this issue arises. This issues creates startling reaction from the driver due to the loud clunk and force of the shift in gears, as well as loss of confidence in the vehicles ability to safely come stop without issues. Reproducing the issue is difficult because th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Acura MDX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 3-4 mph, he depressed the brake pedal but it failed to respond. The contact drove into a pole. The brake message was displayed. There was no reported injuries, fire or air bag deployment. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Th... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Aug 30, 2021
On Monday, August 30, 2021, just south of Temple, Texas on I-35 south, the sun roof shattered. It was about 89 degrees outside.
Incident date: Aug 15, 2020
A crack has developed on the passenger side of the dash running directly over the location of the airbag located on the same side. This has not resulted in any failure or malfunction as of now, but it raises concerns over the potential given the location. If you research the internet, you will find a plethora of similar complaints and concerns from many other third generation (‘04-‘08) Acura T... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2020
A crack has developed on the passenger side of the dash running directly over the location of the airbag located on the same side. This has not resulted in any failure or malfunction as of now, but it raises concerns over the potential given the location. If you research the internet, you will find a plethora of similar complaints and concerns from many other third generation (‘04-‘08) Acura T... Read more
Incident date: Aug 29, 2021
Small electric fire in driver side door panel melted all the way through outside door handle . After this happened to me I looked through forums and this seems to be a common issue with this car and there has been no recall for this issue . Very unsafe
Fire
Incident date: Aug 26, 2021
My headlights always flicker and turn off everytime i drive within 5 minutes of driving. it gets really bad when i drive in cold/wet weather and i’ve replaced the bulbs a good 5 times. Something is wrong with my suspension i think? my VSC and warning light always automatically come and stay on and my car makes a noise everytime i turn/reverse. My car continues to start smoking when i drive, espe... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2021
My headlights always flicker and turn off everytime i drive within 5 minutes of driving. it gets really bad when i drive in cold/wet weather and i’ve replaced the bulbs a good 5 times. Something is wrong with my suspension i think? my VSC and warning light always automatically come and stay on and my car makes a noise everytime i turn/reverse. My car continues to start smoking when i drive, espe... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2021
My headlights always flicker and turn off everytime i drive within 5 minutes of driving. it gets really bad when i drive in cold/wet weather and i’ve replaced the bulbs a good 5 times. Something is wrong with my suspension i think? my VSC and warning light always automatically come and stay on and my car makes a noise everytime i turn/reverse. My car continues to start smoking when i drive, espe... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2021
On 3 separate occasions my Collision mitigation braking system has malfunctioned. The first time I was driving at 55 with my cruise control set with no cars in front, behind or beside me when, without warning or reason, the orange brake light abruptly flashed on my front dash panel and my car abruptly stopped in a whiplash manner. The second occasion I was driving on the interstate at 65, on thi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2021
Car dash lights came on blinking. Transmission problem, emissions problem, engine problem, awd problem, electric parking brake problem, blind spot problem, and lost power. Car wouldn’t shift and stayed between 4-5RPM . This is the 6th time this has happened. Wouldn’t down shift even when trying to manually. Drive gear light kept flashing
Incident date: May 7, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle on one occasion, the vehicle would not start-up. The contact had the vehicle towed to the local dealer to be inspected. The mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was started and driven back to the residence. A few days after taking the vehicle to the dealer, the contact noticed that... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle on one occasion, the vehicle would not start-up. The contact had the vehicle towed to the local dealer to be inspected. The mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was started and driven back to the residence. A few days after taking the vehicle to the dealer, the contact noticed that... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Acura RDX. The contact stated that upon exiting a highway and coming to a stop light, the vehicle would not accelerate above 25 MPH without warning. The contact was able to reach his destination and after explaining the failure to a friend; he was informed that his vehicle had gone into limp mode. Upon restart of the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal driving operation... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2021
Horrible rust on subframe. Subframe disconnected from vehicle WHILE DRIVING!!! Very lucky I was not going at a high speed. This is very unsafe, and there are many similar complaints for these MDXs/Pilots online.
Incident date: Jul 6, 2021
Horrible rust on subframe. Subframe disconnected from vehicle WHILE DRIVING!!! Very lucky I was not going at a high speed. This is very unsafe, and there are many similar complaints for these MDXs/Pilots online.
Incident date: May 11, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the parking assist fault warning light illuminated, and the emergency automatic braking system engaged. The contact attempted to turn off and restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to engage properly. The contact waited for approximately 2 hours after contacting a towing company to tow her vehicle. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2021
I was driving in the rain on a dark desolate road. The engine began to malfunction, suddenly losing most power. The car would only go up to 20mph. I believe this condition is known as “limp mode”. Simultaneously the “check engine” light was illuminated. When I pulled off the road I shut the car off. I waited a couple of minutes and restarted the car. The condition miraculously disappeare... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2019
The headlights on my 2015 RDX have become dimmer the past two years. At this point it is not safe to drive my vehilcle at night due to the lack of visibility.
Incident date: Aug 22, 2021
This car has 21,000 miles, while accelerating the car lost power and the engine light came on, almost caused a severe crash with semi truck. There are numerous articles post about this exact same problem with 2019 and 2020 Acura RDX and some information indicates it was due to solvents used in the manufacturing process of the in tank fuel pumps. It is more pronounce in warmer climates and rain. ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2021
Transmission goes into neutral on its own. Loses power. Delay in acceleration. Jerky gear shifting.
Incident date: Aug 19, 2021
Driving at night in rain on interstate 81N in southern Virginia. I pressed accelerator all the way to pass and the car downshifted and then lost power. The engine light was flashing. I did not have enough power to maintain adequate highway speed while in the midst of a passing maneuver. While car was decelerating (with foot on accel pedal with no apparent response) I activated hazard lights an... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2021
Driving at night in rain on interstate 81N in southern Virginia. I pressed accelerator all the way to pass and the car downshifted and then lost power. The engine light was flashing. I did not have enough power to maintain adequate highway speed while in the midst of a passing maneuver. While car was decelerating (with foot on accel pedal with no apparent response) I activated hazard lights an... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
Low beam headlights have diminished to the point where it is absolutely unsafe to drive while dark. This is a widespread problem which has resulted in many complaints with the NHTSA and other online reporting agencies. Acura has not acknowledged the issue for this make or model while other models have been recalled in the past.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2021
Stalling when accelerating. Safety hazard because the car basically dies temporarily and slows down. I have to pump the gas pedal for several seconds to get it going again.
Incident date: Jul 15, 2021
While driving at 60 mph in left lane of highway, without warning, the vehicle slowed and lost all acceleration and slowed, and then a series of warnings lit up on the screen including: electronic parking brake error, a transmission warning pertaining to the ZF 9 speed transmission that demanded driver to pull over to the side to avoid major damage, and emissions failure warning. Then numerous o... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2021
Today, when accelerating on an onramp, merging into interstate traffic, the vehicle suddenly decelerated to about 30mph. Traffic, including a semi, was approaching at a higher rate of speed. I was able to get off the into the emergency lane but was concerned about being struck from behind. I stopped the engine, restarted it, and had no further problems. I tried to reproduce the problem but wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2021
Front headlights are very dim. I’m unable to drive long at night. I have to rely in the cars next to me to help light the road. Please fix this. There are many many complaints. I believe mine are getting dimmer. Correct this before there really is an accident.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2017
Unknown, but since I bought the car I encountered a problem with the rear seatbelts, they do not work and I am about to be a grandmother and it is important and is a safety issue,
Incident date: Aug 8, 2021
I was driving car to work and when I was making a turn my car steering wheel stop working it was so hard to maneuver I almost crashed I took it to the shop and they asked to call the acura dealer before making repairs because this car had reports on the steering wheel malfunction I called and they said that this car wasn't cover by the warranty but this could off got me kill now the acura dealer ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2021
At different times, either with my wife or I driving the vehicle, we will receive error messages on the dash indicating that various systems are inoperative. These involve the lane keeping assist system and the braking system. I also believe that the cruise control does not function when these messages appear.
Incident date: Apr 30, 2021
Vehicle constantly surges during acceleration, seems as if the transmission is bad however, it also feels as if the fuel filter is clogged. This sputter occurs at various speed. Vehicle has less than 64,000 miles. Is there a fix to this issue?
Incident date: Apr 30, 2021
Vehicle constantly surges during acceleration, seems as if the transmission is bad however, it also feels as if the fuel filter is clogged. This sputter occurs at various speed. Vehicle has less than 64,000 miles. Is there a fix to this issue?
Incident date: Apr 30, 2021
Vehicle constantly surges during acceleration, seems as if the transmission is bad however, it also feels as if the fuel filter is clogged. This sputter occurs at various speed. Vehicle has less than 64,000 miles. Is there a fix to this issue?
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
The low-beam headlights are so dim at night that it is extremely dangerous to drive. One can only see several feet in front of the car. I understand other years of Acura RDX's have a defect, and were subject to a recall, involving the reflective material in the headlight assembly. That material would degrade over time, making the lights dim. I have replaced the bulbs themselves, but that has no... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2021
Whenever i press the brake pedal at low speeds(1-3 mph) i hear a loud spring/clicking sound. This is happening to multiple acura tlx owners i know.
Incident date: Aug 3, 2021
TERRIBLE UNDERBODY RUSTING CAUSING SUBFRAME TO COME OUT OF THE REAR. VEHICLE ABOUT TO SPLIT IN 2
Incident date: Jun 29, 2021
11/17/2020 Acura battery of our 2012 Acura MDX failed & was replaced under manufacturer warranty, via comp was provided. 6/29/2021 Acura battery failed again. Dealership did not honor warranty claiming manufacturer Acura would not pay for replacement. Dealership said I needed to contact Acura Client Relationship which I did. ACR initially said dealership was at fault & the battery should be re... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2021
When accelerating, my vehicle continues to have sudden deceleration, loss of power and stalls. While driving, the vehicle continues to have very sudden decelerate and loses power which is very dangerous given the volume and speed of other vehicles on the road. When driving steady for more than 30 minutes, you can hear the vehicle downshift or trying to go into another gear. It's only a matter of... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2021
Idle stop system works properly 99.9% of the time. However, three times in the last 12 months, I was stopped at a light and when I took my foot off the brake the car did not start. I tried to re-start, but it did not start immediately, took about 10 to 20 seconds to start. In each of the cases, I was able to restart just not right away. These three instances were about four months or so apart.... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2021
When making a sharp turn on hot days the car makes a grinding noise like something is grabbing the tire. It slows the car, hands the steering wheel and then the VSA hazard light comes on. It is a recurring issue and mechanics have not been able to diagnose.
Incident date: May 20, 2021
When making a sharp turn on hot days the car makes a grinding noise like something is grabbing the tire. It slows the car, hands the steering wheel and then the VSA hazard light comes on. It is a recurring issue and mechanics have not been able to diagnose.
Incident date: May 20, 2021
When making a sharp turn on hot days the car makes a grinding noise like something is grabbing the tire. It slows the car, hands the steering wheel and then the VSA hazard light comes on. It is a recurring issue and mechanics have not been able to diagnose.
Incident date: Jul 30, 2021
The battery has been drained on three separate occasions this year (2021). I replaced the battery after the first occurrence. Each time I have had to use a battery jump to restart the vehicle which sufficed to get it operating and return home. On the last occasion, the car started to display dash board warning messages before arriving at home after driving only 15 miles. This came with a fully... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2021
when air conditioner is running in hot summer days, the car hesitates to restart (sometimes) following idle stop engine shutoff after coming to a full stop at a stop sign or red light. I strongly feel this is a safety concern as this impedes traffic and can causes road rage. If needed I can share video of this situation recurring time to time. Car starts just fine every single time outside of idle... Read more