Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 16,985 complaints for ACURA
Incident date: Oct 21, 2020
Vehicle is burning an extreme amount of oil between regular oil changes. We are having no help from our local dealership in Tuscaloosa, AL where we purchased the car to resolve this issue without first spending a lot of money to diagnose an issue we certainly already have. Long before it was due for routine oil change, we checked it and it was COMPLETELY EMPTY of oil. NOTHING IN IT. We have to put... Read more
Incident date: Oct 21, 2025
This vehicle was purchased from Audi Fort Lauderdale on July 31, 2025 and on the drive home, 9 safety systems were reported as not working. This has continued for 7 weeks and the dealer has attempted repair 5 times including software updates, front camera replacement, camera alignments and finally the major ECU replacement to no avail. There are many people on the Audi Etron forum complaining of ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2025
Safety was compromised by drivetrain instability and a federal recall involving a starter motor defect that poses a fire risk. Despite this, BMW of Arlington has refused to authorize repairs or allow BMW of Austin to complete the necessary work—even after a $13,565 drivetrain failure diagnosis. On October 4, 2025, our 2022 BMW 840i became inoperable due to worn splines in the rear differential a... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
AC did not work at all when the outside temperature was hot. Service Bulletin 19-091 performed. AC blew cold after the repair. 1 year later AC did not work at all again. Dealership said the extended warranty will not cover it because it is an evaporator leak. This is a known issue and many have complained. If there is a leak in the evaporator then I would assume the refrigerant is leaking into ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
Car engine sometimes does not restart when the auto start-stop feature is engaged. Car engine is also sluggish to restart when it does work. My local Acura dealer evaluated the car on 10/15/25, found battery was low. Battery was replaced that day, and things seemed okay for about a week. Today (10/21) when I was stopped at a traffic light, the issue returned and my car would not restart after goin... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
My vehicuel vibrate at low speed or hight speed, speed does not descrimita, the steering wheel vibrate in a very strange way, when the car hit a bump, at any speed, it vibrate like a motor, for a short period of time, and them it goes back to normal, until agiang I hit a bump
Incident date: Oct 18, 2025
On Wednesday, September 3, 2025, while driving in regular city traffic, the vehicle suddenly lost propulsion without any warning or dashboard alerts. There were no warning lights, messages, or abnormal sounds before the failure occurred. The vehicle instantly shut down while in motion, causing a total loss of acceleration power and leaving me stranded in the middle of traffic. This occurred the ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2025
The problem I am reporting I found reported on the internet. My dashboard lite up with power steering and brake warning lights and told me to contact the dealer. Power steering was lost and braking power diminished. Pulled over and restarted the car several times and steering and braking came back but the warning lights still on. After sitting for an hour while we ate the car started with no warni... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2025
The problem I am reporting I found reported on the internet. My dashboard lite up with power steering and brake warning lights and told me to contact the dealer. Power steering was lost and braking power diminished. Pulled over and restarted the car several times and steering and braking came back but the warning lights still on. After sitting for an hour while we ate the car started with no warni... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
Truck has roughly 185,000 miles & is equipped with the 10r80 transmission. Transmission recently began experiencing harsh & hard shifts, skipping or slipping gears, gear searching and randomly shifts to neutral. Had transmission fluid/filter changed with little to no change in erratic transmission. Issues have been intermittent and I am unable to reproduce manually. 4 transmission shops and a ford... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
The engine upper magnesium intake manifold is spider cracked around several mating half bolts causing an engine emission warning light to illuminate for bank #2 lean code. I believe the part number for the upper intake manifold is P/N 17160-5G0-A00. 2017 Acura RDX with 84,000 miles. The Acura mechanic knew what the issue was right away stating that it’s known problem with the magnesium intake ma... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
The front camera seems to be faulty and is throwing warning lights on the Dash. Lane keep assist system, front collision and adaptive cruise control lights show up. These warnings disappear when the car cools down, but does appear again
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
The front camera seems to be faulty and is throwing warning lights on the Dash. Lane keep assist system, front collision and adaptive cruise control lights show up. These warnings disappear when the car cools down, but does appear again
Incident date: Jun 3, 2025
Vehicle: 2022 Tesla Model S Tire: Goodyear ElectricDrive 2 255/45R19 104W XL Date of incident: October 15, 2025 Location: Chambers Rd., approximately 1.7 miles from Cosmopolitan Rd., Colorado Speed: Approximately 35 mph (speed limit 40 mph) Mileage on tire: Installed October 31, 2024 — approximately 10,000 miles of light local driving Description of the Problem At approximately 1:30 PM on Octo... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2025
Oil Control valve failed and oil leaking
Incident date: Aug 29, 2025
I took my 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiese to a Chrysler-Dodge-Ram dealership on 9/23/25 for the High Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) safety recall. I was told a part had to be ordered to complete the recall and gave me a rental vehicle. After a few days I contacted the dealership about my repair. They said the wrong part was ordered and the new one was in route. After about a week, I called the dealership again ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2025
Not sure exactly what caused it to fail, but the heated seat when turned on barely gets warm then shuts off with the red lights on button still lit up. I can turn it completely off and back on and seast have immediately get really warm like they are supposed to. But again, only lasts 10mins. Not sure if electrical or not. Just purchased vehicle less than a month ago through Dealership. I have r... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2025
Manufacturer Recall Number B03 NHTSA Recall Number 02V-041 Dealer will not complete recall. 1 part number is listed as no longer available but dealer will not provide the parts that are available either.
Incident date: Oct 18, 2025
My 2017 Honda Pilot has been diagnosed with engine failure by John Hinderer Honda Heath, OH despite having been cared for quite well. This failure occurred well before reaching the expected life of the vehicle at 106,515 miles, yet outside the warranty window and having NO symptoms before the sudden failure. After doing some research on Pilot owner online forums, as well as, the NHTSA website, it ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2025
emission system problem & electric parking brake problem codes came up. Once pulled over vehicle would not disengage the emergency parking brake.
Incident date: Oct 12, 2025
Intermittent delay in throttle response. Sometimes the delay is nonexistent or nearly imperceptible, other times the delay can be 2 seconds or more. Is very dangerous when trying to merge with flowing traffic. Occurs most often with the steering wheels turned and accelerating from stop, but has happened while driving straight at freeway speeds. Turning off traction control seems to mitigate but no... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2025
The front camera failure. Needs replacement. Camera apparently is used for the ACC , lane departure assistance.
Incident date: Oct 12, 2025
The front camera failure. Needs replacement. Camera apparently is used for the ACC , lane departure assistance.
Incident date: Oct 8, 2025
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Honda Civic in October 2024. The contact stated that while attempting to trade the vehicle at the dealer, the Carfax Report indicated a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. The contact stated that at the time of purchase, the odometer reading was 109,000; however, the Carfax Report indicated that the mileage was 172,000 in 2023.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil warning light briefly illuminated. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the engine oil level was low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the engine was not consuming oil and that an oil change was needed. The dealer advised the co... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
While driving my 2021 Acura TLX Type S, I began losing traction frequently during normal daily driving, especially when turning corners or accelerating from a stop sign or stop light. At first, I believed the issue was related to my tires, so I replaced them, but the same problem continued. After researching online, I discovered that transfer case failures are a known issue on these vehicles, affe... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 40-60 MPH, the transmission hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with transmission control module (TCM) failure. The contact was informed that the TCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact relat... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The contact was unable to pull over to the side of the road. While the vehicle was still on ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
While driving normally at highway speed on I-880 South, the braking system failed to decelerate the vehicle. When the brake pedal was pressed firmly, there was no normal slowing—only a sliding sensation, as if the wheels locked and the car moved forward on ice. This led to a collision with a stopped vehicle ahead. The following day, the Mazda App displayed a red alert message: “Brake system ma... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Oct 12, 2025
Driving down the street and I heard a extremely loud drop. The transmission went out with no warning or even indication of trouble. The vehicle ran very smooth until that point.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2024
Two concerning and dangerous malfunctions are occurring. 1.)When car is stopped at a light for more than 45 seconds the car engine shuts off, when I press on the gas the dashboard lights up and displays a battery light and advises me to restart the car. The car struggles to turn over. 2.) The car struggles to start on initial start as well. The dealership replaced the battery and it continues to ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2025
1. Component is a sealant on the valley plate that covers a coolant passage, discovered when cabin heat not providing heat. 2. Coolant valley leak can lead to severe engine damage and mechanical failure, potentially causing the vehicle to stop working and increasing the risk of accidents. 3. Open sources appear a coolant valley leak is common with Lexus LS & GX 460, LX 570, "F" series cars and LC ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Transit Connect. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 20V331000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES), 23V502000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES), and 25V572000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the dealer refused to perform the recall repairs regarding the latches, locks, and linkage... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
Parking lights are illuminated and not head lamps for daytime running lights. Was sold by Ford Certified Dealership. Also has no interior lighting for security. BCM replaced, and still has same issue, along with the 3rd row seats not functioning, interior overhead lights not functioning, trailer socket not functioning.
Incident date: Oct 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle stalled, and the engine seized. The contact stated that while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that after the third attempt, the vehicle restarted. The contact stated that several days later, the message “Idle Stop - Temporarily Interrupted - System Warming up... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
Initially, my Atlas would not auto-start with the key fab. When I returned to my vehicle, the lights flashed, it gave a battery warning, then I was able to start the vehicle. However, several lights on the dashboard cycled through, radio/center console was non-responsive, and I could not get my car to park. Eventually, I had to use the emergency break to park it. We jumped the vehicle and it did s... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
While driving down the road, we heard what sounded like a gunshot into our vehicle! I pulled over and my top panoramic sunroof had exploded! There was no “point of impact” - no rock or falling debris, we were only going 45mph. It blew up and left fracture lines throughout the sunroof glass from the explosion. I just bought this car less than a month ago from the dealership (used but only 33k m... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
In 2023, I purchased this car in December. I didn' t know this car would have such known problems. In over a year and a half, the spark plugs have been changed 5 times. After each oul change within 2 weeks, not a month, I constantly have to add oil to the car. In the colder months, I have to wait at leasr 15min. before the car would even start. Would someone help me with these problems? I am [XXX]... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
The LKAS and Parking systems will randomly decide to cease functioning and express error messages. The car has not been in an accident.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
The LKAS and Parking systems will randomly decide to cease functioning and express error messages. The car has not been in an accident.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
I bought the car brand new in 2021. It handled great, no issues, not even on extremely icy roads. The temporary fix for Recall 22S27 was done in July 2023 which was just a computer flash to set the park brake each time the car was put into park. Each time I put it in gear the car would make a loud noise as the park brake released. I immediately felt a difference when driving, it felt like the fron... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
The high pressure power steering hose on my car is leaking. Issues with Air bags
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
As I was driving the car on the highway, the engine light came on, then the "D" for drive gear started flashing and I could no longer accelerate or give the car gas. The only option was to "coast" across several lanes to the break down lane, put the car completely in park, shut off the ignition, and then restart the vehicle to drive again. This happened to me at least 7-8 times today (5 times wh... Read more
Incident date: Oct 10, 2025
The sunroof of the vehicle spontaneously shattered while driver was driving on I-5 South in Orange County, California. Driver’s safety was compromised due to the potential for glass to have entered the vehicle while vehicle was in motion. The safety of other motorists on the road was also compromised, as pieces of glass appear to have flown off the sunroof into traffic. The sudden shattering was... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
While operating the vehicle, multiple driver-assist warning indicators illuminated on the dashboard, including LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System), ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), and CMBS (Collision Mitigation Braking System). The systems either disengaged or functioned erratically during normal driving conditions. At times, the vehicle failed to maintain lane position, abruptly disengaged adaptive ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
While operating the vehicle, multiple driver-assist warning indicators illuminated on the dashboard, including LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System), ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), and CMBS (Collision Mitigation Braking System). The systems either disengaged or functioned erratically during normal driving conditions. At times, the vehicle failed to maintain lane position, abruptly disengaged adaptive ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, and the contact noticed that the brake pedal was extremely spongy. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that because of the failure, the contact had to drive the vehicle below the speed limit. The contact stated that... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
My car started overheating this morning. Took it to my mechanic & he told me I had a cracked head gasket where coolant was leaking. He thought there was a recall/notice about some coolant issues. Sent me to our local Ford dealership; they said my vehicle wasn't covered under any recalls. But there is a notification about this very issue. I attached a screenshot of the exact issue listed online tha... Read more
Incident date: Oct 9, 2025
Incident # 1. June 2025 Vehicle has approximately 3400 miles on it. I was driving southbound on I 35 freeway in the Lakeville Minnesota area. I was in the center lane of the freeway traveling at about 65 mph. Traffic was light. There was no one in front of me. Suddenly, the car broke hard. I was thrust forward against the seatbelt with my hands, pushing against the steering wheel as the car slo... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2025
Leaking oil cooler lines that had a customer satisfaction campaign but it’s over and now they are leaking.