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: Sep 25, 2025
I lose power steering randomly. When this occurs I get a service rear diff message on my dash, the fan motor cuts out, and gauges like the speedometer and tachometer go to zero. I took it to a dealer because I saw there was a recall for the exact problem I'm having with power steering, but I guess it's VIN specific and my car is not included in the recall. They also told me they couldn't get it to... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
66,564 Miles, Transmission slipped and caused a delay in power, now it has a big high pitched whine and continues to do it. This looks to be a big problem across the board for 2021 Highlanders.
Incident date: Sep 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V544000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer w... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at 20 MPH, the message "Alternator Fault Detected" was displayed. The vehicle lost motive power and came to a complete stop in the middle of the roadway, where the vehicle was unable to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The ma... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
the camera keep going online/offline in a middle of a highway while I'm on cruise control LKAS, ACC, Camera, and ect warning lights keep coming on.
Incident date: Oct 5, 2025
Manufacturer has not remedied recall for over a year, continually pushing recall remedy date back. No new recall remedy date is available. Car is not functional for lvl 3 charging as advertised on sale.
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
Problem persists since 4/3/2025. While parked, the Driver’s Seat was leaned back. About 1 hour later, I couldn’t let it back up. Drove home slowly after 11p. Took to a Repair Shop next day to have the Driver’s Seat fixed. I paid for a Diagnostic & was told that the seat could not be repaired because GMC was no longer manufacturing the seat motor needed. The shop spoke to GMC & a Dealershi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
Transmission has locked up briefly during decelerations, has been making grinding noises, has high transmission fluid temperatures, hard shifts during acceleration and deceleration, and has slipped during acceleration.
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
I got 5 lights on my dash stating that I have an auto high beam problem, road departure mitigation system problem, collision mitigation system problem, lane keeping assist problem, and adaptive cruise control problem. I got these lights on my dash at the exact same time and this happened 1 week after my car alarm started going off randomly. I will now have to change my windshield camera sensor. Se... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2025
Unexpectedly found steel cable has snapped off & the spare tire was gone Like to report this could be a safety issue leading to an accident for fellow driver.
Incident date: Sep 10, 2025
At 70000 miles the transmission just got stuck into a single gear in manual. I drove it home and the check engine light came on. Before this problem the car would not go into park. Every time I put it into park I was unable to turn off the car because it thought it was still in gear. I had to fiddle the gear stick. The car also made a high pitch click (metallic) when shifting into 1st or Reverse f... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
2015 Jeep Cherokees is not functioning and I'm getting flashing parking brake light. There is water corrosion, which can cause the brake to activate unexpectedly. I did not have any spills in the cargo area of my vehicle. I believe it is from water coming into the wheel well. I took the car to the dealership and they claimed it would cost me $5000 to replace not only the Parking Brake module, ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
On a cool morning (~53°F), I drove approximately 6.4 miles each way (about 12–13 miles total) to and from school with the rear defroster on to clear condensation. After returning home and parking, I heard a loud pop and saw that the entire rear hatch window was shattered. I called my husband outside, and we documented the damage with photos and video. When I closed the door, the shattered glass... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2025
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 72,000. It was later discovered later that the mileage was 241,556.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
The electronic instrument cluster and all gauges (speedometer etc.) goes blank while driving the vehicle. The instrument cluster comes back on in about a minute. This was a recall item on the 2024 Chevy Trax but apparently has not been recalled on the 2025 (same issue on the same car). This has happened multiple times on this vehicle.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
My vehicle has been under active recall for over 1 year for a risk of battery fire if quick charged. I am filing this complaint because Nissan has failed to remedy this recall safety issue in a timely manner. It is completely unacceptable to have an open safety recall with no remedy for greater than 1 year! This is recall 24V700000 Thank you for help.
Incident date: Oct 3, 2025
Drive System malfunction code appeared while driving. Engine then shut off immediately. Had it towed to Audi dealership. Fuel Pump and Fuel Pump Module Codes reported in diagnostics check: codes P3044, P1158, and P0148. There is a NHTSA campaign number 22V516 (Audi recall number 20DR) that has been reported on this same issue with the fuel pump, however, my model 2019 is one year shy of the 2020 Q... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2025
My 2025 Tucson hybrid violently stopped in mid traffic while leaving the intersection once the signal turned green to proceed. I accelerated getting to speed limit then it abruptly stopped, violently throwing contents from back seat to the forward cabin. Both, myself the driver and my passenger were jolted violently. The school bus behind me had to stop quickly as we were just getting up to speed ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2025
My 2025 Tucson hybrid violently stopped in mid traffic while leaving the intersection once the signal turned green to proceed. I accelerated getting to speed limit then it abruptly stopped, violently throwing contents from back seat to the forward cabin. Both, myself the driver and my passenger were jolted violently. The school bus behind me had to stop quickly as we were just getting up to speed ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2025
Multiple dash lights including "brake system failure, collision mitigation system problem, adaptive cruise control problem, road departure mitigation system problem, etc." RPMs effected, car does not shift into third gear. Safety of myself and others were at risk because the vehicle stalled then would not go over 20mph. Had this been a busy highway, lack of warning could cause a major collision. T... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2025
I purchased this 2020 Maserati Levante in 2023. The first month of driving it, it shut down in the middle of the street on Crenshaw Blvd. I freaked out and restarted it after few seconds. For the past years of purchasing this vehicle, the engine light keeps coming on and off.The camera never worked good because it would freeze, the screen would be blue, green, or red or completely blank out, with... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2025
I was involved in a frontal collision in which I rear-ended another vehicle. The impact was significant enough to cause a fractured sternum due to the seat belt restraint. However, the front airbags did not deploy. I had a passenger in the vehicle, and we were both wearing our seatbelts at the time of the crash. I am concerned that the airbags failed to deploy despite the severity of the impact a... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the Brake Assist Fault warning light illuminated, and the vehicle failed to stop in adequate time. The contact applied more pressure to the brake pedal for the brakes to properly engage. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home, while needing to apply excessive pressure to the brake pedal ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
My car has had excessive oil consumption for over a year. Hyundai looked at it. Did something to fix it for a couple months and now it’s back worse then ever and they don’t want to do anything about it.
Incident date: Mar 7, 2021
The vehicle experienced multiple incidents of sudden power loss while driving.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2025
I’ve consistently had a coolant leak with my engine water pump. Constantly have to refill the coolant. The reason I’m making this complaint is because yesterday October 1, 2025 I filled up my coolant and I drove a few miles to the grocery store and my coolant was empty and I got a coolant, low warning light and the coolant pump was completely empty. This is becoming very expensive and should n... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2025
Subject: Complaint Regarding 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan – Premature Engine Failure at 46,000 Miles To Whom It May Concern, I am filing a complaint regarding my 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan (VIN: [XXX] ) which suffered a catastrophic engine failure at only 46,000 miles. •I purchased the vehicle used in August 2023 through CarMax Auto Finance. •At the time of failure, the car had fewer than 50,000 mil... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at slower speeds, the power steering assist failed to operate as the stabili-trak warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN related to t... Read more
Incident date: Sep 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel vibrated and was shaking erratically. In addition, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the brake pedal was difficult to depress. The contact stated that the brake pedal needed to be depressed extremely hard to stop the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. Th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2025
My turbocharger is failing. My car has 83,000 miles, but had to get a completely new engine at 37,000 miles. So the engine is less than 50,000 miles old. My check engine light has turned on and it’s is the turbo charger. General Motors has a Special Coverage Adjustment N232395330 that covers models with the same engine as the Chevy Cruze. However, because the model is not listed they are refusin... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2025
Auto Start/Stop Issue. I finally experienced what some other members of my family have experienced with this car. My Honda Pilot stalled at a stop light in heavy traffic after the engine was turned off when I stopped at the light using the auto start/stop function. After I released the brake when the light turned green, the car did not start.
Incident date: Sep 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 BMW I3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the windshield wiper fluid failed to function as intended. The contact's husband checked the windshield wiper reservoir; the hose had rodent teeth marks, and part of the tubing was missing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion... Read more
Incident date: Sep 29, 2025
Truck started clacking going down the freeway after religiously maintaining it for the last 5 years. Took it into the dealer at 153,000 miles and was told my engine needs replacing due to rod bearing knock. A little premature on a Honda that has been religiously maintained! Called Honda customer service and was told my vin is not included in the rod bearing safety recall for my exact vehicle, year... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2025
I am writing to report a safety-related defect in my 2018 Honda CRV. My car started smoking, all dashboard lights flashing, slow acceleration. Took it to a Honda repair shop and gave codes for turbo failure. I have googled and see that this make and model has this issue. I know it says VIN specific but all models 2017-2020 I believe have turbo failure. It is very dangerous to drive and unsafe. I... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
I am submitting this complaint as a follow-up to my prior NHTSA complaint regarding the defective passenger seat Occupant Classification Sensor (OCS) in the 2016 Hyundai Sonata. Previous Tracking Number: 11689976 Since my initial submission, I have prepared a detailed technical and comparative report, which I am attaching here. The report documents how Hyundai’s repair policy for the OCS crea... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
On 9/27/2025 while driving my Tesla Model S, I received the error EPAS_w001 – “Steering assist reduced”. Immediately afterward, the steering became extremely heavy and nearly impossible to control, even at low speeds.
Incident date: Sep 28, 2025
While driving in the rain, after an hour long drive home from Philadelphia back to Reading, taking [XXX] and [XXX], I accelerated my vehicle while going around 50 mph and immediately was faced with a blinking check engine light and lost the ability to accelerate. My Acura essentially went into, what others call, limp mode while in sport mode. I filled my car with 93 gas around 20 minutes before th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 27, 2025
I was coming off the freeway on 9/25/25, and when I pressed on the breaks they completely locked up and would not break at all. The car turned off, no warning lights nothing, and I continued to hit the break and the car would not stop, then all of a sudden it came to a stop almost colliding within inches of hitting the Semi-Truck in front of me. This is the second time in one year that this has ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 27, 2025
my brother got me this vehicle five yrs ago, and ever since then the air bag light has been on,i have no idea of why it is on, i don't know if it is the fuse, i don't know if there is even a air bag is in the vehicle my brother got the vehicle up in vermont, i have a pending cl# [XXX] on another issue, thank you so much, deeply appreciated, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF I... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V197000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experie... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that the horn failed to sound while pressing the horn pad in the center of the steering wheel. The horn only sounded while activated with the key fob. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a defective clock spring in the steering wheel, causing the horn and air bag to malfunction. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufact... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger’s side A-pillar trim detached. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amou... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light, the emission system failure, and electronic parking assist messages were displayed. Additionally, the AWD feature had become inoperable, making the vehicle difficult to steer. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. After disconnecting and reconnecting the negative ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
Warning lamps appeared for forward collision, lane keep assist, auto high beam, brakes, adaptive cruise control.
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
My 2016 Audi A3 Sportsback E-tron vehicle was parked at my house. When I went to start it the engine did nothing, no power. The message “Driver System Fault” and a red triangle with a red ! in the middle was displayed on the instrument panel. I was unable to start or operate the vehicle. I called AAA and they towed the vehicle to a Recharge Hybrid pump location near my house. I tired to charg... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2025
My GPS, OnStar and all other cruise control features have stopped functioning. The telematics module has failed within the onstar system. It is preventative by me from getting from place to place safely due to the gps not tracking correctly. The part has been on back order for over a month for me already. And I have no timeline to get a new one.
Incident date: Sep 23, 2025
This is after the recall on 2018-19 Fit Carbon Buildup with Misfire DTCs under codes P0300-P0304) and after fuel injectors are replaced. Current problem is with combination of carbon deposits on intake valves. Failing fuel injector/s causing an incorrect air/fuel ratio with code under P0172.
Incident date: Sep 25, 2025
Unintended acceleration. On August 8, 2025, Honda C-RV Hybrid 2025 (sport touring) accelerated into a wall without the driver touching the gas pedal. The vehicle is deemed a constructive total loss by the insurance carrier. Since it can’t be driven, we are unable to reproduce the problem. A case is open with Honda since the date of the accident; however, there is no urgency to move the case forw... Read more
Crash
1 injured