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: May 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH with passengers seated in the rear seats, the passengers became aware that water was entering the vehicle between the window and frame. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed the contact of Technical Service Bulletin: 18-NA-383. The vehicle was not diagno... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2025
As this car was being driven by my mother, she was going approximately 40 mph around a turn on a road she drives every day and for now reason the car starting saying she had been in a crash, the steering stopped working and the brakes locked and she was no longer in the car. She was able to manuever it into a ditch, which fortunately wasn't very deep to avoid any other cars. We took this to the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2025
Vehicle has an issue with braking system. When attempting to stop, the brake pedal required much more force to be applied that subsequently increased stopping distance. Safety to operator and/or others is at great risk due to extended stopping distances. The condition has not been confirmed by the dealer service department or independent service center. However, this condition occurred to the ow... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2025
The Ford Dealership has had my vehicle since May 5, 2025 and since then, has been unable to fix Safety Recall 25S28 (APIM Module Reprogramming due to distorted screen). On June 30, 3025, the dealership informed me that Ford has put a stop hold on the recall, with no estimate as to when or whether my vehicle will ever be repaired. On June 19, 2025, I filed a complaint with Ford corporate customer ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 29, 2025
When backing up the car will slam on its brakes when there is NOTHING behind me. Most of the time it is when I am backing out of my driveway it will do it 2-3 times when nothing is there. It has done it a couple of times backing out of a parking space when nothing is there. I reported this to Acura but they didn’t do anything about it.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2024
Leased vehicle 8/31/24, HondaLink app crashed within 45 minutes of leaving the dealership. Spent the next 3.5 months on the phone and emailing regularly with Honda for assistance, updates, or a solution, usually with limited response and no resolution. We were told by Honda to not drive the car until the issue was resolved, but they wouldn’t take it in to a shop or anything. The issue was resolv... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while his daughter driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to stop at a traffic light, the vehicle lost automotive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the hazard lights were also inoperable. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechan... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while his daughter driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to stop at a traffic light, the vehicle lost automotive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the hazard lights were also inoperable. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechan... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2025
On [XXX] I headed out for an event. I had been driving for 8 minutes when I lost the ability to steer, the Brake, TSA, and Steering system warning lights flashed on the dashboard and I immediately turned onto a side street. One message stated to contact dealership immediately, DO NOT DRIVE. The car was towed to Mungenast St Louis Acura. It was scheduled for service on Monday, June 23, already,... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2025
6/21/25 , a Saturday, I stopped at a traffic light when gas saver function kicked in and shut car off. The car went into park mode by itself and parking brake engaged. The car would not start and had to be towed. It sat until Monday when I was able to start it and drive it to my mechanic's business a mile from my location and shut it off. Immediately after shutting it off it would not start agai... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2025
6/21/25 , a Saturday, I stopped at a traffic light when gas saver function kicked in and shut car off. The car went into park mode by itself and parking brake engaged. The car would not start and had to be towed. It sat until Monday when I was able to start it and drive it to my mechanic's business a mile from my location and shut it off. Immediately after shutting it off it would not start agai... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2025
Picked up the vehicle. on [XXX]... on the way home I was going around a curve on a highway with a semi-truck to my right, when the car suddenly braked autonomously, and the power steering stopped working. I struggled to steer into the curve and then allowed the semi to move ahead so I could safely pull to the side of the road. I had several alarms go off that I had to cycle though to turn off. I f... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2025
A coil that is attached underneath the sunroof is attached to the BCM. There is not a drain plug at the end so there was 5 inches of water there and the BCM was made to sit in that spot. The electrical wires and BCM were burned out because of this. The BCM controls the entire system not limited to the start button and everything that runs the car. I have only had the vehicle less than 1 year and i... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2025
Hello, my name is [XXX] , and my car continues to have the same problem for more than 5 years that it has been in my possession, after refilling the car completely with fuel, the car automatically turns off and this happens at a traffic light or anywhere, this is very dangerous since I interfere with traffic, please I do not know what to do to solve it, in many forums there are many 2005 Chrysler ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2025
This car seat now matter how tight you have it. It will loosen and recline in its own overtime which is so unsafe. We used this in different cars even to just see if it was the seat and it is the car seat this needs taken off the market asap
Incident date: Jun 21, 2025
The vacuum pump has a tendency of breaking and when it does it affects the exhaust camshaft making the car completely inoperable. When this happened my vehicle lost all brakes and power and would not start. This happened suddenly with no warning and left me stranded in the middle of lanes of travel. This is a well known issue with the Chevy 1.5 L and is documented in the TSB Bulletin #21-NA-268. T... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2025
I recently received a recall notice (NTSA Recall No. 25V-280, Polestar Recall RP1056) where the vehicle fails to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 111 on "Rear Visibility." After updating the vehicle software that was supposed to fix the safety recall, I'm still having the issue where when backing the car up, I get a "camera is temporarily unavailable" on my center console disp... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact became aware that the vehicle continued to move forward while shifted into Park, Neutral, or Reverse. The contact stated that the message "Transmission Overheating" was then illu... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2025
My husband and I have a 2022 Acura TLX (purchased new) that was issued a safety recall. We brought the car into the dealership in April to fix the problem. Two weeks later, the car completely malfunctioned- every warning light went off at the same time, and the car completely lost control. Steering, brakes, power/gas, everything went out. During this second visit, the dealership replaced the PCM... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2025
Brake pedal sank to the floor while driving. Pressure resumed temporarily. Brake fluid continued to leak aftrr being parked. This is third incident of this occurance.
Incident date: Jun 9, 2025
Hello, This is my second 2019 Ford Flex Limited my previous vehicle did not have an issue with the rear back up camera. My current one does but it vin# is not on the the list. I went to Ford dealer ship and was told that because of the VIN# its does not qualified for the recall but the backup camera does not work always continuously. It appears the issue meets the criteria of my previous Flex I ha... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2025
For the third time now, my steering has locked up and sent my 2025 Acura RDX into limp mode. It is a major safety concern because the car steering locks up and or tries to turn. The first time it occured I almost went into a field because the car was trying to turn right while in the middle of a LH corner at 55mph. The second time was on a country road at around 40-50mph with no shoulder, and t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2025
Tire Brand: Continental Tire Line / Model: ProContact TX Tire Size: 225/40R18 What Happened: This is the second tire failure I’ve experienced on Continental ProContact TX tires (OEM on my 2020 Audi A3 S Line). At only 13,000 total miles, I’ve had two separate instances of sidewall bubbles on different tires. •The first occurred in 2022 at just under 7,000 miles and caused the vehicle to fa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2025
I have 2.0L Ecoboost engine. I received a code indicating that cylinder 4 was misfiring. I changed the plugs and coils. Misfire code is still there. Upon researching issue I noticed that the coolant levels were low and found that the coolant was leaking into cylinder 4. Upon turning over the vehicle white smoke came out of the tailpipe, showing that there was coolant getting into the engine. This ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Acura RDX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30-35 MPH and exiting the interstate, the power steering became inoperable. The steering wheel was difficult to turn. The power steering, low brake speed, and Lane Keep Assist warning lights were illuminated. The message “Do Not Drive Vehicle – See Dealer” was displayed. The driver pulled over safely. The ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2025
Car won’t start, all lights on the dashboard are on and off and shows a message about brake problems and contact the dealership
Incident date: Jun 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer. The contact stated that upon attempting to shift to park, the vehicle failed to register that the gear shifter had been shifted to park. The contact stated that the message “Shift to Park” was displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was unable to turn off the vehicle during the failure. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer whe... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2025
The cam phasers in the engine have a failure/malfunction and risk of engine damage and performance. No warning lamps are on for the this failure yet, only a very noticeable noise on startups. It has been to a dealership to be confirmed. This is the same known issue as the other 3.5 ecoboost F-150 engines in the 2017 -2018 years, I am not sure what made my VIN not fit the requirements. Bulletins ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while pulling into a business at an undisclosed speed, there was an unknown warning light illuminated, and the message "Left and Right Rear Signal and Center Rear Brake Light Malfunction" was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the key warning light and engine malfunction warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a whining sound coming from the transmission. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission pump had failed, causing severe damages to the transmission. The contact was advised that the transmission needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced but while ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-250. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at speeds over 45 MPH, the vehicle experienced the death wobble. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact slowed down to under 45 MPH, and the vehicle operated as needed. The vehicle was taken to dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering linkage dampener needed ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2025
No particular incident happened, but the driver's side view mirror vibrates when moving especially at high speeds and/or bumpy roads. Worse at night as when you look, headlights in rear are shaking and make me dizzy and not look. The passengers side is nice and stable. Doesn't vibrate and shake.
Incident date: Jun 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a whining sound coming from the transmission. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission pump had failed, causing severe damages to the transmission. The contact was advised that the transmission needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced but while ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2024
I received an alert on my insurance portal, that my vehicle type ( Jeep Patriot 2016) had a recall, S89 for the camshaft and crankshaft sensors . I noticed that my vehicle has the same issues that is caused by this recall. My vehicle has been stalling and the check engine light when off recently. I had it looked at and the obd reader displayed that there were misfires displaying in the cylinder a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2025
This recall remedy is overdue and poses a safety risk to passengers. Toyota is currently preparing the remedy for this issue. When the remedy is available, Toyota dealers will inspect the OCS sensors and, if necessary, replace them FREE OF CHARGE. At this time, Toyota estimates the remedy can be available in Quarter 3, 2024, but this is subject to change based on parts availability.
Incident date: Jun 22, 2025
Yesterday I bought a 2019 Audi Q7 and today I get a warning light stating my right parking lamp is defective. Upon checking the light I found that it was on and working. Upon researching the issue I found that there are numerous complaints on 2017 and 2018 models of the same vehicle, for the same issue. Dealership stating it is an entire right headlight replacement to the tune of over $ 2500.
Incident date: Mar 20, 2025
Electronic throttle body system
Incident date: Jun 21, 2025
A 2021 Lincoln Corsair with AWD may have a faulty AWD module due to an incorrect transistor that prevents the system from switching between all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive. This can cause the vehicle to remain in one drive mode, potentially affecting handling and performance WARNING LIGHTS AWD FAULT, PRE COLLISION ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE, SERVICE ADVANCETRAC, AWD OFF
Incident date: Aug 27, 2024
MMI randomly reboots involuntarily at any point during the drive. Reboots as often as once every few minutes and reboots about 5-8 times per drive. Cannot pin point the cause since it is not obvious. Also a safety concern because the MMI can reboot while backup camera is active or while car sensors are in use. Multiple owners of the same year model are having this same issue for months now with no... Read more
Incident date: Aug 27, 2024
MMI randomly reboots involuntarily at any point during the drive. Reboots as often as once every few minutes and reboots about 5-8 times per drive. Cannot pin point the cause since it is not obvious. Also a safety concern because the MMI can reboot while backup camera is active or while car sensors are in use. Multiple owners of the same year model are having this same issue for months now with no... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2025 Cadillac Lyriq. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH during dry weather conditions in traffic, the brake pedal was depressed but traveled down to the floorboard, and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stood on the brake pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond and crashed into the vehicle in front that had stopped due to traffic. In addition, the contact... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon cold start-ups, there was a loud rattling sound coming from the engine. During the failure, the rattling noise was present for approximately 20 seconds before self-correcting; however, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the cam phasers were faulty and needed to be r... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2025
SRS light went on. Restraint malfunction message flashed across screen. Code reader pulls up dealer recall for driver airbag possibly exploding due to build up of pressure. My VIN is not included and dealer will not honor. Stuck with unsafe car or HUGE expense out of pocket.
Incident date: Oct 2, 2023
After the update that should fix the car, it now has several issues. One Pedal Driving doesn't work. When using One Pedal Driving the car should stop when you release the gas. Now the car continues to roll. It is reporting "Brake Failure" and "Collision Detection Failure". Polestar is saying this is normal after the update and it should fix itself in time. Unacceptable, the car has has issues fo... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2025
MALFUNCTION: ROAD MITIGATION SYSTEM FAILED (RDM), LANE KEEPING ASSIST SYSTEM (LKAS) FAILED, and CRUSE CONTROL FAILED, after investigating the issue this is happening with multiple vehicles. SAFETY: YES, these all failed at the same time, poses significant safety issues for the diver, passengers, and other drivers due to nature of failure. CONFORMATION: at this time no inspection of the vehicle ha... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2025
For more than a year, we have experienced issues with the infotainment system. Despite many trips to the dealership it has not been fixed. The infotainment system randomly shuts down and or reboots, which seems to affect other systems like turn signals, climate control, lane departure alerts, etc.
Incident date: Jun 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the seat belt behind the driver's side in the second row failed to retract and became inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that in 2020 the passenger’s side second row seat belt had failed to retract. The vehicle was repaired; however, most recently, the seat belt failure reoccurred. The manufacturer ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2025
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 98,423 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was over 230,000.
Incident date: Jun 18, 2025
I brought my car to the dealership Honda North at 382 Newbury Street in Danvers MA on 6/5/25 to repair NHTSA Recall number 23V-858. The vehicle was returned to me on 6/7/25 at which time I was told the interior would have a strong fuel smell for 1-2 days, but that would disappear. After 4 days, the fuel smell worsened and the "Check Engine" light had come on. On 6/11/25 I returned the vehicle to ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at various speeds in hot climate, the air conditioning failed to blow cold air. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer however, the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic for a second opinion, where it was diagnosed with an ... Read more