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: Apr 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Seltos. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2025
Transmission failed while driving. Vehicle only has 48k miles on it.
Incident date: May 3, 2025
ABS Module failure. No replacement part offered by RAM
Incident date: May 3, 2025
our 2019 jeep cherokee limited has had the service 4wd light on for a few months. having issue of it losing acceleration on hwy and on city streets. i have to drive alot for my work, it can cause me to lose income if it is not drivable. i have reported it to the manufacturer. but they state it is not on the recall list. even though they have other models of the same year and model under recall, fo... Read more
Incident date: May 3, 2025
As I was turning a corner, my steering wheel completely locked up on me. I was stuck in the middle of the street trying to get my car to turn into our driveway. Thankfully, I was able to alert incoming traffic through my horn that I was there and stuck. This could’ve been a near death experience and I am uncomfortable driving any Acuras at this time.
Incident date: May 3, 2025
I was changing my right rear tire due to a nail on a slight slope in my driveway and I had a roll away incident. The top of my driveway is a slight slope and then changes to fairly steep. My vehicle rolled off of my jack and jack stand and continued into the street. Fortunately there was no damage other than extreme stress
Incident date: May 4, 2025
Loss of power while driving. Oil level severely low, almost two quarts of oil. No oil leakage under vehicle or in engine compartment. All scheduled maintenance was performed. Once brought to the dealership to diagnose, I was stated nothing was wrong and it was over on oil. No reason to be low on oil or recognize the loss of power.
Incident date: May 4, 2025
Twice now, with two brand new 2025 Acura RDX of mine the power steering failed while I was driving. My first new car was purchased in January 2025, I had 414 miles on the car when the power steering was lost and the car was pulling me in one direction. I struggled but managed to get the car to a safe location and waited to be towed to the dealer. The dealer was nice enough to order me another... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2025
I had the same Issue as [XXX] . I do see there are many others effected by this and some have overpaid due to inaccurate diagnostics by dealerships. We would really appreciate if NHTSA looks into this issue and help us. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Feb 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while a friend was attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Cam... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the contact lost control of the vehicle, and the front driver's side suspension lowered to the ground. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the subframe was severely rusted, causing the control arm to detach. The contact was informed that the subfram... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
The contact owned a 2023 Newmar London Aire RV. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds above 50 MPH, the steering malfunctioned, making the RV extremely difficult the remain inside the desired lane. The contact stated that there was a 2–4-inch play in the steering wheel making it difficult to steer and control the RV. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the st... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal metal-on-metal grinding sound coming from the engine. The contact also stated that whenever the vehicle was started, the engine was making an abnormal knocking sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independen... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
ADAS LKAS Camera Module - 36160-TX6-A03-M1 failed under 100K miles - causing all ADAS functions to have suspended semi-permanently until replacement of camera — DTC U3000-49 “Multipurpose Camera Unit Internal Electronic Failure”, needing new 800$ camera + 800$ calibration at dealer. Common issue on ILX, as well as multiple other Honda models w/ADAS features. Camera module reaches approx. 136... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
There is a known issue with this year and other model years of the lifters going bad inside the engines. I personally had this happen and heard about several other cases. This notice stems from the recent news release of 2021 and on model years being affected. This repair cost me roughly 5,000 dollars and I nearly drove off the road once the engine failed.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 240,000.
Incident date: Mar 28, 2025
Vehicle with purchase on April 15, 2025 pre own with only 5800 miles. Drove the car for less than 2 weeks on April 28,2025 a vehicle warning pop-up “ high voltage service error” I took it back to Honda dealership. A code U3620 came up. The code indicated a high voltage battery replacement needed. Currently ETA for the parts is not available.
Incident date: Jul 29, 2024
Car purchased in Feb 2022. November 9, 2023 after a couple of previous complaints about the car riding rough, this time , after telling them the car jumps and throws into the next lane, it was diagnosed as having passenger rear leaking strut, front pinion seal leak, front driveshaft c/v joint torn and leaking grease. These were repaired under warranty. Dec 2024: had noise and had vibration felt th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2024
Automatic headlights malfunction causing the high beams to activate when cars are ahead or deactivate when lights reflect off of street signs. This causes road rage by other Drivers who think the Owner is deliberately blinding them with the high beams. Also with the constant changing between low and high it causes hazards when driving due to inconsistent lighting on the roadway ahead. This cond... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2024
I was driving down the highway at approximately 70mph and the vehicle began to lose power. It was then apparent that the engine was no longer on as the screen read “press start” to restart engine or something like that. I was in the left hand lane and had to navigate through traffic without power to the right hand shoulder. I barely made it off the road before the car stopped moving entirely. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
The contact's husband owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and diagnosed the vehicle with a defective cam phaser. Upon investigation, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03. The man... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms par... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a rattling sound coming from the transmission. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V700000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufactur... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2025
On at least three confirmed occasions, the driver side 2nd row seatbelt has unlatched by itself. No other symptoms. Not yet inspected by anyone, but intending to ask Hyundai to fix it ASAP.
Incident date: Jun 7, 2023
There was a recall for the HPCM2 where the propulsion power reduced warning would come on whenever the car's cell battery was depleted. This happened with my car and there were several times it slowed on the freeway and on exit ramps as I tried to safely get my car off the road. It first happened on 4/13/25. I took my car to a regular mechanic who charged me 3k of repairs on basic maintenance, new... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed that the button located on the shift lever had detached. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred... Read more
Incident date: Apr 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the vehicle while idling. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was then notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet availa... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2025
I am writing to express my deep concerns regarding the ongoing issues that are being seen with the NHTSA recall campaign numbers 24V865000 and 24V623000. The experience I had with my Fisker vehicle following the 2.2 Over-the-Air (OTA) update attempt left my vehicle un-driveable from Jun 15 2024 through Oct 26 2024. This had left me in an inconvenient and frustrating situation. As a result, I had t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2025
I received a recall letter for my Kia 2021 Seltos EX 2.0 dated 4-4-25 for piston oil ring and engine inspection. I checked my car in with a local Kia dealership on Thursday the 24th. Approximately, thirty hours later I received a call it passed inspection. On Friday I picked my car up and did my normal Friday laundry and went home. I’m talking about for the laundromat and my home maybe a tot... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2025
I received a recall letter for my Kia 2021 Seltos EX 2.0 dated 4-4-25 for piston oil ring and engine inspection. I checked my car in with a local Kia dealership on Thursday the 24th. Approximately, thirty hours later I received a call it passed inspection. On Friday I picked my car up and did my normal Friday laundry and went home. I’m talking about for the laundromat and my home maybe a tot... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2025
[XXX] on [XXX], traveling 70mph on busy highway, blind spot monitoring failed, gear display failed, and check transmission message flashed across display. Had to guide car safety off road and into parking lot. This was first time ever happened. Did not know what was going on or what was happening; safety features like blind spot monitoring (especially after becoming accustomed to) failing all o... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2022
Seatbelts will unbuckle on their own and have done that since we purchased vehicle.
Incident date: Apr 16, 2025
Car is currently at 56k miles and the "Engine maintenance required" popped up on my dashboard I'm pretty sure this is the engine coolant bypass valve which I read is a constant problem for new toyotas like mine
Incident date: Apr 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a rattling sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Take 5 oil change, wh... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
Lane Keep assist, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning all stopped working and received error codes. Dealership stated camera was faulty and needed to be replaced at my cost. Continued issues with electrical systems where the car alarm will go off intermittently, and vehicle will not lock unless manually locking. Dealership stated smart control unit needs to also be replaced at my... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
I have a 2020 Hyundai veloster 2.0L and their is a knocking noise coming for the engine for the piston haven’t been properly heated right and when I search the vin up on here it come up as a different car in the picture
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
I was parked on surface parking lot with no cars around me, when I put the vehicle in reverse to back out of the parking space, within 2 or 3 seconds the steering wheel airbag exploded without warning. I did not hit anything backing out and there was no collision. I simply put the vehicle in reverse when the airbag exploded. The vehicle was towed to the dealership Porsche Dallas, 6107 Lemmon Ave.,... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 25, 2025
When the vehicle is at a stop or slowing maybe to park the engine shuts down. I get a start/stop error and it indicates I must restart the car manually. I then have to put the car in park and restart the vehicle. This has happened while the vehicle was in motion and in major city traffic. The vehicle displays a check engine light now. It is currently at the dealership being serviced.
Incident date: Apr 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH and decelerating while approaching a stop light, there was misfire coming from the engine, and the traction control activated, causing the brakes to become inoperable. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The “Service START/STOP System” message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, whe... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH in a parking lot, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the engine went into LIMP Mode. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The contact restarted the vehicle after several minutes. The vehicle was taken to Pep Boys, where it was diagnosed that the spark plugs, and ignition coils ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2023
Bought in 2023 @ 98k miles. Have had trouble with 1.it would only start in drive, then that seems to have self corrected. 2. In drive, car would not accelerate properly, and would slow as though I was braking, but no foot on brake. Had rear brake sensor replaced, seemed better for a while. 3. Developed oil leak at 120 miles which valvoline characterized as "not serious...just keep checking it... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2025
The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with a defective clutch module. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair and was later re... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
I was going around a curve at 20mph and all of a sudden my steering wheel locked up and so did my brakes and I ended up in a ditch. I took a picture of all the alerts that came up on the vehicle.
Crash
Incident date: Apr 23, 2025
My breaks locked up on me pulling out of my driveway. The break pedal was hard to press down and I had to step on the braks really hard to stop .
Incident date: Apr 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was an abnormally loud grinding sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
I was driving my vehicle on the highway when a driver stopped me and warned me that my vehicle was leaking a huge amount of gasoline. I had a technician inspect the car to see if it might be a fuel line, the technician told me the fuel.lines were good and there were no signs of the gas coming from the lines and no cracks on the tank either. I received a letter from Volkswagen about the recall and ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
An independent service center confirmed that the water pump failed and fell apart. This water pump is a 4-groove pulley (part number 12685259) specific to my vehicle. Most other Silverados have a 6-groove pulley system. This 4-groove pulley water pump is unavailable from the dealer or any of the part stores, as they are on back order with no resolution or availability date. GM has notified some ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine, resulting in damages to cylinders #1 and #3. The contact was informed that a partial rebuild of the engine was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not no... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2025
There were three recalls listed on your site that are no longer active which perfectly describe what is going on with my car at the moment we have had major electrical problems with it we have had problems with the tailgate not latching and opening while driving down the road also overheating when stopped at a light all of a sudden the air conditioner starts blowing hot air and it shoots up and ov... Read more