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: Jan 31, 2025
The contact's sister owns a 2012 Jeep Liberty. The contact stated that upon opening the door of the vehicle, the contact's sister became aware that the driver's side headrest had been deployed. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V640000 (Seats, Air Bags). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2025
My car is doing exactly as said in the recall that is not available. I'm not driving my bmw due to this problem. Please help
Incident date: Jun 13, 2024
Constant service electronic braking system and service ABS warning lights, loss of all traction control. It started as a intermittent loss of of these systems and now it is a total loss. There is nothing I can do to make it go away or function correctly. I took it to the dealer to talk about the recall and asked if I could go ahead and pay to have the replacement parts installed and they told me e... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2020
Parking brake remains engaged when driving after parking Must manually reset parking brake because the brake doesn’t release automatically after - as designed
Incident date: Sep 19, 2020
The air conditioning stopped working for the second time. So far the compressor bearing has been replaced as well as the condenser.
Incident date: Sep 19, 2020
My vehicle is using excessive amounts of oil. Every time I drive it, I can smell burnt oil. I took the vehicle to the dealership on 1/24/25 where they found a leak in the oil filter housing. This was repaired (same day) and the oil was topped off per the service report. After smelling the oil smell again, I checked my oil on 1/31/25 and found that the oil was marked between the min and max line on... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the ignition became inoperable. The contact was unable to turn off the ignition with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was not able to remove the key fob from the ignition. The contact removed the battery to turn off the vehicle and remove the key from the ignition. The vehicle was t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving in cold weather, the vehicle had experienced extremely hard shifting and jerking. The contact indicated that the transmission had erroneously shifted from first gear to third gear causing the RPM's to increase and the vehicle to jerk and the transmission had erroneously shifted from seventh gear to first gear and back to sev... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that the dealer had previously repaired the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V267000 (Electrical System, Power Train); however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the vehicle required a jumpstart to start, and while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine and another unknown warn... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 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 the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had no... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2024 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while reversing at nighttime, the rearview camera displayed a dark image of the space that the vehicle was reversing into, reducing the driver’s ability to see the roadway. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to another dealer fo... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2025
While accelerating off the entrance ramp onto the highway, The engine randomly slows down automatically…the car reduced speed drastically without applying brakes and without cars around me or in front of me.
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
Driver side, passenger sliding door does not properly close at times. When closing, it seems the sensor is sensing blockage and will not shut fully but re-opens the door again and again. It will mentally close after the 4th or 5th time. I typically will have to get out and manually push the sliding door shut. This happens at least a few times a week. I have noticed it around summer of 2024. It is... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
This vehicle needs a new transmission. Dealership cannot locate one to fix. What should be my next steps, it's my daughters vehicle. Who needs tp get back and from HS, Collage class, cheer and work.
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
This car has had several recalls. On 12/9/24 I brought it to dealer re the ICCU update. Apparently what was done was just a software update. On 1/8/25 while driving 50 mph, the car suddenly lost power in traffic. Flat bedded to the dealer, they had to replace the ICCU. Todays Consumer Reports states that the ICCU recall was to replace the ICCU. Clearly the software update or check FAILED, putting... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
I have a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD diesel truck. Twice while driving uphill the transmission seemed to lock up with a very “jerky” move. GM has acknowledged this problem and has issued a recall. I have taken my truck and have had the recall “remedy” performed. However, THIS REMEDY IS A BAND AID NOT A SOLUTION. The remedy/recall is only reprogramming the computer that controls t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH following a school bus, there was an abnormal screeching sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that a message to pull over safely was displayed. The contact stated that the engine had seized. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft b... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
On a regular basis (AT LEAST 1 x daily) I will be driving my 2019 Jeep Cherokee, and when I stop at a light, stop sign, parking spot, or the start/stop component turns off the engine, the power to my vehicle completely fails. The vehicle will turn off completely. The dash panel, radio, everything will completely turn off. This has caused me to be stuck in the middle of the street, and it also h... Read more
ACURA
RDX
(2019) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:IMMOBILIZER/PROXIMITY:KEY/SENDER
Jan 29, 2025
Incident date: Dec 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Maxima. The contact received notification of an undisclosed recall. The contact stated that while the vehicle was off, the push-to-start button was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to start. The immobilizer warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the key fob and the steering lock needed to be replaced. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Maxima. The contact received notification of an undisclosed recall. The contact stated that while the vehicle was off, the push-to-start button was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to start. The immobilizer warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the key fob and the steering lock needed to be replaced. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2024
I selected other at this issue caused more the 3 items to fail. While driving the truck pretty much every light on the dash would come on, I would lose power steering, speedometer (both digital and analog), all gauges would malfunction, turn signals would not work and pretty much anything electronic would not function properly. At one point, this happened while driving on the interstate using cr... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2025
SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING WITH A FRIEND. DEALERSHIP IS NOT ACKKNOWLEDGING IT SINCE THERE IS NOT A RECALL SO I WILL HAVE TO CALL LEXUS CORPORATE. I AM TAKING IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO BE FIXED AND DROPPING IT OFF THIS FRIDAY. INSURANCE ADJUSTER WILL BE DOING TO DEALERSHIP TO LOOK AT SINCE IT COSTS $2000 TO FIX AND I HAVE A $1000 DEDUCTIBLE :( :( NO WARNING JUST ... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Jan 29, 2025
The sunroof cover came down and blocked my rear visibility. It took a few attempts to get the cover back up because I need to see what is behind me for safety purposes. Then, when I was sesrching online for the solution, I realized a lot of people with 2020 - 2022 Ford Escapes were also having issues with the sunroof cover. It is quite dangerous for it to fall.
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
Vehice experienced FULL power loss several times. Truck taken to dealership and stated no problem found. Incident happened again a week later. Determined wires can become lose from battery terminals for no reason.
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
My complaint is I just had an oil change which I have done every 3000 miles since I own this car. I took car in December 9th for an oil change and after, the car started leaking oil all over. I took it back to Richlonn's Service which indicated that the cooler/oil filter housing was cracked, it cost me $1,382.93 to repair. The cooler/filter housing is located above exhaust manifold which had to... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
My complaint is I just had an oil change which I have done every 3000 miles since I own this car. I took car in December 9th for an oil change and after, the car started leaking oil all over. I took it back to Richlonn's Service which indicated that the cooler/oil filter housing was cracked, it cost me $1,382.93 to repair. The cooler/filter housing is located above exhaust manifold which had to... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Focus. The contact stated that upon the depression of the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated and jerked with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and was diagnosed with a defective motor mount. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with a defective transmission. The contact was informed by... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle shook violently while driving above 40 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the steering coupler needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); 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. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 BMW 528I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); 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. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2025
Our vehicle experiences loss of motive power as well as a complete disconnect from the battery. All diagnostics have shown that physical battery connections are good. We have been left on the side of the road with the inability to drive the vehicle above 20 mph. It is extremely dangerous when moving through an intersection or driving on the highway. We get a sudden warning lamp of a battery, char... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2025 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V744000 (Steering); 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 manufacturer was mad... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2025
4WD SYSTEM UNAVAILBE SERVICE REQUIRED HAD TO PAY TO HAVE IT FIXS
Incident date: Dec 21, 2024
Two weeks ago, while driving on the highway, our Yukon suddenly quit accelerating and flipped into neutral. We had to quickly pull over to the left shoulder with our entire family. We put the vehicle into park and tried to restart, which it wouldn’t do. We ended up having to call OnStar and having it towed to the nearest dealer. They “repaired it,” yet a week later, the same thing happened w... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2025
So when I’m driving some would call it sticky steering where I have to correct the steering constantly this happens at slow speeds and way more noticeable and scary at fast speeds like I don’t even want to take it on freeway I have gotten a couple alignments done like 6 to many they say it’s spot on so why does my steering still have an issue.i don’t even have to move the wheel I can sligh... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V426000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) and 24V838000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated while driving downhil... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2025
Recall: ENGINE COOLANT PUMP
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
1. After driving the car and turning it off, I get a loud bang coming from a gas tank. 2. Sometimes when making a hard right or left turn steering wheel vibrates, and the warning light for all wheel drive system comes on. When I turn the car off and restart it, it goes away. 3. After software installs due to recalls, when I accelerate my radio occasionally shuts off on its own, and then we’ll co... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
1. After driving the car and turning it off, I get a loud bang coming from a gas tank. 2. Sometimes when making a hard right or left turn steering wheel vibrates, and the warning light for all wheel drive system comes on. When I turn the car off and restart it, it goes away. 3. After software installs due to recalls, when I accelerate my radio occasionally shuts off on its own, and then we’ll co... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
1. After driving the car and turning it off, I get a loud bang coming from a gas tank. 2. Sometimes when making a hard right or left turn steering wheel vibrates, and the warning light for all wheel drive system comes on. When I turn the car off and restart it, it goes away. 3. After software installs due to recalls, when I accelerate my radio occasionally shuts off on its own, and then we’ll co... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
I started driving and the car seemed to act rough. I went up a small hill and I had almost no power halfway up. The car showed the symbol of the little car that looks like it is sliding. I had to chug up the rest of the hill fighting the car itself because there was no where else to go. It kept revving but went no more than about ten mph. Once I got over the top I pulled into someone's driveway so... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2024
When car has been stopped, in traffic or parking lot, the parking/emergency brake has engaged automatically (NOT engaged manually or intentionally by driver) and will not disengage automatically when accelerator is pressed to go forward. It is difficult to disengage the brake when this occurs. This has happened on 3 occasions. The safety risk for crash includes being hit from behind if brake enga... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
1) 12/20/2024: Took the car to a Mitsubishi dealer as the 'Check Engine Light' was ON for a few days. They erased the code but could not diagnose the cause. Returned home and could NOT charge the car using the same standard outlet (level 1) I used since I bought the car. The instrument cluster displayed the following (Please see Pic 1): a) Error message 'PHEV System Fault, Service Required... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
1) 12/20/2024: Took the car to a Mitsubishi dealer as the 'Check Engine Light' was ON for a few days. They erased the code but could not diagnose the cause. Returned home and could NOT charge the car using the same standard outlet (level 1) I used since I bought the car. The instrument cluster displayed the following (Please see Pic 1): a) Error message 'PHEV System Fault, Service Required... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2025
1) 12/20/2024: Took the car to a Mitsubishi dealer as the 'Check Engine Light' was ON for a few days. They erased the code but could not diagnose the cause. Returned home and could NOT charge the car using the same standard outlet (level 1) I used since I bought the car. The instrument cluster displayed the following (Please see Pic 1): a) Error message 'PHEV System Fault, Service Required... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2025
There is known issue where the rear glass will just randomly shatter. My car was parked and no one was near it. I came out to leave and I noticed the rear glass was shattered. This issue has been reported by thousands of other RDX owners. It’s absolutely insane that this isn’t recalled and covered by Acura. Additionally, it has been over a year and they still have not contacted me about the pa... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2025
I bought the vehicle in October 2024 ever since then I have been trouble with the differential, the automatic starter doesn't start the vehicle unless you are at least one feet away from the vehicle. I drove to work when I got off and got in my vehicle my check engine light was on. The vehicle was saying there was an issue with the battery, antilock braking system. I bought an extended warranty up... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
We bought this vehicle new in 2017 and now have about 78K miles on it. Since we have owned it there have been SEVERAL (at least 7) occasions where we are driving along on the highway at 35-70MPH (depending on the speed limit) and the emergency forward collision braking system suddenly applies the brakes for no reason. This has happened during daylight and nightime on the open road with no vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2025
Florida recently experienced a lower than average cold front. During this cold weather I started experiencing a problem with my steering. I initially described it as a twitching feeling with my steering but the next day I figured out how to recreate the issue consistently. My car wants to push me to the left into oncoming traffic. When I correct to the right I feel a momentarily resistance then th... Read more