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: Aug 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Fisker Ocean. The contact stated while driving at approximately 20 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to slow down as intended. The contact stated that the brake pedal was pumped, the wheel was turned to the left, and the vehicle came to a stop. On another occasion while the vehicle was on and running, the contact attempted to exit the driver's side ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 28, 2024
The front side marker lights are defective see manual warning. Called dealer and they said the headlight needs replacement at a cost of over 6 thousand dollars. There is a recall for this but my vin number is not included.
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, after a visual inspection of the exterior of the vehicle, the contact became aware that the shark fin antenna cover had detached, potentially becoming a dangerous road hazard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The dealer determined that the ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Mustang. The contact stated that a ticking sound was coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle while driving at various speeds and while the vehicle was idling. The contact stated that the RPM dropped while idling and while decelerating. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failure in the lifte... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2024
Tire size: P235/70 R16 Since April, 2024 this tire started inflated every week. After 2-3 weeks trial I decided to take it to the tire shop, after they tested it, no error was detected. Then they told me that technically this tire is defected. It costed me $75-90.00 bucks just for the diagnostics. At that point, I did not have a choice but to buy a new tire. The new tire cost me another $140.00+... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2024
Recall notice received May 2024 for a faulty fuel pump. As of Aug 26, dealer continues to claim they can not get the parts necessary to fix. They tell me the failure risk is low and I should not worry about it. Those words ring hollow when you are telling me their is a risk of a crash and injury. Why is this acceptable.
Incident date: Aug 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while it rained or after the vehicle had gone through a car wash, there was water entering the vehicle. The contact stated that there would be water on the front passenger’s side floor. The contact stated that there was mold inside the vehicle and the floorboard was full of water. While having the vehicle detailed, he was informed ab... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while it rained or after the vehicle had gone through a car wash, there was water entering the vehicle. The contact stated that there would be water on the front passenger’s side floor. The contact stated that there was mold inside the vehicle and the floorboard was full of water. While having the vehicle detailed, he was informed ab... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
My BMW's passenger side airbag malfunction light randomly came on and will not turn off. When I went to the dealer, BMW quoted apprx. $3000 to replace the seat sensor mat which they said probably got wet? No water was ever on the seat and no passenger sits there - just my purse. I feel this is a safety related defect after seeing numerous reports and complaints online and trying to fix the issu... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
Overblown colorful backup camera image. Backup camera stopped working properly on 2019 Honda Pilot Elite SUV. Image has very bright red yellow and purple colors (like night vision) and the rear image is no longer legible. This is now a safety hazard as the driver is unable to view people, vehicles, and other obstructions while backing up the SUV. Need Honda to cover the repair and replacement of t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2024
Overblown colorful backup camera image. Backup camera stopped working properly on 2019 Honda Pilot Elite SUV. Image has very bright red yellow and purple colors (like night vision) and the rear image is no longer legible. This is now a safety hazard as the driver is unable to view people, vehicles, and other obstructions while backing up the SUV. Need Honda to cover the repair and replacement of t... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2024
All 4 Continental PRO CONTACT TX tires on 1 week old brand new purchased Ford Bronco Sport VIN [XXX] from Ford Dealer Swelling on Sidewalls in various points. After researching amongst other Bronco Sport Forums issue appears to be common failure on New Bronco Sports equipped with Continental PRO CONTACT TX tires. Requested tires to be changed at Dealer, they found 1 Bronco Sport with Balled up Si... Read more
Incident date: Jul 24, 2024
The rear back up camera had a recall on my car. I took it to the dealer to have it replaced. The camera would sometimes work and sometimes not work. When it wasn’t working the screen would either remain black or royal blue showing no picture at all. When I arrived at the Wesley Chapel Nissan in Wesley Chapel Fl I explained to them that the camera does not work correctly and that I had been notif... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2024
Every signal sensor in my car went off after 100k miles. Brake hold system, power steering, hill start assist, adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation, road departure, electric parking brake, tpm, emission system problem, all wheel drive system. Car stopped working and came to a complete stop on highway with my child in it which was not only terrifying but put us obviously in a life threaten... Read more
Incident date: Aug 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 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 contact had not experienced a failure. The... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2006 Pontiac Solstice. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the passenger’s side seat sensor air bag warning light was not illuminated; however, the passenger’s side seat was occupied. The contact was notified that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V061000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that the inflatabl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
On July 15th I was driving away from work and my car suddenly stopped accelerating. I was able to get it towed to a body shop I previously had it repaired at. They said the battery system was blowing a fuse when it would become undrivable. They took it to the local Hyundai dealership where they applied a new software update related to the battery management system. This did not solve the issue, it... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
On July 15th I was driving away from work and my car suddenly stopped accelerating. I was able to get it towed to a body shop I previously had it repaired at. They said the battery system was blowing a fuse when it would become undrivable. They took it to the local Hyundai dealership where they applied a new software update related to the battery management system. This did not solve the issue, it... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
A/C Dual Compressor fan went out - causing the car to overheat. Nissan Rogue Sport 2017 with 52K miles. Apparently this is a known issue that many Nissan Rogue users experience with the fan breaking on low mileage vehicles. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Aug 19, 2024
Component/System Failure: The component that has malfunctioned is the engine. This issue is critical and affects the vehicle's overall performance. The malfunctioning engine is available for inspection upon request, and I am willing to facilitate this inspection to substantiate my claim. Safety Risk: The engine's failure poses a significant safety risk, including potential engine stalling or loss ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the fuel pipe and determined that the fuel pi... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2024
Was driving up [XXX] when simultaneously my dash board lit up with errors and malfunctions, my interior lights started flickering and my steering wheel and brakes locked. Unable to control the vehicle I gripped the wheel for dear life praying as it veered left. The 2023 CX 5 with only 18K struck the guard rail and went black on the inside and out. Only then was I able to counter the ricochet of th... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 11, 2024
Transmission has been slipping from gears 3 into 4th & 7th into 8th. Also check engine light turns on & a wrench symbols. Then a notification pops up on my ford app in my iPhone stating powertrain 4 wheel drive problems. My vechile looses all boost from turbo and un bale to get up to any type of speed within the original engine’s capabilities.
Incident date: May 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the brake pedal depressed to the floorboard without warning while attempting to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective brake booster. The mechanic discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V154000 (Service Brakes, Service Brakes, Hydraulic) which the mechanic ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was turned off and parked in the driveway, the contact heard a loud explosion. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the rear passenger’s side side-curtain air bag erroneously deployed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact stated that during the failure, shrapnel and shards of me... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
Turbo charger failure at approximately 30,000 miles
Incident date: Jan 15, 2024
No check engine warning, unpredictable no start, no crank. Physical well being of grandchild, others and self at risk due to high temperatures. This also puts stress on mental well being, how to fix, can I fix, the cost and constant worry of being stranded. Have not confirmed with dealer. Did have a shop review. Battery, alternator good, starter is new. Issue is sporadic and hard to duplicate, bu... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V338000 (Electrical System, Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the infotainment system screen display and the instrument cluster had turned black. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V534000 (Structure); 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 parts not avai... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
- Fuel tank started slowly leaking fuel after filling tank up to full, only discovered after driving back home and noticing a strong smell of fuel. Repair records are with BMW of Sherman Oaks, CA. - Leaking fuel caused my garage to fill with strong odor of fuel which is unsafe as well as posing an extremely dangerous fire hazard with the exposed fuel leaking to the ground.\ - BMW Dealership inspec... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 BMW X5. The contact stated that when attempting to start the vehicle, it failed to start and a burning odor was present. The starter had begun smoking. The smoke had settled itself. The fire department was not at the scene. No police report was filed. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle had been towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the starter failed cau... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sportage. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and stalled. During the failure, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not c... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact stated that after an unknown recall repair was performed on the vehicle, the vehicle was wobbly while driving and failed to lock securely on several occasions. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start occasionally. The contact was able to jumpstart the vehicle with the assistance of a tow truck operator. The power trai... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
No warnings of any kind went off; I wasn’t even going 2 m.p.h. and hit a piece of wood that was right on the edge of the grass next to the road at the park. This is dangerous, especially at a park or other places where smaller children are present if I get that close to something and the none of the sensors go off letting me know there is something/someone that my vehicle could strike if not car... Read more
Incident date: Aug 14, 2024
I am writing this letter about a vehicle I purchased in November 2023. The vehicle purchased was a 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Diesel from Rick Chevrolet in Virginia Beach VA. The truck has many defects. The first month I took it back for a leaking tire, broken windshield, oil leak and because it drove funny and I did not know what was wrong with it, but I knew something was wrong. They kept the truck fo... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
I bought a 2007 Pontiac Solstice recently from an individual. I saw online that there was an airbag recall. I called my local Chevy dealer and they ordered the recall kit. I brought the car in and they did the fix. However, the airbag, on the passenger side, problem still existed. Sometimes, when my 110 lb. wife got in the passenger side, the airbag would read "ON", and sometimes it would not. So ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2024
2025 Winnebago Ekko with 3600 miles. Hankook Dynapro AT2 Extreme 215/85 R16 on driver's front shredded for no apparent reason. Fortunately no accident.
Incident date: Jul 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Jeep Renegade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V510000 (Air Bags, Seat Belts); 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 manuf... Read more
Incident date: Nov 11, 2021
Starting June 2024 my car started s displaying the check engine light with the message “Propulsion power is reduced” when driving on electric. When the message is displayed it switches to gas even if it has a full charge. Since June 2024 the check engine light is mostly on but sometimes turns off when electric is depleted and it’s running on gas. The message is randomly displayed when I acce... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2024
on June 20th, 2024, my vehicle started making a vibration and roaring sound at 3k miles at speeds as low as 35 MPH and gets louder the faster you go. the steering wheel also has a vibration. The noise and vibration get worse when you turn the wheel the left but when returned back to center it stops or is quitter and less vibration. when turning to the right it does not do it at all and will someti... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2024
Car was purchased on [XXX] for our daughter for a little over $6500.00 for a 2013 Hyundai Sonata Limited addition. On around July the 2nd the car started running weirdly and by [XXX] it had stopped running all together and the men from work had to help her push it onto her jobsite, which she wasn't far from. I had the car towed from her job to a mechanic who stated the engine was frozen. I immedi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2024
My 2011 kia sportage had a recall #23V65200. On [XXX] my radio started smoking and my headlights would not shut off even with car off and keys out. You had to unplug cable from battery for lights to go off and not run battery down. I called kia in bloomington indiana they said to not drive and call customer service to have towed. i called on [XXX] and talked to a lady, she was very rude and dismi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 18, 2024
My 2011 kia sportage had a recall #23V65200. On [XXX] my radio started smoking and my headlights would not shut off even with car off and keys out. You had to unplug cable from battery for lights to go off and not run battery down. I called kia in bloomington indiana they said to not drive and call customer service to have towed. i called on [XXX] and talked to a lady, she was very rude and dismi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
235/55 R-17 99T This is one of a set of two tires I purchased in Oct. 2021. The passenger side front tire had the same issue discovered a few weeks earlier. The steering wheel started to shake while driving. I took the vehicle to the shop who informed me the tread was separating like the passenger tire was separating a few weeks earlier. Again the tire was more worn on the inside versus the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
My 2018 Subaru Forester has a faulty passenger air bag sensor, which has been diagnosed by my local Subaru dealer, with a repair cost of $1,500+ for labor and parts. It has intermittently turned on and off again, but after getting a separate issue fixed by my dealer, they diagnosed this problem, and every time the car is turned on, the warning light is constantly displayed, and the passenger seat ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. In addition, the contact stated the transmission would remain stuck in 1st gear. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V444000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not in... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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 not made aware of the failure. The con... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
Multiple times while driving the engine shut off without warning but the dashboard was still lit up and there was no maintenance light. At first I could turn off the car, and restart right away. But around the 3rd or 4th time this happened, the engine would crank but not start. However, I was able to restart the car after waiting 5 minutes. Later however, I had to wait 10-15 minutes before I could... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE450. The contact stated while reversing, the rearview camera was inoperable. The message "Active parking Assist and Parktronic inoperative - See Operator's Manual" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown software update was performed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnose... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
Operating vehicle on Interstate. After pulling onto off ramp engine shut off completely during application of brakes. This has happened twice in hot (above 90 degrees) conditions. Car restarted after multiple attempts. I was in danger of being rear ended. No warning lights, no I dictations there was a problem. Dealer cannot reproduce the problem, no solution offered.