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: 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.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2023
Have the rear axle gears chipping/breaking off. Have mentioned this several times to dealer and they said the noise is normal for Jeeps. Took to independent repair shop and he found the gear issue, and asked me if anyone has worked on this rear end before, which would be no. He stated it looks as if someone has broke the original seal on it. I bought it at Performance CJDR in Delaware Ohio, and I'... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2024
The BOLT holding the Alternator/Starter or ISG unit BROKE. While this caused no injury as the Alternator stayed together, it could have caused the motorcycle to shut down while riding. The Honda Dealer replaced the Alternator under the Honda Extended Warranty. There were no symptoms, lights, or warnings.
Incident date: Aug 8, 2024
Engine dead due to coolant intrusion from the manufacturing defect in the cylinder walls.The defect is KNOWN to be an issue according to Technical Service Bulletin 22-2229
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
8/6/24 confirmed by Honda dealer, steering gearbox internal failure. Need to replace rack and pinion assembly. See attached.
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the passenger's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim had separated and flown off the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated... Read more
Incident date: Aug 7, 2024
Valve body on my car and friends have gone bad, it’s a known issue within the Infiniti vq37 community
Incident date: Jun 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Honda Accord. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the TPMS, VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist), and the electric power steering warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the VSA modulator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that the brake pedal stopper was fractured, causing the brake lights to remain illuminated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where an unknown diagnosis and an unknown repair were completed; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
I purchased this car in May 2024 and it has done this since the day I bought it. When I shift into park and turn the car off it alerts me that I need to shift into park but it already is, I have to squeeze/jiggle the button on the shifter to make it stop. I feel this could cause some serious problems
Incident date: Aug 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The check engine warning light and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle responded as needed after several attemp... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 BMW X5. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V104000 (Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Service Brakes); 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2024
The car just dies can't open the car must use the key in the fob.Hyundai dealership says it's a k own issue They told me I need to drive the car more When I can get into the car. There is a battery reset button that starts the car. Numerous online owners have the same problem
Incident date: Aug 3, 2024
Vehicle slipped out of gear causing vehicle to jerk suddenly and wouldn’t drive. Vehicle had transmission flushed and now drives but intermittently (frequently) vibrates hard/shakes like it’s coming out of gear while at certain speeds. This make/model vehicle had a recall issued for this issue but my VIN wasn’t part of the recall. It has all the issues the recall listed.
Incident date: Aug 4, 2024
After replacing the valve body (part of cvt transmission). The car was released to me. Immediately upon leaving the dealership, the car kept jolting and shuddering, but no maintenance lights were lit on the dashboard. Upon returning it to the dealership, we were notified that the whole transmission would need to be replaced. Subaru is aware of the faulty transmission as they increased the cvt tra... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V344000 (Back Over Prevention, Equipment, Electrical System) 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 contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the cente... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V344000 (Back Over Prevention, Equipment, Electrical System) 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 contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the cente... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); 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 avai... Read more
Incident date: Feb 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed the vehicle stalled with the low oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a failure with the oil pump tensioner which caused the engine to seize. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated while the vehicle was receiving a State Inspection, the mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with a small fuel leak, due to a faulty fuel cap. The fuel cap was replaced, and the failure was remedied. The contact stated that the failure eventually reoccurred, and the fuel cap was replaced a second time. The manufacturer and local dealer were not inform... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2023
My car shut down completely as I was driving it home last month [XXX] the cluster panel was showing charging system failure, stabilization and traction control coming on and off when not in use, the battery I bought was purchased in 2022 was completely drained and not rechargeable and even lights were staying on inside vehicle without out the battery connected, the driver door handle fell off not ... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2024
There is a current safety recall N232426400 on GMC pickups including the year of my truck. GMC is saying that my VIN is not covered by the recall. However, I have the multi-pro tailgate and it came open about 6 months ago on its own as i was backing up and it caused me to run into my trailer with the tailgate. I put my tailgate up after moving my truck from under my trailer and then when i w... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V433000 (Power Train). The contact stated that while her grandson was driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle began shaking, jerking, and unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2024
While driving the vehicle, I received a warning that the clutch was overheated. A few days later, it had no acceleration while merging onto the freeway. Fourth fifth and sixth gears had zero acceleration and I was almost runoff the road. The vehicle would not go over 70 miles an hour And the cruise control failed. It told me service required. I took the vehicle into the dealer and they told me the... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
While driving, the steering wheel is stiff when turning left or right and the steering wheel will not return to center after turning a corner or chaning lanes.
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
My front collision alert system has stopped working, I have taken it to multiple dealerships within my certified vehicle company. Next, my automatic High beams do not function at all, which is difficult to navigate at night without them. I have tried to update my vehicle and sent it to other dealerships and they cannot figure out what is wrong. And lastly, my lane assistance system is not working ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
My front collision alert system has stopped working, I have taken it to multiple dealerships within my certified vehicle company. Next, my automatic High beams do not function at all, which is difficult to navigate at night without them. I have tried to update my vehicle and sent it to other dealerships and they cannot figure out what is wrong. And lastly, my lane assistance system is not working ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2024
2017 Ford Edge, purchased this vehicle brand new, 2 days ago was driving and car became overheated suddenly, temperature attempted to decrease via the power and within 1 hour it was in the Ford Dealership being looked at. I was told it had an engine coolant leakage problem that would require a complete replacement of a brand new long block engine; approximately $10k in repairs. I did not have exte... Read more
Incident date: Jul 13, 2024
Upon turning on my vehicle all of the emergency warnings came on. I did a diagnostic and was shown that nothing was wrong with the vehicle but the warnings will not reset.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2024
This recall was opened a year ago! Aug 15,2023 Manufacturer Recall NumberR23B3 NHTSA Recall Number23V-581 Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet available Nissan, the manufacturer, has failed or is unable to remedy this safety recall for the vehicle in a timely manner. For something that is simple to reproduce they should have a replacement TIE ROD END now. And I cannot remove... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was 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 was made aware of the issue. The contact had not exp... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2024
Check engine light on . Ford says exhaust heat exchanger bypass valve. I see online multiple people are having the same issue . Seems to be a common issue with this vehicle . They are saying it’s not a part of the power train warranty although it’s attached to the power train . This is a safety issue. With the amount of posts about this issue I’m surprised it isn’t a recall already.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2024
The car started to jerk as I was driving. Sometimes it's OK other times it starts when I accelerate like it goes out of gear came on. I did try to take it to AutoZone with the light had already gone off. I also took it diagnostic. they said that I could Transmission control module issue. I change my battery voltage. Immediately battery this resolved the problem for about 30 minutes and then the pr... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2024
Paint on driver side rear door is delamination from the car body. This is the Pearl white color
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
Steering. Yes. I was unable to steer the vehicle, steering wheel would not move. No. No. After I was unable to steer, a warning came up on my onboard computer screen saying electric steering assist fault.
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
The stereo system screen began delaminating approximately 1 year ago. The delamination causes the stereo to malfunction, make sounds, and cause a major distraction when driving. It has come to my knowledge that this is a very frequent issue in the 2018 Grand Cherokees. There were no warning messages, the screen just glitches and completely malfunctions which is making it dangerous to drive and man... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Sequoia Hybrid. The contact stated that after his daughter had taken the vehicle to the car wash, the trailer hitch cover was destroyed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.
Incident date: Jul 25, 2024
The main issue is the airbag light, it is available for inspection. Warning indicator on Ford app states safe to drive without a passenger. Dealer repaired a couple parts got better for a while but continued. Was told they had a wiring harness ordered, but canceled and told to call Ford about a buyback, dealt with Ford, Better Business Bureau about lemon law, but still have not giving me a price f... Read more
Incident date: Jul 25, 2024
The main issue is the airbag light, it is available for inspection. Warning indicator on Ford app states safe to drive without a passenger. Dealer repaired a couple parts got better for a while but continued. Was told they had a wiring harness ordered, but canceled and told to call Ford about a buyback, dealt with Ford, Better Business Bureau about lemon law, but still have not giving me a price f... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2022
Faulty Head Gasket causing coolant to go into the engine - and causing enough issues to need engine replaced - ford mechanics saying they are seeing this more and more with my make and model car. Called ford motor company and unwilling to help with repairs as I’m 3,000 miles over the ability to assist. This apparently was a known issue in which why ford change how they made the head gaskets for... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2024
The failure is in FHTSA rules for vehicle safety. Complete ignorance of headlamp rules regarding beam direction being too high, often blinding oncoming drivers. Vehicle manufacturers started ignoring the rules many years ago as soon as the airplane-like-intensity lights entered the arena. I suspect the intake reviewers of this form don’t drive around enough to even realize what I’m talking ab... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 26, 2024
My family was driving 45 minutes away to a wedding rehearsal when I started to hear a clicking in the engine, like it was running rough. There was no warning lights on the dash but it sounded like it might be out of oil. We were far from home and no service centers nearby so we went directly home after. The sound progressed into a loud knocking noise and sounded really rough. Once we arrived home,... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2024
A red passenger airbag indicator appears sometimes on my dashboard. I took it to the dealership, and they said it is a airbag in the car seat that is sending an alert. The alert only occurs when a passenger is in the car in that seat, however, even then it does not always appear
Incident date: Jul 20, 2024
I parked my car and there were not any lights on the showing. When I returned to my car about an hour later 2 lights were shown (1) 4 wheel drive and (2) Passenger restraint system. I am concerned about the passenger restraint system because until I can get this repaired, no one can use the passenger seat because of this safety issue.
Incident date: Jul 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer. The contact stated while driving at 5–10 MPH, there was an extremely loud clicking and rattling sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that there was an unknown object moving inside the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the turbo needed to be changed. ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2024
ABS control unit/pump is leaking. I was told it's not covered under warranty or recall. Local mechanic states they can't repair it because the part has to be properly programed at the dealership. I've spoken with other Hyundai owners and they have had the same issue.
Incident date: Jul 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); 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 manu... Read more
Incident date: Jul 23, 2024
While driving and all seat belts buckled the seat belt and air bag indicator chimes.
Incident date: Jul 23, 2024
In April 2022, we purchased a new 2022 Hyundai Palisade from a dealership due to persistent issues with our previous Hyundai Santa Fe, which had ongoing engine problems and recalls. After multiple unsuccessful repairs and software updates on the Santa Fe, we decided to trade it in for the Palisade. Since the purchase, the Palisade has undergone over ten warranty-related repairs. In early 2023, an ... Read more