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: May 24, 2024
The low coolant level came on the car. We were told that they sensor needed to be replaced. We paid $1500 to replace that. The low coolant level light has back on 5 times, then the check engine light comes on and the car shuts off. It has left me, and my daughter stranded on the side of the road and in the middle of the highway. We were told they are not sure what else to do, here is a bottle of ... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2024
The low coolant level came on the car. We were told that they sensor needed to be replaced. We paid $1500 to replace that. The low coolant level light has back on 5 times, then the check engine light comes on and the car shuts off. It has left me, and my daughter stranded on the side of the road and in the middle of the highway. We were told they are not sure what else to do, here is a bottle of ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the transmission was slipping. The contact wait for a while before the vehicle responded as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to three other local dealers: DeSoto Ford (3039 SE Hwy 70, Ar... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 c... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (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: Jun 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the speed odometer seized, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after the transmission had shifted from 5th gear to sixth gear, the transmissions unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that after the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2024
I was cruising on highway at 65 miles per hour when engine start making noises and stop running engine will not start again i was lucky to make it out alive as truck steering wheel was not responsive had to tow it at mechanic to find out that truck had catastrophic engine failure broken crankshaft out of the blue
Incident date: Jul 10, 2024
During hard acceleration the high-pressure fuel pump fails. I've never had to replace this part on any other car that I have owned. When I research the part for this car, I reviewed many forums and articles complaining about the failure of the high-pressure fuel pump on the Mercedes c250 sport or similar chassis. The vehicle performs normally until there is hard acceleration; then the engine lig... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Rav4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000 (Electric 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not exp... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2022
Dashscreen doesn't work properly and experience screen freeze freezing map and GPS the charger ports in the front dash do not work the control buttons on the steering wheel do not work properly volume adjustment on the bottom but the touch screen stopped working and the physical buttons stopped working near the display Link to inaccurate Forward Collision Warning Issue well documented on forum... Read more
Incident date: Apr 2, 2024
Two incidents prior to taking in to the dealership: Thursday, 6/27: Car would not reverse when trying to get out of parking spot. Even though it was indicating reverse it kept moving forward in neutral Friday, 6/28: Car would not go into park. When I tried to set it in park it switched between gears erratically before ending on neutral. Received warning to take it to the dealer and could not tur... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 70-75 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the veh... Read more
Incident date: Jun 28, 2024
I was driving and all the dash board lights came on and it started warning beepings then it would not go over 35mph The ABS module was affected because it has a defective eyelet in the TIPM Module wiring connector that allows water to seep in I had a level 2 system testing done to find the defect. Jeep is aware of the problem because when I tried to order a new ABS module I was told it was not... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2024
Chapman Ford in Marysville, Ohio has had my car for ABS recall for almost a month now. They said they are waiting on the HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT HCU. Is this normal to take this long to fix.
Incident date: Jul 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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. The contact had... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
I am writing to report a serious safety concern regarding my Volkswagen Tiguan 2020. The dome light in my vehicle has completely broken off, melting the plastic from the screws, and was hanging by the electrical wires. This issue poses multiple safety hazards: 1.Injury Risk: While driving, the dome light unlatched and fell and struck me on the side of my head, causing a distraction and injury. 2.... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 8, 2024
My 2014 Toyota Tacoma is experiencing paint chipping in large sections on multiple sections of the vehicle. Primarily this can be seen on the passenger side doors near the windows. I believe there was a recall for this vehicle for years 2016-2022. My request is to have my year model included as it is experiencing the exact same issues as the years already on the recall.
Incident date: Jun 25, 2024
The accelerator on my vehicle malfunctioned and got stuck. While making turn with no acceleration, the acceleration of the vehicle got stuck and the brakes did not respond causing the vehicle to hit a sidewalk and breaking the passenger side suspension and control arm and axel of the vehicle. Airbags deployed. Controlled the vehicle until it stopped completely. When vehicle was completely stopped ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 16, 2024
Power steering stopped working with no warning as the truck was being driven up a busy Highway at 65 MPH. Lost momentary control of the truck but was able to pull over and turn it off without incident. When it was restarted the engine light came on with an error message popping up. It was on a very busy highway but we were able to limp it home, going miles under the speed limit with emergency fla... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
Car will stall and then completely shut down. And takes awhile to restart. This last time I was on the highway and cars were going so fast. Almost had a panic attack!!
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact's husband struck a curb. The contact's husband depressed the brake pedal and attempted to make a turn, but the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The "Service Shifter" message was displayed, and the vehicle made an abnormal sound and stalled while driving. The ste... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2023
Forward collision system will light up and state it is not functioning. Will reset once truck is turned off for a bit. Stereo audio will intermittently cut out and stereo needs to be reset to hear audio again. Apple CarPlay will intermittently not connect
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
Dash displayed "no bus" at the range level along with every error message possible. All of a sudden it goes haywire. Can't tell what speed you're going, you can put gas to floor and no acceleration, power steering comes and goes, wipers turn on and off, let go of the brake and it accelerates on its own, you name it. Van will not shift in and out of gear and will not turn off even when holding down... Read more
Incident date: Sep 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle shut off unexpectedly. The message that the engine was overheating was displayed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The RED Triangle Symbol (Master Warning Light) was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the transmission was leaking and t... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2024
The contact owned a 2022 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to work properly causing her to crash into the vehicle in front. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated there was a minor scratch on the front bumper. No injuries were sustained. No police report was filed. The manufacturer was ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it diagnosed that the timing chain and cam phasers had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was no... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it diagnosed that the timing chain and cam phasers had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was no... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2024
Vehicle: 2024 Subaru Forester Touring Date of Report: [July 3, 2024] What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? On June 19th, 2024 I noticed the side mirror of my 2024 Subaru Forester Touring has melted. This component is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The melting of the s... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2024
The transmission does not operate properly. It frequently searches between gears when shifting and then shifts hard into the next gear. It makes loud clunking noises when decelerating. Numerous times when shifting from park to reverse the vehicle lurches. I brought the vehicle to the Ford dealer in March of 2023. The dealer stated they could not duplicate any issue that was not normal. Over time t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2023
So on 7/1/24 our vehicle started overheating some. And then we had the check engine light to come on along with another light that looks like a lightning bolt inside an inside out parenthesis. So I research the symbol and it came back as an issue with the Electric Throttle Control which is also means there is a problem with the electric parking brake. And then a mesage came on that said OIL TEMP H... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2024
My car began displaying an alert that the engine was overheating anytime I drove over 50mph. I took it for repair and was told there is coolant intrusion to the engine and the engine needs to be repaired. After some research I have found this is a known issue and ford had a customer satisfaction program to extend warranty for this issue to 84k miles. I was never notified of this and am now at 88k ... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. 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 local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2024
Vehicle repeatedly stalled while on highway, there were no warning lights on dash or anything indicating of an issue prior. Took vehicle to repair shop and after thorough investigation they reported that there was no oil in engine despite dashboard monitor registering oil life was fine. Oil changes are always completed regularly and on time for vehicle. Mechanic said that this is a known issue wit... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2023
Transmission and shifting problems under 70,000 miles. Also the ac compressor and blower has gone out.
Incident date: Jul 29, 2023
Transmission and shifting problems under 70,000 miles. Also the ac compressor and blower has gone out.
Incident date: Jul 29, 2023
Transmission and shifting problems under 70,000 miles. Also the ac compressor and blower has gone out.
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
All new led headlights blind me at night. Every single one. For at least 2 seconds, so I have run over items in the road I could not see because the blue LED headlights blinded me. All blue LED headlights MUST be banned.
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
On June 22 myself and my wife were pulling out of the Food Lion Parking Lot. As we proceeded out to the main Road the gas pedal stuck. The car kept accelerating and know matter what I did I could free the gas pedal. Because of that we hit 3 cars in the intersection. Our car literally exploded putting Myself and my wife in the hospital .My wife has had 3 surgeries for a broken pelvis.She is still i... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: May 1, 2024
All 4 of my door lock actuators have failed since, 1 year in to owning the vehicle. There is a safety concern in not being able to get into or out of the vehicle due to the locks failing. As well as, making me a target for theft. Sometimes the locks will lock, other times they will not. I once put my dogs in the car and the locks would not open back up, it was terrifying. The component has not bee... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2023
The power steering went out as I was about to drive the 2015 Ram 1500. The vehicle is available for inspection. A warning light appeared on the dash..red steering wheel with red exclamation mark. I was not able to drive the truck as I could not turn the steering wheel. I had it towed to the local RAM dealer who gave me an estimate to replace steering rack and pinion. The truck has been garage ke... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2021
My power steering electric system doesn’t work, the steering gear motor may have detached from the gear housing resulting in a loss of power steering assist, requiring a greater steering effort, especially at lower speeds
Incident date: Jun 28, 2024
I brought my vehicle in to my local Volkswagen dealership and they denied performing my recall ( NHTSA ID No.: 87V-053 Recall) . The dealership recommended I reach out to Volkswagen themselves to see about getting this safety recall performed . After nearly 3 months Volkswagen has also denied performing said safety recall on my vehicle, citing age (1986) and milage (40,000 miles)
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
Back up camera display does not always immediately come on when placing car in reverse. It can sometimes be 10 -15 seconds before an image appears. I wait in the garage, driveway, or parking spot before backing but this potentially puts pedestrians behind the vehicle at risk. Per FMVSS 111 guidelines. S5.5.3 regarding response time: The rearview image "shall be displayed within 2.0 seconds of ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
Back up camera display does not always immediately come on when placing car in reverse. It can sometimes be 10 -15 seconds before an image appears. I wait in the garage, driveway, or parking spot before backing but this potentially puts pedestrians behind the vehicle at risk. Per FMVSS 111 guidelines. S5.5.3 regarding response time: The rearview image "shall be displayed within 2.0 seconds of ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel lost normal functionality and hesitated while turning. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel was stiff and jerked while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering gearbox failed an... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 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 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 experi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2024
Car lunged forward when lightly stepping on the gas while making a turn onto a busy street. Then it later lagged in responding when I stepped on the gas. About 5 minutes later, the car dashboard lit up and said there was a transmission error. Mechanic's diagnosis found code P0756 for a shift solenoid B stuck off. The car is unsafe to drive.
Incident date: Jan 12, 2024
Electrical Relay/Fuse box in the back under the driver's side passenger seat. we thought at first it was the battery. We replaced the battery the connections. The car sometimes starts sometimes doesn't. We've messed with the relays pulling them out and back in and it trys to turn over clicks and doesn't but has full power to the car there is also signs of extreme heat maybe fire from the battery t... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Feb 7, 2024
Steering wheel buttons fail to activate turn signals no matter how hard they are pressed intermittently. Occurrences happens around 15% of the times when changing lanes or requiring signaling leading to increased danger due to failure of turn signals. Manifacturer has replaced steering wheel and problem still exists with no resolution. When presented to service center subsequently, I am instead re... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2024
Shift to Park error occurs 90% of the time I put my car into park. The car turns off but none of the electrical does, like its in accessory mode. Dings when you try to leave the car and will not lock. Display reads 'Shift into Park'. I have to jiggle the shifter to get it to engage. Could be a couple jiggles or 5 mins of jiggling and restarting the car, shifting from drive to park over and over..... Read more