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: Oct 14, 2023
After owning this vehicle from brand new, it now has a rotting rear subframe. Nissan customer support is not interested in providing good will or recall for this issue. My mechanic has reported that the same model and year vehicle showed up a week prior with the exact same issue. A core part of the frame should not crumble due to rust within a 10 year timeframe. Searching on the internet has reve... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated while attempting to honk the horn, the contact became aware that the controls behind the steering wheel were inoperable. The service air bag systems warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who informed the contact to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was no... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Pilot. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (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 n... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2019
Coolant has leaked into my engine block causing damage to the engine. I have brought my car into the dealership on 3 different occasions with the same issue only to be told that something else was wrong with my vehicle. The first time I brought my vehicle in, it was covered (unknown to me) by a special service bulletin. I believe that I was intentionally misled so that the repair would not have to... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2023
Received a recall alert on February 8, 2024 indicating that my vehicle may have a passenger airbag that may not deploy as intended, increasing risk of injury. Toyota indicated that they do not have a remedy for this recall and that their estimate would be available in the 3rd quarter of 2024. I was at the dealership on 2/13 and asked if they could check the sensor for the airbag but I was told... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2023
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request: CVT transmission failed. Was inspected by a third party How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk: the car was unable to accelerated on the highway. We nearly got hit Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center: The Same problem was evident in ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2021
1-16-24:car wouldn’t open and start; jump-started by AAA to dealer; dealer kept overnight & checked battery: said charge held, ready to go home. 1-30-24, 4 pm-ish: able to start n drive, but check engine& eyesight warning light came on- late in day, so didn’t drive to dealer. 1-31-24: car dead; jump-started by AAA again & drove to dealer. On 2-1-24, dealer sends a video & says replaced battery... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
I was passing another vehicle around 45mph when I had a loss of power in acceleration. Acceleration was limp went down to 10mph engine light came on. I had to pull off road. Shut car off then restarted. Engine light went off. But acceleration is weak. Unable to maneuver away from an emergency situation if need to. Dangerous to drive it like this. I will take it to dealership but know they' never f... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
There seems to be a lot of people who own 2012 and 2013 Mazda 3 Sedans (with SKYACTIV-G 2.0L and Halogen Type Headlights) that are dealing with the same issue I am dealing with myself. I have just purchased a used 2013 Mazda 3 with Skyactive Technology and I noticed that when I was braking the headlights would pulse on and off and would continue while I braked. I have been told there is a TSB o... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
There seems to be a lot of people who own 2012 and 2013 Mazda 3 Sedans (with SKYACTIV-G 2.0L and Halogen Type Headlights) that are dealing with the same issue I am dealing with myself. I have just purchased a used 2013 Mazda 3 with Skyactive Technology and I noticed that when I was braking the headlights would pulse on and off and would continue while I braked. I have been told there is a TSB o... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
Vehicle braked suddenly without stepping on the brake pedal. The vehicle then started to make beeping sounds. The vehicle is available for inspection. Luckily this happened in the evening and there were no cars in close proximity. This could have caused serious injury or death. This was the first occurrence. The vehicle has not yet been taken to the dealer. No inspections have been made. T... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 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 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 confirm... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2020
My car has been flipping into manual mode from a stopped position. It’s happened about a dozen times at this point. I’ve taken it to the dealership multiple times. The first time I took it in they said they did some software updates. A few weeks later it happened again. Took it back in… they said they couldn’t find anything wrong. They tried to tell me it was “user error”. Since then ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
Driving down the road and suddenly all the lights came on and lost power steering there was no warning. Nothing. It stopped working. I then see something today in regards to this being an issue and when I contact ford about it was nothing we can do. Ford did not make this very public and I bet if you people expanded this to other newer models and made it public you might find more people that hav... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System Diesel) 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 experie... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving below 15 MPH, the transmission began jerking and slipping and there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 17, 2023
The is WATER in my right front FOG lamp and I don't know how it got in there, but Tesla says they can't get water out of it and can't reseal it, but is willing to let me pay $504 to replace a light... this is yet another Billionaire abusive practice by Elon Musk to generate cash flow and revenue for his failing company. Telsa also asked for $15,000 for a new battery, which the "software" said it... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The car had a NTSB recall on the engine. The engine needed to be replaced. After having the engine replaced I was told to pick up the vehicle which shook profusely and then had a check engine light come on only minutes from driving away from the dealership. I turn around and returned the vehicle immediately to have it remedy the situation. It took over a month and the second time I was told to pic... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
Steering drifts to right. 2 wheel alignments have been done. Alignment checked a 3rd time, showed correct alignment. Steering motor torque input reset. Vehicle drove fine for a few hours but started drifting again to the right.
Incident date: Feb 12, 2022
Severe uncontrollable shaking of the front wheels. I had to slow down to about 10 miles an hour on the freeway, people has to swerve to avoid me. It has happened 4 times in the last 3,000 miles. The date below is the most recent time it happened. I'll be taking it to the Ford Dealership.
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
My steering wheel is like using manual steering, it is very hard to turn it seems to get stuck in certain positions, easier in another spot when turning, then gets stuck again. It is very hard to turn, no lights on the dashboard, no error codes. This is a huge safety concern if I am driving and can no longer steer my vehicle safely. I see so many other complaining about this problem with 2014, why... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2024
ABS system has failed and damaged the traction control module. Speedometer does not work and brake lights stay on constantly. Power steering assist does not work. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealer and cannot get the parts to fix these issues.
Incident date: Jan 16, 2024
Unintentional acceleration
Incident date: Dec 20, 2023
There appears to be an electrical problem when locking/unlocking the doors, and a loud buzz occurs and at times, the doors hesitate to lock or unlock, which in my opinion, is a safety hazard.
Incident date: Dec 6, 2023
Woke up to leave house and steering wheel was very stiff and hard to control
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
At approximately 13:12 CST on [XXX], I exited the car wash at a gas station in Rochester, MN. I drove around to the front of the gas station to park so I could go inside to replenish the car wash card. At approximately 13:13 CST, as I was turning right, pulling into the parking space near the entrance, the truck accelerated unexpectedly and collided with a cement parking pilon (sp?). I am unsure... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 3, 2024
Defective Brake Actuator and Safety Concerns in 2014 Lexus CT200h I am writing to express my deep concern and disappointment regarding a critical safety issue with my 2014 Lexus CT200h. I have recently discovered that the brake actuator in my vehicle is defective, potentially compromising my safety and the safety of others on the road. Details of the Issue: I have experienced all of my brake wa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 3500. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the ABS and EBS warning lights remained illuminated. The contact stated that while the failure occurred, the cruise control feature was inoperable. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 151,000.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The automatic shut off feature causes the car to lose all power. No power at all in the middle of traffic and I can't even use hazard lights to warn anyone. When at a stop the auto shut off turns off the car and when I take my foot off the brake it completely dies. It has happened 5 times in the last 3 days. Very dangerous. Imagine this happening on the freeway during rush hour. It's a miracle if ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
Chevy sold the Equinox knowing full well that it had engine problems. The oil system fails, using oil at an excessive rate and oil dumping from engine. They were aware that around 80,000 miles the car would need over $4000 in repairs. They also knew the timing chain gets off timing causing over $2000 in repairs. Both of which happened to my vehicle within 6 months. The Engine ceased up and was und... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2023
The problem was related to Fuel pump malfunction, gas leaking. I was advice by a mechanic not to drive the car if there was a fuel leak. A jeep dealer replaced the fuel pump for a coast, since it was out of warranty 41,600 miles on it, but it is much less than the expected life for that part. I was driving on a Highway and suddenly the car started to stumbling and stopped, no lights or warnings, o... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
Application of the brakes causes complete vehicle shutdown along with message to check electrical system. Brakes appear to fail for a brief moment, then mechanical brakes kick in. Car has zero power until stopped and restarted. Problem is reproducible a high percentage of the time provided the brakes are pressed more than just lightly or briefly. At nearly full charge, this defect can also be tri... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2024
On February 7 at 2:30 I came home, and my car was unable to turn off. I’ll try several times to turn off the car by pressing the on and off button. While driving back to work, the car change gear from being in Drive, and it went into neutral while I was driving. I was able to pull over and I was able to turn off the car by pressing the button. The entire dashboard lights came on with all the... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2024
My 2018 Ford Focus has not been running correctly since about 30000 miles. As I accelerate, the car has trouble shifting into the next gear and will make a rattle noise that sounds like an object hitting against a fan blade. This makes it difficult to speed up on the freeway or accelerate correctly when I get a green light. I take it into the dealership regularly for an oil change and tune up but ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2024
My 2018 Ford Focus has not been running correctly since about 30000 miles. As I accelerate, the car has trouble shifting into the next gear and will make a rattle noise that sounds like an object hitting against a fan blade. This makes it difficult to speed up on the freeway or accelerate correctly when I get a green light. I take it into the dealership regularly for an oil change and tune up but ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
When you drive the car the transmission fails. less than 48 hours ago I just bought this 2008 Saturn vue certified pre owned and I’ve been reading a lot of review’s about the specific model of car and a lot of other people that have had this car has had the same common experience I will attach a screenshot of what I’m talking about down below I seriously think someone should look into this i... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
When you drive the car the transmission fails. less than 48 hours ago I just bought this 2008 Saturn vue certified pre owned and I’ve been reading a lot of review’s about the specific model of car and a lot of other people that have had this car has had the same common experience I will attach a screenshot of what I’m talking about down below I seriously think someone should look into this i... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2024
There are 18 complaints about the passenger airbag sensor that should have been reported as a recall. Buick issued a Special Coverage Adjustment notice for the passenger Presence sensor Reference Number: [XXX] Letter was sent to all customers; I did not ever receive it as i purchased this vehicle as used from the BUICK dealership in EL PASO TX. I recently started experiencing error messages with m... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
Power steering has gone out with Power Steering System Failure, Advance Track Failure alerts appearing upon cranking vehicle. Steering wheel locked up. This is an issue with the 2011-2013 and 2015-2017 and covered under warranty but not the 2014. How can it be an issue, not be an issue for a year, and then be an issue again?
Incident date: Aug 15, 2023
I drove with my family south bound on i95 and between exit 6-5 the engine light came on out of no where and the gas peddle and brake stopped working. My luck was that I was on the right lane and I pulled over to shoulder of the highway till the car stopped. after 5-10 min I turned the car on and I was able to crawl to exit 5 ramp driving barely 10-15mph. The engine was making knocking sounds and t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2023
Rotted frame after 9 years old truck
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
Cruise control will apply brakes when lane ahead is clear. This happens multiple times per trip, every trip. Automatic emergency braking way too aggressive. Has nearly caused me to be rear ended twice. I try to remember to disable it every drive. I wish I could permanently disable it.
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
Rear window frame is leaking during rain or heavy dew. Causing saturated headliner, seats and carpet. Mold could develop and become a health factor. My 2 kids always ride in the back seat. This is a known issue for GM and are not taking action to correct this problem. Vehicle started leaking with 25,000 miles.
Incident date: Nov 4, 2023
The contact's son owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer due to an oil leak caused by a puncture in the oil filter. The vehicle was repaired. The contact's son had informed the dealer that he had been smelling a fuel odor inside the vehicle; however, the dealer informed the contact's son that the odor was probably a burning oil odor. The vehicle was... Read more
Incident date: Dec 18, 2023
On Sunday, January 4th, the tailgate of the truck began unlatching and opening on its own. It has done this repeatedly since that date. Only unlatches when the vehicle is in park and unlocked. The electronic latch will continue to cycle (click) after the tailgate has initially opened. Exterior taillights and side markers flash as they should with each cycle. This issue is identical to the war... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine block was cracked and the oil sending unit was damaged. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure a... Read more
Incident date: Feb 4, 2024
Sunday 2/42004 the car just shut off on me brakes stop working could turn could stop
Incident date: Feb 4, 2024
We parked our vehicle and turned it off to go get dessert. Upon returning after 15 minutes, I pushed the "start/stop" button with my foot on the brake, and the car powered on but for some reason it thought it was in D. The car refused to start and kept showing a message to put the car into P. However, the P button wasn't responding when pushed, and no matter which direction I turned the shift dial... Read more