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: Mar 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Tucson. 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 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. Par... Read more
Incident date: Dec 16, 2023
Paint peeling and chips easily.
Incident date: Mar 6, 2024
Driver door side mirror cracked into 2 pieces. The Blind Side Assistance light still works. Just glass crack. Seemed to happen after or during a cold snap. It just showed up. I had been hearing a loud click or crack sounds from that area off and on while driving.
Incident date: Mar 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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 manufa... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Mercedes-Benz C300W. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the power steering warning light illuminated and the power steering seized. 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 unknown.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
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 that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil pressure warning light illu... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz C300. The contact stated that while driving 60-65 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal whistling sound. Additionally, the contact stated that while the vehicle was at the car wash, and she became aware that water was leaking inside the vehicle through the windshield bonded panel. An independent mechanic was contacted and informed the contact that the front windsh... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
Right front camera is blocked by plastic since manufacture. The adaptive cruise control and forward emergency braking do not work reliably unless the object is the left visual field. My car will accelerate into a car in front with no emergency braking. No accident. so far, because I have been able to avoid accidents by braking myself. The problem was diagnosed by Diablo Subaru of Walnut Creek.... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2024
The rear power outlet caught fire while driving today 03/05/2024. Nothing was plugged in to the outlet.
Fire
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
All warning lights related to the Honda Sensing driver assist features come on and the assist features are inoperative. Vehicle still drives fine but even normal cruise control is no longer an option. Some warning notifications pop back up while driving even after dismissed which is rather distracting.
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed with cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced a loss of traction control and brake performance. The cruise control then inadvertently deactivated. The Service Electronic Brake System message was displayed, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the speedometer and tachome... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2024
Losing all breaking from abs dealership says $3000 to replace abs brake actuator module. I have been hearing from other second generation owners this is a common problem and it vecomes unsafe when you lose brake functioning in traffic additionally it was an extended warranty twice with no milage limitations but wondering why itvwasntvrecalled. Now I fear driving because u safe yet I am unable to... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reas... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2024
My car died at McDonalds and we had to push it out of the way. I was on lunch with coworker. Then it started and on the way back to work the car just stopped. We did not get hit but we sure could have. I had to have my car towed to dealer with my triple A. They told me I needed a new transmission. After many calls and much haggling I decided to purchase a transmission if I could have the old... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
My engine RPM would randomly lock to 4000 rpms while driving, i could rev the car or apply the brakes but it will sit their until it decides to respond. This has happened a few times and mostly down hill and flats. Difficult to replicate. Cooling system has been a plague at around 80k miles i've had to replace a clamp at the back near the water outlet flange which i was quoted $2000 for just the ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 14, 2022
[XXX] , at 75 MPH, the engine quit running. Had to pull over into the left shoulder as the construction on the freeway prevented any other movement. After the truck stopped, I turned off the key and then restarted it. No other problem like this have occurred since (3Months). There were no warning signs or warning lamps. Feel free to inspect. Truck has not been inspected. INFORMATION REDACTED PUR... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2023
2012 Hyundai Sonata engine ceased on [XXX] heading west away from Dallas, Texas on [XXX] leaving my young daughter stranded in the middle of nowhere on her way to Lubbock Texas. Daughter had car towed by AAA to the closest Hyundai dealer and Hyundai dealer did not advise daughter that recalled engine due to known failures that been replaced in or about 2011 at approx 60,000 miles was an engine kno... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
On [XXX], I was driving from Victorville, CA to Las Vegas, NV on [XXX] northbound. Between [XXX] two incidents occurred. Both incidents involve phantom braking. My vehicle was in autopilot mode, which is essentially traffic aware cruise control. I was traveling at 70MPH and passed a semi-truck. I changed lanes back into the right lane after passing the truck. About 30 seconds later, the car slamme... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
Sudden engine stalling in the middle of a highway with extremely heavy traffic and stopped in the center lane. Needs to wait inside the car with a passenger in a very scary, tense situation and exposed to serious accident, until a towing arrive for about 1.5 hrs later. The car was towed to the dealer. Since I was in the middle of a highway, I wasn’t able to exit the car to verify the car. But, ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
goes into 4th gear and will not shift up or down DTC P1DD2 gas leaking from sending unit area and fan wont kick on untilk 230F also has electrical problems
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
Check engine light appears, also a blue engine and a turtle. The dealer is aware, they have had it 3times for the same issue and this time 23 days and counting. Currently Mercedes has no fix. I purchased the veh 30 Nov 23- first appeared 16 dec and continued going on and off.
Incident date: Feb 16, 2024
NHTSA Recall Number 23V651000. The manufacturer has been working on this recall for several months. We have two young children and are extremeley uncomfortable driving a vehicle that could catch fire at any moment. Four months without our second vehicle is not ok. We want to have our hyundai purchased from us at KBB value so that we can pay off the reamining loan and acquire a new safe card for ou... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2023
In November 2019 Technical Service Bulletin: 51-1058, was issued because medicine cabinets were falling off the walls in multiple Forest River 2019 and 2020 units including amongst others the RPOD 195. "WHAT IS THE ISSUE? The medicine cabinet may detach from the bathroom wall during transit." Apparently Forest River did not fix the problem in their manufacturing process as our medicine cabine... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2024
Over the last month I noticed that my brakes would feel funny sometimes, like they were going to just grab suddenly vs stopping slowly. Then yesterday, 2/27/24, I received a warning that my ESC and ABS systems needed service and that I no longer had AWD capability. The message would stay on for several minutes, then shut off for several minutes, then come back on again.
Incident date: Nov 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Grand Design Reflection Fifth Wheel RV. The contact stated that the rear stabilizers remained significantly close to the ground while retracted. The contact was concerned that the issue could cause the RV to strike the ground while driving or reversing. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure m... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
The contact's daughter owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the power steering assist, traction control, and hill stop assist warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replace... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2024
The contact's daughter owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the power steering assist, traction control, and hill stop assist warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replace... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2024
Delivered an unfinished or car with a broken part,Seat Problem not locking properly, Electrical Problem, Engine Light Came on, ESP warning, Suspension Problem, Battery Problem, Steering Jerking, Mirror Problem which they said Mercedes Benz aware of it, some sort of sound, car getting hot excessively.
Incident date: Feb 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle began to jerk. The RPM increased, but the vehicle failed to accelerate. The RPM decreased, and the RPM went to the correct level. After reaching an approximate speed of 40 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate further. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact called the local deale... Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 2024
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Electrical malfunction errors came on, brakes, and engine control warning lights came on. The speedometer dashboard went dark. The car started shaking. The car started to slow down on its own. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I was traveling at 76mph on a six lane highway. Th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 9, 2023
Truck has zero warning lights, zero visible issues, nothing is "wrong" with the truck. However, the truck runs horribly. It is terrifying to drive. Anything over 35mph is scary. It drives like the back wheels are about to come out from under it. The truck violently shakes. Sometimes it accelerates, sometimes not, randomly downshift, random upshifts, random power loss, randomly the breaks stop wor... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2024
I bought the car back in 2022 and since then the stop/start started malfunctioning. At first it would stop then be hesitant to start back up then 6 months later it completely would stall at lights and stop signs. Now the aux battery is draining my main battery and I’ve had to tow my car 3 times because I’ve been left stranded. I’m now in that same predicament and it’s 2/26/24
Incident date: Feb 9, 2024
The instrument panel that shows the speed and battery capacity went blank and was black. The car still drove and I was only 4 miles from home. I was not able to tell what speed I was traveling at, what warning condition or alarms may have been triggered and I did not know what the charge was on the car. Turning the car off and back on did not change the screen, it remained blank. I left the t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
Vehicle's engine will not start. When attempting to start, it will turn on all usual electrical components, but will immediately show an warning message to "Stop Safely Now" along with an engine light of a red outlined truck with exclamation mark. Followed by a message of accessory mode on, however the engine will not start with no access to power steering or shifting gears. Normal attempts t... Read more
Incident date: Feb 25, 2024
This car is a PHEV. I experienced a drivetrain malfunction warning noted on instrument display. Vehicle states it can continue to be driven “moderately” with reduced drivetrain output. This is similar to an incident recently in which the instrument cluster stopped working following a drivetrain warning on the instrument cluster. Dealer has not yet diagnosed this latest problem but for the ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
Stereo head unit has white spots all over screen. Radio skips stations, calls numbers on my phone when connected to the car, touch screen does not work properly not allowing to turn it on or off or stop random skipping of stations or activity. Unable to see back camera when in reverse due to multiple spots on touchscreen.
Incident date: Jul 12, 2023
The rear door will not open from the inside or the outside. Apparently this is a door lock actuator issue experinced by many volvo owners. It is extremely dangerous not to be able to open a rear door in the case of an accident or other incident where you need to enter or exit the car. Dealer confirms that there is an issue with these. No warning message appears when inoperable.
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
The transmission is shuddering, hard shifting, shuddering and lunging into gear. It is the 6L80 transmission Also has little to no power, took it to the dealership for diagnosis and they say the transmission is bad, torque converter is also bad sending metal throughout the rest of the transmission.
Incident date: Feb 18, 2024
Kia dealership sold me a used vehicle with an active and very recent URGENT safety recall with no remedy at this time! Knowing I’d be driving to and from daughters school & work every day with my child in it. I started to smell burning so I looked up issues the car may have to find out this information.
Incident date: Feb 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds on several occasions with the vehicle in 2WD, the contact observed a loud clicking noise coming from the front wheels. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed twice that the driver's side actuator and the passenger's side hub assembly and actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired.... Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 2024
I have had the rear defroster tab re soldered at dealer under warranty. I don't use the rear defroster because it is parked in garage. After a cold spell at the end of January 2024 heading out on road trip I turned on the rear defroster, 5 minutes down the road the rear window exploded sending glass everywhere. When inspecting the broken window I noticed a burn mark on a sticker where the tab is c... Read more
Incident date: Feb 22, 2024
When opening driverside door, hinge broke making it difficult to close door securely. Had to have the hinge replaced.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Tucson. The contact stated while driving 74 MPH with the cruise control activated, the Forward Collision Avoidance system activated, after which the Automatic Emergency Braking activated, causing a rapid deceleration to the vehicle. The contact was able to regain control of the vehicle by lightly tapping the brake pedal, deactivating the system. The vehicle returned t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2024
My engine has locked up at 60,000 miles . I got the car when it was only 30,000 miles on it back in Jan 2021. It locked up on me in Oct 2022. I took it to the Carolina Hyundai dealership . Corporate will not help me get the engine fixed because of the first owner not keeping up with the oil changes . But I did my part in keeping up with the vehicle maintenance. I even tried filing this with BBB Au... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Buick Enclave. 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 confirms par... Read more
Incident date: Feb 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal would depress to the floorboard while depressed. The brake pedal needed to be pumped repeatedly to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to two separate independent mechanics who both confirmed that the issue was related to the brake booster. The dealer was notified of the failure and the cont... Read more