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
ACURA
MDX SPORT HYBRID
(2019) - FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Jan 30, 2024
Incident date: Aug 10, 2023
It have come to my attention by Tesla that NHTSA instructed Tesla to disabled auto steering for a week time, unlike in the past that it would be disabled for the rest of the drive, we have a 2023 Mercedes eqs with same system and had other cars in the past with this system, this does not exist in any other car manufacturer and you did not instruct any other manufacturers to suspend the system for ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Saturn Aura. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the electronic power steering failed, causing the steering wheel to become difficult to turn in either direction. After immediately turning the vehicle off and restarting, the power steering failure was corrected and operated as designed. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Jan 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that the message "Electric Mode Unavailable" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown repair was performed; however, the failure persisted. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V787000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Impreza. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V624000 (Exterior Lighting) 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 no... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
Upon purchasing my vehicle the frame bolt had rattled loose and the motor mounts were broke because of how hard the engine rattles.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
Hyundai issued a recall related to brake fluid leaking onto an ABS module back on September 22, 2023 (NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 23V651000). To this date, Hyundai has not offered a solution and the leaking is causing the brakes to not engage as they should. (I'm having to fill the brake fluid on a daily basis). In addition to the inconvenience, it adds an unnecessary expense of purchasing brake fluid.... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2024
As I was driving my rear left control arm broke due to corrosion. At the time, my traction control light came on as the car was sliding. I assumed the car was sliding due to the rain storm that was taking place. Once I parked my car, and later used it again prior to noticing the broken pair, the Traction control light turned off. I later discovered the issue when my car continued to slide on the d... Read more
Incident date: Jan 28, 2024
Truck will turn on once in awhile and I was told it is the ipdm module and that there's a recall on the part. What can I do to get the part sent to me since there is a recall and the mechanic told me that with a recall I can get the part sent to me at no cost to me
Incident date: Jan 20, 2024
Burning smell and smoke. No oil leak. Car will not start. I do not have another vehicle to use. I have 2 young children
Incident date: Jan 20, 2024
my back-up camera is not working properly- very blurry/foggy01
Incident date: Jan 17, 2024
The HRV was placed in a closed garage on 1/26/2024. The next morning, I discovered the back windshield had shattered. It looked at if it exploded from the inside. The hole left had glass on the outside curved outward.
Incident date: Jan 23, 2024
The car starts to shudder after driving over a gap in the road or bumpy pavement. Usually at around 50-60mph. Had two episodes that were minor and then a week later on the same drive two more episodes with much more intense vibrations. Had to quickly reduce speed to stop the resonance and vibration in each case. Will be checking for loose parts below the vehicle, which has about 8500 miles on it.
Incident date: Jan 27, 2024
I was preparing to go to work and started the vehicle. It was a cold morning and almost immediately after pressing the start button the back glass exploded into my driveway and into the cargo area of the vehicle.
Incident date: Oct 1, 2023
23V-838 This recall made my car less safe, you should not have forced this change on my car I do not like it. It makes the car unsafe
Incident date: Oct 21, 2023
GM is out of control . I have a front passenger control arm assembly in the shop for 2 months. No update on service part because they have changed the part number as the 2016 is unsafe. I need my service part or a new car . It's unsafe to drive and GM will not provide any update on ETW because there is a safety issue with this part. They already killed over 100 people from the ignition switch... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2024
I purchased a used vehicle from Victory Dodge Dealship in Kansas City three days later, the ABS traction control all my sensors, cruise control four-wheel-drive locked out on me, kicked out the cruise control on the highway was not sure what was going on someone behind me almost ran into me thought something was wrong with the truck, so I went to pull over slowly hitting the brakes like I normally... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
Car has 55,000 miles on it and is displaying "shift to park" on dash when car is in park and shut off. I was unable to get the car to go into the park gear for 11 minutes and was only able to do so by starting the car, putting the car in drive and shifting back to park repeatedly.
Incident date: Jan 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the driver's side door spot weld was fractured. The contact stated that the door was difficult to close. The driver's side window also failed to open as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the hinge and door weld had failed. The mechan... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. 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 local dealer was not contacted. Th... Read more
Incident date: Dec 4, 2023
The steering failed causing the vehicle to not be able to turn left. The dealership replaced the entire steering column to correct the issue. The failure happened while being driven by my daughter nearly causing a crash. She was able to stop and back up in the road as the vehicle would turn right but not left. The issue after the initial incident cleared up and did not affect the vehicle oper... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her son was driving approximately 70 MPH, the engine revved, and the vehicle started losing motive power. Additionally, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that her son turned on the hazard lights and veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly jerked and hesitated before returning to normal functionality. The message "Transmission Overheated" was displayed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the TCM and actuators A... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while opening the driver's side front door, the door made an abnormal popping sound. The contact stated that the abnormal popping sound had become more intense as if the door was going to detach from the frame. Additionally, the contact stated that the driver's side window was no longer operating as designed. The contact had taken the ve... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2024
When seated in my car, I turned the steering wheel and I heard a clunk noise by the driver side. After trying to turn it back, my car dropped and I checked outside and it looks like something related to the axle or arms caused the issue. My axle seems to have separated and fell off and a bolt came off. This is a safety issue and I could’ve died if I was driving at higher speeds like on a highway... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2019
Safety issue: "Engine Stopped/Started: Due to Steering Power Low" Yesterday, it was heavy rain. My new 2022 RAV4 shut down and would not start due to the warning sign "Steering Power Low." I restarted a few times, but the whole car was jerking and the rpm's were fluttering up and down. The yellow check engine light and the orange warning signs, followed by an exclamation point, came on, along wit... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2023
Started the car, dash had multiple warning lights for "drive start control system", "ev system malfunction" and "systems not available" (all safety systems were off). Took car to dealer, they said the car stored no codes, reset the car, took it home. Two days later- same thing happened but also this time the car had NO HEAT. Luckily the heated seats worked but it was 20 degrees F and I had to driv... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2023
the second row seat belts come disengaged while driving. We will buckle in our child, double check it is locked by pulling on seat belt and a couple minutes later it will disengage from the buckle and come undone. This is happening on a regular basis with our Palisade and the dealer/corporate office has no notes on this issue. If you search online you will see numerous reports about others ex... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2023
The car has an "Engine Malfunction" emergency light that goes on. I brought the car into the dealer right away - the car had $1k miles and is brand new, so it's quite scary to get this message. They cleared the error and told me not to worry about it, but were unable to provide a solution. It recurred immediately (within 1-2 days). I reached out to the service department and they told me to igno... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2016
The steering on this vehicle will stick at times when driving on the highway. When steering to the left or right off of center, there is a noticeable resistance before the steering wheel will turn. There are no warning lamps or other messages that appear on the instrument cluster. I have called the dealer and there is no recall at this time. I also called Honda customer service and they said that ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2016
The contact owned a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V787000 (Electrical System) however, the parts to repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the vehicle was charging for 2 hours in the driveway when it caught on fire. No one was injured during the fire and the vehicle was destroyed. The fire and police department was notified and the ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
I’m in Bradley, Illinois, and after the first snowfall, these indicators lit up. The ABS, the ESC, and the 4WD. I thought because of inclement weather, they would go off, but have remained lit for a couple of weeks now. One day, while driving to work, the throttle lagged, and I couldn’t accelerate past 20 mph for over 10 minutes amidst heavy traffic. When this occurred, the ABS light turned of... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2024
When it first started to malfunction, my car would suddenly loose power out of nowhere and pretty much stop wherever. It's done it when I was crossing a busy intersection and it stalled right in the middle of the road causing other cars to have to stop or go around me. It has also stopped while I was driving on the freeway. I didn't even have enough power or momentum to pull off to a safe lane and... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Sentra. The contact stated while pressing the Push to Start button to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that a message indicating that the vehicle could not read the key fob was displayed; however, the key fob was in her pocket. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the contact that the battery and the key fob battery were... Read more
Incident date: Dec 30, 2023
Electronic Braking System Needs Service Error that can't be addressed at the dealership.
Incident date: Jan 23, 2024
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 issue. The conta... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2023
I have been the owner of a 2023 Mazda CX-30 since July 2023. On [XXX], 2023, I received automated warnings on the dashboard and through the Mazda App stating, "ActiveSense system malfunction. ActiveSense advanced safety and driver support system may not operate correctly." The service department at the dealership where I purchased the car explained that the sensors had overheated due to the hot we... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Tucson. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle was running rough and would not accelerate as needed. The contact also stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled, was shaking, and made an abnormally loud sound while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the deale... Read more
ACURA
TLX
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
Jan 22, 2024
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
The contact owns 2014 Chrysler 200. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering and chugging. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure persisted, and the vehicle became undrivable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The mechanic... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2019
While driving 70mph on the highway my oil pressure light came on and I loss all power to my engine. I tried pressing the brakes and nothing happened. I lost ability to accelerate and then the brakes got hard and locked up so therefore lost ability to stop. I was able to coast off of an exit off the highway and had to try to not cause an accident until my car finally coasted to a stop. I had it tow... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2019
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle had collected snow and while opening the trunk, the spoiler fractured. The vehicle was taken to an Auto Body shop, where it was determined that the spoiler needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer was contacted, and a voicemail message was left. The manufacturer was not notified of the failur... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated after pulling to the side of the roadway to allow a Fire truck to go by, the vehicle experienced rough idling. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while the vehicle was idling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replac... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated after pulling to the side of the roadway to allow a Fire truck to go by, the vehicle experienced rough idling. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while the vehicle was idling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replac... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
Rear camera stopped working, just shows a pink screen on the dashboard
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
Left front door hinge arm broke because of a failed weld. Dealer says it’s not covered and I have to pay for full door replacment.
Incident date: Jan 21, 2024
While driving, the truck started shuttering and as I was able to stop where I was, the D light was flashing and the truck died. It would not start, it would not let me put it in N to be able to try and get off the road.
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that there was a mixture of fluid and oil inside the rear passenger’s side wheel, and onto the brake calipers and the rear axle. The dealer determined that the passenger's side rear axle seal was leaking. The dealer replaced the passenger's side rear axle seal. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle je... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2024
Propulsion power reduced message appears on dash board. Yes available for inspection. Unsafe to drive losing power on highway. Yes there are warning error messages appearing on dashboard.
Incident date: Dec 23, 2023
While driving the 12V battery system failed as well as the high voltage charging system. The vehicle lost traction control in the rain and was slipping on the road. The forward collision detection also intermittently goes out. If you are in one pedal driving mode and using adaptive cruise control when the forward collision detection goes out it will deactivate adaptive cruise control and apply en... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2024
The vehicle's front windshield has cracked twice in nearly the exact same manner, location, and type of damage. In both cases, a presumably very small piece of debris that I couldn't see and could barely hear hit the windshield and instantly cracked the windshield. The windshield cracked in the same manner (one large lateral crack about 8" towards the center and 6" all the way through the right si... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2024
My 2008 jeep has the death wobble ,how to get fixed07