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: Jun 6, 2023
Vehicle began hesitating when starting, but not all of the time. One day after refueling it would not start. Lights on the dashboard flashed and flickered and the keyless start button made a clicking sound, but the vehicle would not start. Vehicle was towed to the nearest mechanic. The next morning the mechanic started the vehicle and found nothing wrong. Mechanic kept the vehicle for a couple day... Read more
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
Car oil consumption. Caused engine to seize. No warning no lights.
Incident date: Jun 6, 2023
I was getting my oil changed and the guy told me that my engine was no longer bolted down, that it can move all around. I called Chrysler and they told me that they would charge me to diagnose the problem and that it would not be covered under warranty. I took it to another shop and they said that it was not bolted down, because the bolts that Chrysler used were bad. It is so frustrating that my e... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
The emergency brake lights up and engages randomly. This has happened several times while driving, causing the vehicle to slow to a stop, and requiring a restart.
Incident date: Jun 17, 2023
June 24th 2023 on a sunny day right after i start my truck ( truck still on my drive way) trailer brake system service notice came on. I don't have any trailer on that truck at that time. This truck trailer brake system service notice on & off and beep too, it keep my eye off the road the most time this is danger this vehicle never been to accident or even small hit...PLEASE GET CHEVY FIX THIS PRO... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
It want start and has something to do with air control
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
My passenger air bag is falling it says passenger frontal squib 2 control circuit open it also says check air bag system on the dashboard of the car the car was in an accident it has a branded title but when they fix the cars don't they have to make sure the airbags are safe and the vehicle is safe to operate the car is financed and I am paying for it and my 3rd party warranty does not cover air b... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2023
When I parked my car and stopped the engine after driving for 90 min/62 miles on June 22, 2023, I found that I couldn't lock my car's door, through my remote, door handle or the switch inside the door. Upon further examination, I saw complete loss of the power: no light, no audio, no other accessory power, no start of engine. Foot press on the brake feels heavy/less responsive. One hr after the i... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2021
I am having an identical issues as described in NHTSA ID Number 11526094. Vehicle hesitates when accelerating from a stop. Have been almost hit a couple times as it is unpredictable when this happens. This is a dangerous behavior and I cannot in clear conscience sell this minivan to another family. I have returned it to the dealer multiple times and they were eventually able to reproduce the prob... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
Just took my 2020 VW Tiguan in for routine maintenance and was told that my rear brake pads and rotors were down to 3&4 millimeters and had to be replaced. The front brakes were both at 8 millimeters and are fine. This appears to be a very strange wear pattern in that front brakes should take the most pressure. If the rear brakes brake harder than the front it could cause loss of control and “fi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, the rear middle seat belt locking mechanism suddenly became unlocked causing the car seat to become unsecured. While attempting the reattach the seat belt, it was discovered that the seat belt locking mechanism would not remain securely locked. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local ... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2023
Display screen regularly & unexpectedly malfunctions while the vehicle is in motion. During these times, the display screen dims, goes dark, freezes, or goes into full bright mode. This continues throughout a cycle until the can can be stopped & restarted. Also, the windshield continues to crack along the base from side to side without any noticeable damages prior & I continue to have it replaced.
Incident date: Jun 22, 2023
The automatic trunk does not work. I'm unable to open and/or use my trunk. Moon roof does not open Airbag light is on Vehicle jerks very hard while operating in drive
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the Lane Keep Assist Unavailable message was displayed. The dealer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact stated that the failure had caused other safety features to not operate as designed. The contact stated that the Blind Spot and Forward Collision Avoidance feature failed to ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 3, 2019
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the front driver’s and passenger’s side pillar covers detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V316000 (Structure) and stated that the pillar covers were not a part of the repair. The vehicle w... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2023
Smart drive unit/transmission
Incident date: Jan 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle was shaking abnormally without warning. The contact stated that after the transmission upshifted, the vehicle stopped shaking. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted or notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 96,000.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model X. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the roof trim detached from the vehicle. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V710000 (Structure) however, the VIN was not included. The man... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
The Column Shifter that is installed on all 2024 GMC Sierra 2500HDs and 3500HDs poses a potential safety risk to its passengers and other drivers on the road. When the column shifter of the vehicle is in the standard drive position the shifter covers part of the screen and the direct path to the radio volume control dial and infotainment home button. It has been found and replicated that attemptin... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
We have recently experienced a significant and concerning increase in incidents of phantom braking and have thus far been unable to receive an adequate response from Tesla. We have had at least six instances of this occurring today, 16-Jun-2023 in the first 6-7 hours of our cross-country drive, and I’ve shared these time stamps with Tesla service. This is because we experienced this same thing... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
For some time now, before I was aware of this service, my car warning lights indicate that there is an issue with my forward collision, my lane departure, and the lane keeping assistance. It further indiscretion to clean my front windshield. I do so, but the warning still remains. Then some time will pass and the warning goes off. This warning happens sporadically, even giving impression of some ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
The fuel pump relay circuit board has a failed point in the soldering, causing the car to intermittently stall and die on the road. My safety was at risk because my car died randomly with no warning on a busy road. Can not even limp car to side of road. The part is being replaced by dealer where car was purchased, but a quick internet search provides thousands of similar results. There were no ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
The fuel pump relay circuit board has a failed point in the soldering, causing the car to intermittently stall and die on the road. My safety was at risk because my car died randomly with no warning on a busy road. Can not even limp car to side of road. The part is being replaced by dealer where car was purchased, but a quick internet search provides thousands of similar results. There were no ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
A copy of this report is being submitted to the FBI, CIA, DOJ, my attorney and then I'm mailing it via USPS to my Attorney General [XXX] which responded to me about this car about a year ago saying she would investigate it. Yesterday my wife and I drove to Chevy and put a deposit on a new gasoline SUV. On the way back all the safety features disabled themselves and the car radio played "Break the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Genesis GV70. The contact stated while driving into a parking space, the vehicle accelerated independently without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed. On another occasion while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle was pulling and failed to drive straight in the middle of the lane. The contact turned off the Lane Keep Assist feature however, the feature independently reactivated.... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
While driving, in the middle of the high way, the car shuts off and stops and when restarted it wouldn’t go. Stopped, twice this month and three time total this year, on the Highway thank god no accident.
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Highland. The contact stated that while at a traffic light, and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 13,000. The contact s... Read more
Incident date: Jun 12, 2023
Passenger headlight continues to go out, replaced bulb and wiring harness multiple times
ACURA
MDX
(2022) — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:ABS WARNING LIGHT
Jun 12, 2023
Incident date: May 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while approaching a red traffic light, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to come to an immediate stop and instead coasted at a low speed. The contact turned off the vehicle and the vehicle come to a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who replaced the rotors and brake pads... Read more
Incident date: Jun 4, 2023
The backup camera malfunctioned. The malfunction was reported to the Ford dealer. No replacement part is available from Ford. The car is still under warranty, but Ford is making no efforts to repair or replace this mandatory safety component of my car.
Incident date: Jun 10, 2023
My MCU (onboard computer system) glitched out and the screen began flickering. I lost all of the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, navigation, music, phone link, sunroof venting, climate control, including defrost. The screen froze and I had no functions. This has happened 4 times, possibly a 5th time, while driving in the last 6000 miles. I put in a service request to Tesla and they ran a ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2022
Third time this week I have been thrown forward into the steering wheel with no cars or objects surrounding me.
Incident date: Mar 15, 2022
Purchased my 2012 Corvette Grand Sport used on 06/08/2023 and the first night parked in my garage noticed a seriously strong fuel smell. Have run down to half tank and parked it again and still have the strong smell. Dropped off at my local Chevrolet dealer for inspection. Research shows this is a common issue with this model year. Chevrolet has issued service bulletin15682 for this apparent issue... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2023
The AC has failed 3 times on my car. I have had the car since 2017 (73,000 miles) and today marks my 3rd time taking the car in for an AC issue (blowing warm, unable to cool cabin). This has been frustrating since Honda has been known to be reliable. It is very unfortunate that they cannot place a recall on this car due it it lacking a "safety" issue. I live in Southern California and during the s... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2021
Care loses connection shuts off while driving and unable to accelerate. Loses steering control
Incident date: Jan 11, 2021
Care loses connection shuts off while driving and unable to accelerate. Loses steering control
Incident date: Jun 5, 2023
Engine burning oil so much that it destroys the catalytic converter leaving me stranded middle of a highway.
Incident date: Jun 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 143,000.
Incident date: Jun 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated while refueling the vehicle, the pump handle was set to pump automatically. The contact stated the pump handle was ejected from the filler neck when the fuel tank was full, causing a fuel spill onto the ground. The contact was able to prevent further spilling. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH and approaching a stop light, the vehicle failed to decelerate as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and an unknown valve was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 10,... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
For the second time on three months (now four times in one year) the start/stop feature says it’s not working. Both batteries have been replaced. The vehicle will simply shut off while driving.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2020
Failure of rear subframe causes car to lose control. Only found out about the problem after I received a Mercedes extended Warranty in mail March 2023, roughly 6 months after OEM Undercarriage failed and forced me to purchase another Undercarriage in cash/no insurance involved because part back ordered for many months. Car thus inoperable for roughly 4 months. At moment of the OEM failure, total ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2022
My 2006 Dodge Charger R/T HEMI 5.7 has experienced multiple breakdowns in my transmission. Come to find out it is actually a Mercedes Benz transmission. Replaced multiple times after getting towed multiple times for transmission going out. Totally unacceptable.
Incident date: Aug 30, 2022
The part of the driver seat belt that goes under the seat and is attached by a metal cable. The cable totally ripped apart. The date is approximate because I did not notice it until it was almost completely broken off. . I had the seatbelt repaired at the dealer Mangino Buick in Ballston spa New York, at the sum of $300they said GM refused to cover it. I tried to explain that this is a Safety issu... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2007 BMW 328i. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50- 55 mph, the vehicle caught fire. There was an abnormal burning odor detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The driver was able to use her fire extinguisher and extinguish the fire. There were no reported injuries, police reports filed, or air bag deployments. The vehicle was towed to an independe... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 13, 2023
Hybrid system shut down while driving. Cleared at deal ship twice. happened two more time. Dealership claims they were unable to recreate the issue.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
"Service ABS"; ABS & Traction Control lights & chimes come on. This is random, sometimes for hours at a time and sometimes for days without. I've researched and have found this is very common with 2016-2018 Ram trucks.
Incident date: May 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who retrieved a code indicating a failure of the fuel separator sensor. Further investigation determined that the sensor was stuck in the open position, potentially exposing the vehicle occupan... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2023
Was driving around 57 mph on a 2 lane road with no cars in front or obstacles when the car suddenly flashed the brake warning on the dash board and quickly slowed the car. It only lasted a second or two then I was able to accelerate the car. Luckily there was no cars in front or behind me. It has happened twice before but this time was the most sudden braking.
Incident date: May 8, 2023
ABS ESC constantly flashes and chimes non stop…. Failed control to wheels in wet weather conditions/ no cruise control/ 4x4