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: Dec 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 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 local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2023
The Tesla was driving normally as I was driving through the canyons of Utah at 65 MPH. the car gave an error about lane assist malfunction and immediately followed by steering assist malfunction. The car was very hard to turn and I nearly crashed into a concrete barrier as I forced the car to turn. I was not using auto drive
Incident date: Nov 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that upon activating the defroster during cold winter weather, he became aware that the defroster failed to properly defrost the front windshield and that the windshield wipers failed to adequately remove ice debris, potentially compromising windshield visibility. After a visual inspection of the windshield, the contact observed that ice had d... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2023
The headlights on our 2023 Buick Enclave do not provide nearly enough light at night. If you shine the lights up against a wall at night they seem bright but they do not seem to light up the area directly in front of the car. When driving on a road without streetlights at night I barely feel like my headlights are on. It’s so bad that I am concerned that if a person or an animal stepped out in f... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2023
On Monday, December 11, 2023 Myself, my girlfriend, and our two dogs were headed across the I-182 bridge coming out of Pasco, WA to Richland, WA. We were in the far left or center lane (I am not sure which). The highway is three lanes each way. We were at highway speed (the speed limit is 70 mph). About ¾ of the way across the bridge, the vehicle felt like all 4 wheels locked. The vehicle th... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Dec 13, 2023
The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, her daughter closed the driver's door and the passenger's side frontal air bag deployed inadvertently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the air bag needed to be replaced due to the rollover sensor being alerted. The contact stated that the vehicle was not in an accid... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
My vehicle loss it’s autopilot mode. I called Tesla repair center multiple times but they keep on saying that the engineering department still looking into it and they don’t have any timeframe to when will it be fix.
Incident date: Nov 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Accent. 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2023
Issue 1 : The car over bumpy roads loses the regenerative braking and accelerates. During this time (~1-2 sec), the manual brakes don't function and response is delayed but ultimately comes to life followed by the ABS functioning. Frequency of event occurrence: Multiple times. Issue 2 : The car detects false collision and automatically brakes itself coming to a full stop even if there is no car/o... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Available for inspection upon request. Please do! Loss of power. Reported same issues a year ago. Brought to dealership, sold on other services that did not solve problem. Opened a case with Hyundai. No solution. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Random loss of power. Hyundai ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated and lost motive power. Additionally, while attempting to complete a turn, the contact heard an abnormal clicking sound coming from the front driver’s side of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 17, 2023
KEY FOB BROKE WILL NOT REPAIR OR REPLACE
Incident date: Oct 15, 2021
Abs brake light is on and cruise won’t work with brake light on told by dealer ABS MODULE HAS FAILED manufacturer has no idea when parts will be available This needs to be a recall don’t know if abs brakes will ever work
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
Service ABS brake system and Service Electronc braking system warnings constantly come on and affects braking system and cruise control. Dealers have no answers, Dodge has no answers. As a commercial vehicle driver if my abs doesn’t work properly then I’m shut down, but dodge can get away with this in a regular vehicle. This is a very very common problem with 2018 dodge 3500’s and any help t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 12, 2023
I have purchased this vehicle in June 2019 and the engine went out while I was driving out of town on 07/02/2021; I have had to replace the engine and the turbo, I had to pay a tow of $340 to the nearest Ford dealership (Marietta, Ga-Gary Service Advisor.) They told me the belt jumped the internal valve timing in the engine. I had to call FORD CORPORATE to beg someone to help me replace the engine... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2023
mainly on highway speed. the sticky steering issue has been a wide spread. i have experienced it and it happens quite frequently. trying to keep the car align to the road can cause a bit of oversteer especially on curves trying to straighten the car after a curve it pulls too much. it becomes more dangerous on rainy days
Incident date: Nov 15, 2023
Kia Carnival's 2nd row seta pretensioners are not working. In the vent of suddent breaks, the seat belts are not latching, and hence not holding the kids in the seats. We have faced this issue several times. Once my daughter came out of seat completely, since the seat belt didn't latch the belt. We took to the dealership(Kings Kia, Mason, OH), the technician agreed, there is problem with 2 ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2018
Start/Stop malfunctioning. If activated engine stops and have to physically restart. This is dangerous because can happen in redlight, stop sign, or random. Rear suspension is rough, bumpy and unstable. Yesterday almost lost control going over rough spot in the freeway. Complained numerous times to dealer and opened case with Honda of America. They simply ignore the issue. Many people havin... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
I purchased this vehicle from Galles Chevrolet in Albuquerque New Mexico as a certified pre owned vehicle. Couple of days after I noticed a vibration coming from the front steering and drivetrain I immediately took it back to Galles and they told me nothing was wrong with it and that the aggressive tires was what I was feeling. So I took it back and drove it for a couple of weeks and the vibration... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
I purchased this vehicle from Galles Chevrolet in Albuquerque New Mexico as a certified pre owned vehicle. Couple of days after I noticed a vibration coming from the front steering and drivetrain I immediately took it back to Galles and they told me nothing was wrong with it and that the aggressive tires was what I was feeling. So I took it back and drove it for a couple of weeks and the vibration... Read more
Incident date: Aug 30, 2023
While on the freeway, the engine started making a loud knocking sound and the car was losing power. No check engine light or other warning lights were illuminated. I exited, parked and later towed the car back to the Kia dealership and they said I needed a block (engine) replacement at a cost of over $10,000. I have performed all routine maintenance on this car at the dealership, so this is unacc... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
vehicle fails to accelerate, engine is “sputtering” and making a rattling sound and battery is draining to nothing on the freeway driving at normal speeds. vehicle is lurching and engine does not appear to be shifting as it should - car losing power and failing to accelerate despite being full of gas. transmission doesn’t feel like it is shifting properly. vehicle only has 8000 miles.
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
vehicle fails to accelerate, engine is “sputtering” and making a rattling sound and battery is draining to nothing on the freeway driving at normal speeds. vehicle is lurching and engine does not appear to be shifting as it should - car losing power and failing to accelerate despite being full of gas. transmission doesn’t feel like it is shifting properly. vehicle only has 8000 miles.
Incident date: Dec 2, 2023
I had a hard braking event to avoid a collision with a vehicle that ran a red light in front of me and immediately lost power steering and was notified park assist was also unavailable. Error codes EPAS_w001, EPAS_w002, and a GTW code I can’t remember. After leaving the vehicle on a charger overnight, the error codes disappeared and power steering returned.
Incident date: Dec 10, 2023
I’ve had this happen 4 times now with my 2019 RDX. The latest Is on 12/10/23. Low speed braking and the tac revels to over 5000. Vehicle lurches forward with both feet on the brake peddle nearly hit a car broadside that was moving perpendicular to me., Three times under warranty to the dealer who could find anything. They even had the factory rep , in who after keeping the car for 5 days replace... Read more
Incident date: Dec 10, 2023
Multiple tires have developed a bulge in the sidewall. This is now the third time.
Incident date: Dec 10, 2023
Multiple tires have developed a bulge in the sidewall. This is now the third time.
Incident date: Dec 10, 2023
Multiple tires have developed a bulge in the sidewall. This is now the third time.
Incident date: Mar 18, 2023
Since purchase of the vehicle in 2019, the truck has experienced this issue. When slowing down to a stop, the vehicle shifts goes out of gear (similar to neutral) and displays an error requiring the driver to shift into drive and then back into gear. It does this all the time, sometimes placing me in compromised situations in an intersection.
Incident date: Oct 11, 2023
Coolant leak into the engine, the irreparably damages the engine. Ford refuses to repair.
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
highway traveling, transmission dropped into lowest gear from 65mph. no injury of myself or others in the vehicle. no accident occurred as result. I have not taken the issue up with the manufacturer or scheduled inspection. ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 30, 2023
My dashboard is lit up with lights .. Abs,break vehicle skid control, and steering wheel .I need a new abs control module I am told I have 178,000 The breaks are new, but now making a funny nose. Including shaking and vibrating and squeeking in my driver side wheel. The driver wheel makes a clunking noise only when the lights turn on. And breaks seem to be acting weird.. when lights come on my ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2023
When backing up make loud noise Braking
Incident date: Dec 6, 2023
In Oct 2022 we were on vacation driving on a highway in IL when my 2018 Ford Focus 3L 1.0L EcoBoost suddenly, without warning, shuddered and lost power. Luckily we were on a rural road and no one was around or it would have caused a traffic issue and potential accident(s). We live in UT and I frequently drive a very busy freeway and was grateful this did not occur there. We pulled to the side and ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2023
Several times now my engine has shut off while driving and in the middle of coming to a stop. Luckily my breaks still worked with the vehicle shut down. I'd have to put in park and manually restart the vehicle to continue driving. This is something that puts myself and others on the road at risk.
Incident date: Apr 3, 2023
Started my palisade and put the car in reverse. After 1 or 2 seconds, my car went to neutral. Error showed on my cluster “Shifter system malfunction! Service immediately”. I tried multiple times to put my car in park, drive or reverse without luck. After about 2 minutes the cluster said it couldn’t put the car in park and it automatically set the emergency brake. I had to shut the car off wi... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2023
My car started shaking out of control. I was on highway. Could not get over or stop for a bit. Could have been an accident. There was a car behind me and on the side of me. I have taken it to the Jeep Dealership. It has happened 3x without warning. Online this is called the "death wobble"
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
My Ridgeline was at the Honda dealer for a recall on both left and right exterior mirrors. (Glass only) Both were replaced. After leaving the dealer, the drivers side mirror image appeared wavy and distorted. It was difficult to focus on the image while driving rendering the mirror almost useless. The passenger side appears perfect. How can a replacement drivers side mirror installed due to a reca... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
My Ridgeline was at the Honda dealer for a recall on both left and right exterior mirrors. (Glass only) Both were replaced. After leaving the dealer, the drivers side mirror image appeared wavy and distorted. It was difficult to focus on the image while driving rendering the mirror almost useless. The passenger side appears perfect. How can a replacement drivers side mirror installed due to a reca... Read more
Incident date: Dec 7, 2023
My brakes have been making a weird sound when I break and at times grind as if the brakes need to be changed. I have taken my car to be serviced for this issue and they tell me that my brakes are great with no issues. That the Atlas have that issue but it’s normal. There are times that it seems my brakes fail. This poses a safety risk for me and my family
Incident date: Jul 16, 2023
Vehicle has 101k miles on it, just over the 100k Hyundai warranty. Vehicle began shaking and sputtering while driving, and check engine light illuminated, I was able to get it to a local mechanic. Mechanic said it had multiple codes (P300, P302, and P304). They did a compression test and said the engine has internal failure and should be replaced; quoted 13k to replace. I had it towed to the H... Read more
Incident date: Dec 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
Abs and traction control light constantly coming on and off as well as an audible warning . This is causing the traction control to turn off and disable the abs brake function.. code in computer is saying module issue. Known problem on this vehicle model.
Incident date: Nov 9, 2023
The fault code P0172: System too Rich (Bank 1) has resulted in loss of all Advanced Safety features, as well as the electric parking brake becoming inoperable.
Incident date: Sep 15, 2023
While traveling at low speeds (under 40mph or so) there appears to be no issue. However, when traveling at speeds higher than that, the steering becomes "sticky". This is from the neutral, or forward traveling position of the the steering wheel. There is resistance felt to the wheel while attempting to correct for minor left/right adjustments. Safety of self, passengers, and others is at risk ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 29, 2023
Driver door (left front to be clear, yes, I know it should be obvious) started making strange sound. Popping/dragging noises when opened and shut. Window sometimes gets stuck going down past about 1/4 of the way down. Now door will not fully open - goes abut 40% open and stops.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
The three issues above seems to be related or affect the other and does not allow cruise control to operate. The air bag light remains on and associated component light up the dash. Surprisingly, my VIN does not show up for air bag repair. I wish I did not have to wait for possible recall announcement for my vehicle before I can get it repaired and instead to fix it now. Frustrating.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
We experienced an electrical failure while driving the Jeep Renegade. We had no power or brakes and multiple warning lights were flashing on the dashboard. Fortunately, we were able to pull into a business parking lot and stopped by running into a snow berm. We could not stop the engine and tried many times to turn the engine off during the 3 hours we waited for a tow truck. We were finally able ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 3, 2023
1. MY car shuts off while driving and I don't understand why because my battery is new and all other components don't seem to be the issue i.e.: battery, starter, alternator. 2. My safety and the safety of my passengers were at risk because the car shuts off with no warning while driving. 3 I currently have the vehicle being inspected by my local Ford dealership but the problem has happened sever... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2023
Since purchasing my vehicle in June of 2020, I have replaced the windshield every 6-7 months for spontaneously cracking. In April of 2023 I filed a claim with Subaru of America and was instructed to make an insurance claim and my deductible would be reimbursed. As of December 1, 2023 my windshield has cracked yet again. I have had a windshield inspection done every time it has been replace, no de... Read more