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: Jan 1, 2023
Bad PTU unit in Jeep part #68307403AG. Have not been able to drive jeep for half a year now due to bad ptu unit. Jeep will swerve and driver will lose control of steering. Warning stating 4wd is currently unavailable this will have approximately every 15-20 mins. PTU has been on back order for over 6 months now.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2023
Screen stuck in night mode & I have bad eyes & need sunglasses during the day. Therefore I cannot see my speed or gauges at all during the day. Already have a speeding ticket because of it
Incident date: Sep 18, 2018
When traveling at moderate speeds the steering wheel does not return to straight when steering input is not provided. The car will maintain the steering direction, requiring additional input to return to straight. This is not how a car is supposed to behave. It is not an alignment issue.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2023
I have had the ABS hydraulic module replaced several times by Firkins Automotive, now with the same Faulty Hydraulic module failing once again. The dealer had told me after the 2nd time this was replaced it was “junk” parts and there was no permanent repair. When this goes bad you lose all ABS function and traction control causing braking to be unstable and truck to have no traction control. ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 30, 2023
Electrical; fill gas tank. Minutes later gauge shows I'm empty. Continues to repeat over and over. Driver's seat; crackling sound "like metal broke" seat does not adjust correctly and can no longer move the seats tilt. Having me drive in an uncomfortable position. Wipers; rainy day both motors left and right smoke up and burn out at the same time. Can no longer drive vehicle when it rains. Can't s... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 1, 2020
Auto start/stop kicked it at a stop sign and I could not restart the vehicle.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V022000 (Back Over Prevention) 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. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Jun 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Rogue. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start, causing the contact to jumpstart the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer who stated that the alternator had failed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that while reversing out of the driveway, the brakes erroneously activated, and vehicle independently stopped. The con... Read more
Incident date: Mar 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while her husband was approaching the vehicle, there was a fluid leak underneath the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil pan and engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2023
Every time I open the door - either from the inside, or the outside, or even using the automatic opener from the keyring there is a loud buzzing sound. It's a risk as I am not sure that the door is working properly.
Incident date: Mar 8, 2023
Vehicle is a pickup truck. Tailgate has opened up multiple times while driving (at least three times now in 3 months of moderate driving of approximately 30 miles per day). It does not seem to be related to whether or not the tailgate is locked or not or the weather. Vehicle does *not* have an electronic/automatic tailgate open feature. It is a manual release only. I believe that is could be a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 27, 2023
While utilizing the car’s cruise control (TRAAC) and the advanced autopilot features, the car brakes often, unexpectedly and without warning when there are no hazards or vehicles in its path. This is a well documented problem called “phantom braking” involving Teslas. My experiences include traveling on straight open highway with no other vehicle’ within hundreds of yards. Scary and uns... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2018
Valve cover gasket leaks and oil leaks on to the alternator which can cause the alternator to fail and the battery to not maintain a charge and the car can stall and then not start. This is the same exact problem problem that is in your recall on 2007-2012 Veracruz Recall number 20V705000 & 14V415000 And 2007-2009 Santa Fe vehicles have the same issue and Service Campaign 936 SB-10058931-4495 (T... Read more
Incident date: Mar 6, 2023
On 11/28/22 my transmission went out while I was driving at 25 mph. Luckily, I was in town and I was able to coast to the next driveway. It was towed to a dealership. The dealership replaced the transmission in January 2023. When I picked it up & was leaving the dealership, it began jumping gears and getting hot. A few miles down the road it started leaking transmission fluid. We immediately took... Read more
Incident date: Nov 2, 2022
Without warning Ignition Turned off WHILE driving and in motion. Was slowing to get ready to make a turn onto another adjacent road loss of power steering and the stall nearly resulting in Auto accident Luckily my 3 children were not present in the van at the time no warning lights no check engine lamp just sudden failure and shutoff of the vehicle
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
Hello I was driving on the highway yesterday when my transmission failed. The car stopped accelerating and would not increase speed despite my foot being on the gas. I was hit several times before navigating to the median. If not for me being calm under pressure my life and the lives of other motorists were at risk. This is unacceptable.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
Numerous times, at least 20 up to now, while cruising at high speed on the highway using adaptive cruise control, the car has abruptly slammed on the brakes or slowed down several mph, with no traffic in front of me. There has been traffic in adjacent lanes but never in front of me.
Incident date: Dec 26, 2022
While driving dashboard displayed “shift to P then desired gear.” I stopped on the side of the road. Placed vehicle into park and tried to turn off the vehicle. The vehicle wouldn’t turn off, Displayed “vehicle not in park” Then I placed the vehicle into drive and the dashboard displayed again “shift to P then desired gear.” I was unable to turn off the vehicle no matter what gear I ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2023
Transmission required replacing at 82,500 miles. Vehicle completely lost power during my morning commute. Thankfully, I had exited the Interstate and was on a city street with minimal traffic. Also thankful that I took and extended warranty at the time of purchase less than a year ago at 61,200 miles.
Incident date: Mar 23, 2023
While operating the vehicle on the highway the steering was not smooth when starting to turn the wheel. There was a short hesitation or loss of power assistance while turning to follow the direction of the roadway. This occurrence was very brief while turning the steering wheel. The steering problem lasted for several days. Later when taking the vehicle to be inspected for this problem there was ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V010000 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System) 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2023
As I was driving down the highway my car died and all the lights on my dash came on, I lost my power steering. I noticed a cloud of white smoke from tailpipe. I was able to coast to the side of the highway, thankfully no one was hurt. O tried to start it back up but it wouldn't start. We opened the hood and there was white smoke coming from under the hood. I had to pay to have it towed. Currently ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 23, 2023
I was on Interstate I5 on March 16th with car cruising on Tesla Auto Pilot Assist. The road was completely clear with nothing ahead of behind me for atleast half a mile. All of a sudden I experienced Sudden Breaking (Phantom Breaking) and broke hard to about 30 MPH before resuming. I was fortunate that there was nothing behind me otherwise I would have been rear ended. The only thing I could see w... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
Windshield panels pulling away from the window.
Incident date: Feb 13, 2023
This incident occurred on January 20, 2023. I was driving alone on I-73 in Greensboro, NC. It was around 5:45 AM and was about 40 degrees outside. I had no vehicles in front of me and a very large separation to the vehicles in the oncoming traffic direction. The car was still new as it only had 4k miles on it. I was driving at 65mph merging onto I-73. Suddenly, I heard what sounded like an explos... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2023
Passenger side exhaust manifold failed at 56,000 miles and was repaired through emissions warranty. Driver-side exhaust manifold failed at 74,000 miles and Ford will not cover it. I believe both manifolds should have been replaced at 56,000 miles or the current failure should be replace through warranty.
Incident date: Jan 11, 2021
All 4 Tires Size 255/50R20 Have Cracked, Split and separated around tread. Extremely unsafe. Vehicle has near 40,000 miles. Vehicle was purchased in May 2018 with these tires already installed. There needs to be a recall, as now we will need to purchase 4 new tires at one time when this should not have happened. We can not use our vehicle until we can replace all 4.
Incident date: Mar 21, 2023
The contact owns a Maxi-Cosi Safety Seat, Model Type: Pria Max All-In-One Convertible, Model Number: CC208-GKF, Manufactured Date: January 11, 2023. The contact stated that upon washing the car seat cover in a laundry machine per the manufacturer’s instructions, and air drying, the padding on the headrest became torn, balled up and unusable. The failure occurred outside of the vehicle. The manuf... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2023
Vehicle was on FSD and suddenly excessively braked almost to a stop when driving at 65mph causing occupants and cargo to fly forward and Injured our pet in the rear seat
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 9, 2023
Overheating , cooling or coolant issues , coolant bypass valve , ford was unable to diagnose my issues before my motor became inoperable
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
I was in a collision at 60 mph and flipped through the air without hitting the roof and landed on my wheels. I had a car doing 80 lost control as he was passing me sideways and into my lane. The front on the car was completely unrecognizable z no side impact or sudden stop.
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Nov 1, 2022
Truck throws ABS and Traction control warning codes intermittently and when hitting bumps. On a six hour trip today it threw the codes 50-60 times. Worried this could cause serious accidents if features do not work as they should.
Incident date: Mar 18, 2023
I am filing a complaint about unsatisfactory remedy of recall 03A/NHTSA 23V-010 and would like to make a motion for a hearing on this remedy.
Incident date: Mar 2, 2023
When driving the new 2023 vehicle with 956 miles we got a lane keep malfunction dialogue box pop up on digital instrument cluster. At the same time the power steering ceased to work or the lane keep fought to keep it centered even when trying to make maneuvers to stay in lane of traffic, navigate turns or avoid other vehicle. It endangered the lives of my wife, 3 young daughters and lives of other... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
Sunroof shattered while driving with no warning. Very dangerous for passengers and vehicles behind vehicle as the glass broke into countless pieces.
Incident date: Mar 16, 2023
2022 RAM 3500 6.7L H/O AISIN transmission failed going down the road. Very bad
Incident date: Feb 27, 2023
AFTER SERVICE ON 04/12/2022, MY RECEIPT UNDER COMMENTS SAID,"REP LUG NUTS". THAT'S ALL. 44,286 MILES AT THAT TIME. I TOOK F-150 FOR OIL CHANGE & TIRE ROTATION AGAIN ON 2/22/2023, WITH 47,882 MILES ON TRUCK. SERVICE RECEIPT SAID THEY DID NOT ROTATE TIRES. I ASKED WHY, AND I WAS TOLD "BECAUSE LUG NUTS ARE WORN". I TOLD SERVICE MANAGER THAT YOU GUYS ARE THE ONLY ONES TO HAVE EVER REMOVED THE LUG NUT... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were flashing before the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the body cont... Read more
Incident date: Mar 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Jinhua Yongqiang trailer equipped with Journey Tires, Tire Size: 5.30R12, DOT Number: 15YCB. The contact stated that it was discovered that the passenger’s side rear tire was flat. While attempting to inflate the tire it was discovered that the valve stem was dry-rotted, and air could not be added to the tire. Upon inspection, the contact discovered the failure was also p... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the contact lost control of the vehicle. The contact attempted to regain control of the vehicle but was unable to cause to and the vehicle struck the guard rails. The contact was able to regain control of the vehicle and the vehicle started to operate normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but not diagnosed. The veh... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 9, 2022
Rear camera shows black screen when backing up. Guidance lines are still present. Research online indicates this to be a common issue with my vehicle.
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
Whenever the truck goes over mildly rough road the steering wheel shakes and the tires follow the ruts of the road . When this happens steering wheel jerks out of hand and have to be overcorrected to keep in lane . With the shaking of steering wheel the steering wheel itself came loose one time and was repaired by peterbilt by applying locktite to the bolt.truck have been to peterbilt dealership 4... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2019
Pulling out into traffic, without warning my car lost power and shut down! The car had to be towed to the dealership who advised that the engine had a catastrophic failure and needed to be replaced. I was told by the dealership that KIA would not cover the repair for two reasons: 1) I was beyond the warranty period (the car has 60,264 miles on it and apparently as the second owner I am only c... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2019
The low beam headlights are extremely dim, making the car unusable at night. The exterior plastic is clear and not cloudy. Changing the bulbs did not help. It appears that the reflective coating inside the light has failed. The car was not used at night durning the pandemic so I'm not sure when the failure occurred. I have recently replaced both light assemblies in order to use the car at night.... Read more
Incident date: Jan 3, 2023
Glockner of Ashland KY has determined that both front seats belts will not retrace. I understand that the warranty is extended for 15 years. I have been waiting for several months, they tell me they are on back order. My wife drives this vehicle every and this is s serious safety issue. Thank you in advance for your help. Please help us. Regards [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 7, 2010
LT275/65R20 At 36000 miles a back driver side tire had a belt separation. At 41000 miles back passenger side had a belt seperation. These tires came on the truck when I bought it and they are Goodyear Wrangler tires and I think it is a safety issue.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Rio. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the ABS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the mechanic stated that the ABS unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contact, and the manufacturer stated that there was no recall for the failure. The failure mileage was 95,000.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2023
The phasers and the timing chain and tensioners is failing. This is premature failure due to engineering mistakes in the design. This is a safety critical walk home failure. Failure will destroy the engine (interference engine). Complete loss of all power and lock up of engine. Mechanic said the only remedy is a rebuilt engine. A reputable engine rebuilder states in their ad on the internet t... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2023
Front driver side seat belt does not retract/lock as it should. I'm worried for our safety if an accident occurs and the seatbelt does not hold driver in place. Has not been seen by dealer due to dealership wanting me to pay out of pocket. First started a few months back and has not resolved its self.
Incident date: Mar 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the traction control, and several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact waited for a while before restarting the vehicle. The contact related the failure to a faulty electrical system; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mecha... Read more