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 16,369 complaints for AUDI
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
On August 11th, 2026 right before noon, the sunroof on my Audi Q5 (hybrid, 2021 model) exploded without warning. Luckily noone was hurt but the explosion alone was enough to distract someone to run off the road. Luckily there were no pedestrians around otherwise they could have been hit by flying glass. And luckily the sunroof cover was protecting me otherwise the glass would have been all over th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2026
On [XXX] about [XXX], I was driving my 2024 Audi Q8 e-tron Premium Plus (VIN [XXX]) in a private parking garage while on the clock for work. I had just left a work meeting and was traveling back to my office. I was backing out of a parking space next to a concrete column when my passenger-side mirror contacted the column. The vehicle’s proximity sensors beeped, which appeared normal. I then pull... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 5, 2026
On [XXX] about [XXX], I was driving my 2024 Audi Q8 e-tron Premium Plus (VIN [XXX]) in a private parking garage while on the clock for work. I had just left a work meeting and was traveling back to my office. I was backing out of a parking space next to a concrete column when my passenger-side mirror contacted the column. The vehicle’s proximity sensors beeped, which appeared normal. I then pull... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 5, 2026
On [XXX] about [XXX], I was driving my 2024 Audi Q8 e-tron Premium Plus (VIN [XXX]) in a private parking garage while on the clock for work. I had just left a work meeting and was traveling back to my office. I was backing out of a parking space next to a concrete column when my passenger-side mirror contacted the column. The vehicle’s proximity sensors beeped, which appeared normal. I then pull... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 5, 2026
Vehicle was parked on the driveway, brake sign came on upon start and system malfunction error showed on screen, vehicle started lowering automatically and Air compressor stopped working.
Incident date: Aug 5, 2026
Vehicle was parked on the driveway, brake sign came on upon start and system malfunction error showed on screen, vehicle started lowering automatically and Air compressor stopped working.
Incident date: Aug 5, 2026
Vehicle was parked on the driveway, brake sign came on upon start and system malfunction error showed on screen, vehicle started lowering automatically and Air compressor stopped working.
Incident date: Aug 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Highlander. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V128000 (Seats). The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to lower the second-row seats, and the seat failed to lock into position and failed to recline as intended. The vehicle was taken to a dealer approximately five months later when a remedy became availab... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while at a red traffic light, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly, and the vehicle shuddered with an abnormal dinging sound coming from the vehicle. The message "Transmission Hot - Idle Engine" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission was sli... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
There has been harsh shifting observed, both cold and warm. Often when downshifting and slowing to a turn or stop, there is a violent slamming into gear. I have also observed slipping in 3rd gear and making harsh shifts that appear to skip gears by the indicator. This is not a constant but intermittent issue. I have not taken it to the dealership because they will likely not be able to duplicat... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2026
On July 28, 2026, while traveling on vacation with my family, our vehicle experienced a catastrophic engine failure. There were warning lights displayed for 30 seconds prior to the engine failure. On July 23, 2026, one day before taking the vehicle to the dealership, the following warning indicators appeared on the dashboard and then disappeared: “Service ESC,” “Service Traction Control,” ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine, exhaust system malfunction, and master warning lights were illuminated. The messages "Engine Control Malfunction" and "Transmission Overheated" were displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicl... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2026
Cylinder head gaskets failure with coolant migrating into the cylinders, available for inspection upon request; Dahl Honda Sheboygan took videos of inspection and liquid in the cylinders. Upon starting the car, the engine sounded strange and sluggish. As I started to drive, engine sounded like it was misfiring. I was able to drive only 10-25 mph (safety issue) from residence to the Dahl dealership... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2026
The Driver Attention Warning system activates a "coffee break" alert repeatedly after approximately two hours of continuous driving, regardless of actual driver attentiveness. There is no way to permanently dismiss or disable this alert. When attempting to cover the cabin camera to stop the alerts, the vehicle triggers a separate "Limited Assistance" warning that is equally intrusive. There is no ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2026
The Driver Attention Warning system activates a "coffee break" alert repeatedly after approximately two hours of continuous driving, regardless of actual driver attentiveness. There is no way to permanently dismiss or disable this alert. When attempting to cover the cabin camera to stop the alerts, the vehicle triggers a separate "Limited Assistance" warning that is equally intrusive. There is no ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2026
The contact's fiancée owns a 2023 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the rear tires showed severe inner wear and damage due to a misalignment, requiring three sets of rear tires to be replaced within a year. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who notified the manufacturer of the failure; however, the technical engineer denied assistance. The dealer informed the contact that the lower control a... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2026
The contact owns a 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance system failed to activate as needed and the vehicle nearly crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The contact stated that during the failure, the vehicle in front struck a pedestrian, and the pedestrian went airborne and landed on the hood of the contact's ve... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Jun 28, 2026
The vehicle was parked stationary in the driveway with the engine running for 3-5 minutes with the A/C on. The vehicle then accelerated forward into my garage causing damage. Once I entered the vehicle, both the dash and shifter displayed park. Current TCU system internal failures have been reported from the pulling of data from Mazda.
Crash
Incident date: Jun 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. In addition, the power train warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2026
In my 2015 Honda Accord. The ABS, adaptive cruise control, vehicle stability assist, power steering, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, traction control, hill start assist, and brake system dash lights have all been intermittently coming on and off starting right around 150k miles. Now all of the lights have been on for some time now. I spoke to AutoNation Honda and Chapman Honda h... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2026
Adhesive inside the dashboard display is failing. It started at approximately 20,000 miles and has suddenly gotten much worse 1 year later at approximately 30,000 miles. This failure is causing "bubbles" in the display, which is interfering with the clarity/readability of the gauges, including the speedometer, which I consider to be a safety issue. Ultimately, I'm concerned that the screen may f... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2026
I own a 2018 Ram 2500 4x4 diesel, VIN [XXX], affected by FCA/Stellantis Safety Recall C4B / NHTSA 24V-896 involving the ABS Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU). My truck is now experiencing the problem. The ABS warning light comes on and the cruise control becomes unavailable. The vehicle and component are available for inspection upon request. I am concerned about safety because this malfunction affect... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2026
I experienced issues with the handling and suspension of this vehicle beginning in September 2024. I made an appointment and took it to Tesla in October 2024 at 10,484 miles, and the Tesla service center refused to look at the suspension because they were “unable to replicate” the crunching noise I was hearing on their test drive. In November 2024, I had a total control arm failure resulting i... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2026
Airbags did not deploy..as per police report
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 31, 2026
Airbags did not deploy..as per police report
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 31, 2026
The car has started with an auto high beam, lane assist, lane departure, crash mitigation, adaptive cruise lights coming on one after the other noting there are issues with the systems and they are disabled. Code is U3000 using a scanner noting Multipurpose Camera Unit Internal Electronic Failure. Sometimes the code will clear, and sometimes not. If it clears an entire drive cycle may be comple... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2026
Car went into a limp mode several times, potentially could cause major accident. Towed to dealer who found nothing wrong. Would not give me loaner. I had to sell the Kona in order to have a car, car was bought new had 770 mikes on it. What can I do?
Incident date: May 27, 2026
The vehicle issues began 3 weeks after purchasing a 2026 Kia K4 with 89 miles on it. *"Key fob not recognized", black screen, car not starting and cascading into many other infotainment problems. ** Revving far higher (1.4 - 4.4) with the slightest acceleration ***Hesitating, them engaging so suddenly that steering is incredibly difficult. On more than one occasion, of someone had been in front... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2026
The vehicle issues began 3 weeks after purchasing a 2026 Kia K4 with 89 miles on it. *"Key fob not recognized", black screen, car not starting and cascading into many other infotainment problems. ** Revving far higher (1.4 - 4.4) with the slightest acceleration ***Hesitating, them engaging so suddenly that steering is incredibly difficult. On more than one occasion, of someone had been in front... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2026
The vehicle issues began 3 weeks after purchasing a 2026 Kia K4 with 89 miles on it. *"Key fob not recognized", black screen, car not starting and cascading into many other infotainment problems. ** Revving far higher (1.4 - 4.4) with the slightest acceleration ***Hesitating, them engaging so suddenly that steering is incredibly difficult. On more than one occasion, of someone had been in front... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2026
Catastrophic failure of drivers side rear tire. Complete delamination of tire causing severe vehicle damage. Tire and vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Tire exploded causing serious risk to passengers at highway speeds. Tire has not yet been inspected due to date of incident being on Saturday. Immediately prior to incident a small vibration was noticed in the rear approximately ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 3, 2026
Engine fail with less than106000 miles. Replace brand new engine November 2025. Steering rack has intermittent power issues. It started having steering issue around July 2026. It makes the steering hard to turn during highway speeds.
Incident date: Jul 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact became aware that the ABS was not operating as intended while the warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure also affected the cruise control feature. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was d... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact became aware that the ABS was not operating as intended while the warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure also affected the cruise control feature. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was d... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2026
While driving the car lurches as it shifts gears. This had gone on for quite some time but no codes have been thrown. This last time the car lurched so badly at the beginning of acceleration that I thought it was going to stall. It did not, but lights began flashing on the dash and when codes were (finally) thrown I was told I needed a new transmission altogether.
Incident date: Mar 22, 2025
My wife’s 2017 Honda cr-v lost power while on the highway. Which could’ve been a safety issue had she not known what to do. We limped it to Honda dealership. They say it was a blown head gasket. The blown head gasket caused the turbo to fail. This is a known issue on the 2017-2022 Honda 1.5 turbocharged engine. Top all that off we already replaced the turbo 4 months prior to the head gasket go... Read more
AUDI
SQ6 E-TRON
(2027) - ENGINE
Aug 5, 2026
Incident date: Jun 6, 2026
The Components that have malfunctioned are the airbags, exaust system, electrical systems, sensors, gaskets, and a few other things. We had 5 failed clockspring repairs. The first (3?) under warranty, we paid for another when they said it was our fault, then that mechanic said that it needed to go back to a dealership because it was defective. I advocated for months for it to be evaluated. No one ... Read more
AUDI
SQ6 E-TRON
(2027) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Aug 5, 2026
Incident date: Jun 6, 2026
The Components that have malfunctioned are the airbags, exaust system, electrical systems, sensors, gaskets, and a few other things. We had 5 failed clockspring repairs. The first (3?) under warranty, we paid for another when they said it was our fault, then that mechanic said that it needed to go back to a dealership because it was defective. I advocated for months for it to be evaluated. No one ... Read more
AUDI
SQ6 E-TRON
(2027) - AIR BAGS
Aug 5, 2026
Incident date: Jun 6, 2026
The Components that have malfunctioned are the airbags, exaust system, electrical systems, sensors, gaskets, and a few other things. We had 5 failed clockspring repairs. The first (3?) under warranty, we paid for another when they said it was our fault, then that mechanic said that it needed to go back to a dealership because it was defective. I advocated for months for it to be evaluated. No one ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 17, 2026
I took my vehicle on for am oil change and the mechanic brought to my attention that the front subframe of the vehicle had serious rot and rust. This lower subframe ties the front control arms together and other structural components, which is concerning with how fast this component has degraded. When researching this online, this appears to be a common issue on 2015 and later Transit vans, to t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2026
VW 2019 Jetta R-line had rear coil spring failure (cracked) at 55,000mi. VW did have a NTSB recall on 2019 Jettas, however the VIN was not included. At 107,000mi the rear coil spring on the other side failed (cracked). VW dealer indicated replacements are on back-order and they don't know when they will be available. These failed coil springs put the driver/passengers at risk of loss of steering... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2026
SRS/airbag warning light illuminated. A diagnostic scan (VCDS) confirmed stored fault codes for both front airbag crash sensors: driver's side 'short to ground' and passenger's side 'open or short to plus.' Upon further inspection, water was found pooled at the airbag control module connector, located under the center dash. The AC condensate drain line is routed directly above this module, and app... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V586000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); 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.
Incident date: Jul 15, 2026
Rear subframe corrosion on this vehicle. I am in a winter road salt region, the materials used for this vehicle's subframe are not compatible with consistent driving in this region. Similar vehicles (not mine?) were subject to a recall for the front subframe, but nothing for the rear. This rear subframe issues caused multiple failures of virtually every component of the rear suspension - contro... Read more
Incident date: Mar 13, 2026
-Left rear spring broke from normal use. -safety: dealership said van was unsafe to drive -part is on backorder from Honda with no estimated production date. In order to get van repaired a used spring out of a junked Odyssey was installed
Incident date: May 18, 2026
Component/system, available for inspection? Rear visibility system — AVN head unit's processing of the rear camera image. On shift to reverse, screen flickers, shows blinking green, or no rear image. Vehicle available for inspection. Original camera was replaced Jan 2026 and retained by the dealer, not returned. Safety risk? Daily driver used for school pickup. Failure is warm-restart dependent... Read more
Incident date: Aug 2, 2026
Gasoline fuel vapors enter the passenger cabin of my 2026 Honda Odyssey while driving. The problem began XXX, the day after a dealer oil change, and has recurred repeatedly, growing stronger each time. It is worst in high ambient heat (100 to 116 F), with the fuel tank above half full, and after extended idling or stop-and-go driving on a heat-soaked engine. It initially occurred only after idling... Read more
3 injured
Incident date: Jul 31, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds and turning on several occasions, the steering wheel became firm and excessive force was needed to turn the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the rack and pinion and gearbox needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact believed ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2026
The transmission fails constantly when we are accelerating - approxx 50-58 miles per hour the transmission freezes & the RMP's stay @ 4-5 thousand for 20-30 seconds - it fails to downshift. This is extremely dangerous at any time & can cause a major accident if the vehicle is stuck & you need to stop! We have have left the car several times for this issue & they keep telling us they cannot rep... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2026
On July 31, 2026, we we're driving north on interstate 81 in northeastern Pennsylvania when a small rock flew up from another vehicle striking the windshield and creating a small star-shaped crack in the windshield.