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: Nov 1, 2023
ABS, Brakes, Traction control lights, and ! illuminated while driving car is under 150,000 miles. Took to an autoshop, Gerald's Tires and Brakes: was told Mastercylinder, booster, accumulator need to be replaced.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2023
ABS, Brakes, Traction control lights, and ! illuminated while driving car is under 150,000 miles. Took to an autoshop, Gerald's Tires and Brakes: was told Mastercylinder, booster, accumulator need to be replaced.
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
My Model 3 intermittently has the steering wheel locked in position, which sometimes resolves temporarily after rebooting the car. I always get a steering assist reduced error on the car, regardless of rebooting. It also no longer has lane keep capabilities or Autopilot, which involve the car automatically moving the steering. I have not gotten this inspected by a dealer or service center. The i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
My Model 3 intermittently has the steering wheel locked in position, which sometimes resolves temporarily after rebooting the car. I always get a steering assist reduced error on the car, regardless of rebooting. It also no longer has lane keep capabilities or Autopilot, which involve the car automatically moving the steering. I have not gotten this inspected by a dealer or service center. The i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 6, 2024
My Model 3 intermittently has the steering wheel locked in position, which sometimes resolves temporarily after rebooting the car. I always get a steering assist reduced error on the car, regardless of rebooting. It also no longer has lane keep capabilities or Autopilot, which involve the car automatically moving the steering. I have not gotten this inspected by a dealer or service center. The i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2024
I just called Toyota dealer at Grime City IA this morning to make an appointment for recall the battery hold-down clamp and the battery tray as I just knew yesterday. Unfortunately, the customer lady let me know they are unavailable to do that because they do not have enough parts for now. As I knew, the program just extended until June 2024 then I asked her to put my case on the list, but she den... Read more
Incident date: Feb 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 - 70 MPH, the vehicle began emitting white smoke coming from the rear end of the vehicle. The contact pulled to the side of the road and allowed the vehicle to cool off and added oil to the engine and the smoke subsided. The contact became aware of oil around the bumper of the vehicle. The contact was abl... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the "Brake System", "Collision Mitigation System", "Road Departure Mitigation", "Adaptive Cruise Control" and the "Lane Keeping Assist" massages remained displayed along with an audible alarm. The cause of the failures was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2024
Engine failure. Engine has no compression which is causing injection fueler to fail. The head engine has gone bad at 50,000 miles. Head engine must be replaced and is on back order per Mercerdes Benz. After research on the issue I’ve noticed the Year/Make/Model this is issue is common at the 40k-50k mile mark. This is a manufactured issue that Mercerdes needs to fix if so common within the car a... Read more
Incident date: Mar 4, 2024
Having to refill the oil every week ! This has been check over and over and they can’t find nothing my engine needs to be replaced ! Burning way too much oil and costing me too much money to keep refilling.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2024
steering component that breaks, causing a driver to lose control.
Incident date: Oct 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) 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 contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the front windshield trim had ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2023
Subject: Urgent Health Risk Due to Mold in Lincoln MKX & Additional Considerations I'm submitting a formal complaint regarding our Lincoln MKX, purchased in 2018 with an extended warranty valid through 2026. A significant water leak has resulted in extensive mold and mildew buildup, posing severe health risks, particularly to my immunocompromised wife. Despite minimal use of the vehicle, exacerba... Read more
Incident date: Oct 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was shaking, and the vehicle was swerving. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehi... Read more
Incident date: May 7, 2022
It started [XXX] when i took my car to the dealership due to it going into limp mode. The dealership took it in and said it was throwing error code p1326 which is the knock sensor code. they replaced the knock sensor, drove my tucson home after the replacement, by the time i got home it went into limp mode again, took my car back to the dealership turns out it was a faulty sensor they received. So... Read more
Incident date: Feb 29, 2024
When in the rear facing position the placement of the manufacturers rear facing belt path causes the seat to tip back/side to side when tightened down. Doesn’t hold the seat securely, causing a severe safety hazard for children. Safety 1st Go & Grow Extend N Ride LX All-in-One Convertible Car Seat
Incident date: Feb 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the power liftgate was not engaged. The power liftgate warning light was illuminated. The instrument panel and interior lights remained illuminated and drained the battery. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V338000 (Electrical System, Structure) however, the part to... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle revved up but failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking engine oil. The contact added oil to the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated and flickering. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was in... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle revved up but failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking engine oil. The contact added oil to the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated and flickering. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was in... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2024
ABS Control Module with well known defects. Needs to be recalled. [XXX] . Many, many customers are having this issue, including me. I was told that the part is not available after market and the Honda Genuine part was quoted to me at $3,000 with low labor cost to the repair. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident date: Feb 28, 2024
After a rear end collision I noticed the blind spot monitoring on the passenger side intermittently malfunctioned. Drivers side has no issues. The symptoms were, ghost vehicle, no signal when a vehicle is obviously in the blind spot. Usually when passing a vehicle that is on the passenger side. Again, the driver side is fine. 1 trip to the boby shop and 3 to the Kia dealer, I am told tha... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) 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 manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check hybrid system warning light illuminated. In addition, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was serviced by a dealer two months ago and repaired under Technical Service Bulletin: T6G. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred after driving the vehicle for 500 miles. The vehi... Read more
AUDI
SQ7
(2021) - SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
Feb 29, 2024
Incident date: Feb 28, 2024
There is a failure in the brake system. Either the HCU or ABS module has failed. the cost of repair is in the 1500.00 range. I have since learned that this was/is a problem with this year of vehicle and a class action was started. I'm looking reimbursement to the repair. Dodge should be covering a known safety issue. I haven't repaired it yet
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
I discovered this safety recall Nov. 2023. The recall was opened 2/2023. I found an article in Car and Driver from 2/2021 that described this issue. Jeep leased me this vehicle even though the defect was already known. I am 3 years into a 4 year lease. Because of this inactivity is solving this recall (and a bad case of "Death Wobbles) I want to terminate this lease without penalty. I just wa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
Dear National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction and concern regarding the Goodyear Assurance Weather Ready tires, size 235/45R18, installed on my 2019 Kia Optima SX. These tires have proven to be defective, failing to meet the standards of safety and durability promised by Goodyear. I would like Goodyear to refund for the defective tir... Read more
Incident date: Feb 27, 2024
Twice today, traveling at 75mph on highway [XXX] (northbound and then several hours later southbound) just north of Ardmore OK, I experienced a violent shaking of the steering wheel/front wheel shimmy. The vehicle was difficult to control due to the violent shaking that did not stop until the vehicle slowed to approximately 20mph. Once the shaking stopped the vehicle was okay to drive. INFORMAT... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2023
the abs brake warning light and the traction control light goes on and off constantly. a "warning beep also goes on. this has been going on for over a year. we have been told it is under "engineering review". we have been trying to get a fix but keep being told part is on backorder. have called ND texted Ram multiple times and they refuse to do anything. This is a break problem-not an insignifica... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that after driving at undisclosed speeds, pulling into a gas station, and turning off the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. The instrument cluster warning lights were illuminated. The lights on the shifter cable failed to turn off. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the shifter cable bushing needed to... Read more
Incident date: Feb 28, 2024
hood cracked due to excessive vibration over the years from late 2015 until latch was repaired by Honda in 2021. Due to the number of years prior to the repair, the hood has cracked and could potentially fall apart or fly up and block the driver's vision.
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Edge. The contact stated that she observed plumes of smoke coming from the exhaust. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the coolant intrusion had damaged the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the conta... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the electric parking brake engaged independently. The electric parking brake warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he depressed the brake pedal immediately and continued driving. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while at a complete stop. The dealer and the manufacturer wer... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
While driving the car, the engine temperature started fluctuating and finally reached over temp. The engine failed. I towed the car to my mechanic and initially thought that the head gasket had blown. However, upon inspection, they found that the engine head bolt to the engine block was damaged. The threads were stripped. The only repair option for this problem was to replace the engine block... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the emission system error warning l... Read more
Incident date: Nov 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while making a turn from a complete stop, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel was significantly difficult to turn. The message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. An independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the power steering had malfunctioned. The vehicle was not repaired. The c... Read more
Incident date: Feb 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle decelerated, and the transmission downshifted from 5th gear to 1st gear. The contact stated that the vehicle was restarted but failed to shift into 1st gear; the vehicle was stuck in 3rd gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnos... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) however, an appointment to repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer was made aware of the issue but disconnected the call without scheduling an appointment. The manufactu... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2024
There was no incident this happened after. It literally just started a couple months ago out of nowhere. I tried to diagnose it myself. But the code was b-1342-e0 which is an ECU fault. I paid for a diagnostic to find out it was actually the ABS module sending the fault code to ECU. After some research, it appears 2010 fusions had a history of this ABS issue. Not sure why there is no recall, seein... Read more
Incident date: Feb 19, 2024
There was no incident this happened after. It literally just started a couple months ago out of nowhere. I tried to diagnose it myself. But the code was b-1342-e0 which is an ECU fault. I paid for a diagnostic to find out it was actually the ABS module sending the fault code to ECU. After some research, it appears 2010 fusions had a history of this ABS issue. Not sure why there is no recall, seein... Read more
Incident date: Feb 26, 2024
My vehicle will no longer operate in electric mode. This is a major safety concern since there is no assist from the high-voltage battery powered electric drive motor. Upon accelerating from a dead stop, there is a significant lag before the ICE kicks in and provides enough power to move the vehicle.
Incident date: Nov 27, 2023
Truck has zero warning lights, zero visible issues, nothing is "wrong" with the truck. However, the truck runs horribly. It is terrifying to drive. Anything over 35mph is scary. It drives like the back wheels are about to come out from under it. The truck violently shakes. Sometimes it accelerates, sometimes not, randomly downshift, random upshifts, random power loss, randomly the breaks stop wor... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2023
On Friday evening, February 23, 2024 , I pulled onto my driveway and came to a complete stop before driving into the garage . I reached up and hit the garage door remote. When the door began to go up I took my foot off the brake. Instead of creeping up the driveway the car took off like a proverbial "bat out of hell" It was as if I had pushed the accelerator compltely down.to the floor board. ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 25, 2024
Truck's power steering goes out, I have to restart truck a few times for it to work again. Service Power steering comes on when it's not working. It has not gone out while driving but I am fearful that it will.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
Several electric systems (ABS, electric power steering, collision mitigation, etc.) are showing as malfunctioning. The vehicle was diagnosed with a malfunctioning wheel speed sensor. The system alerts continue to occur daily, including when the vehicle is in operation. The rear liftgate no longer functions, along with other electrical features. Honda reports the sensor is backordered and hundreds ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2023
The steering on the vehicle seems to stick while driving while making corrections while driving straight down the road the wheel seems to stick then pop loose. The sticking varies in how hard it is to break loose. The way this occurs and its inconsistency concerns me that it may completely stick at some point at speed. I have had it in the service department twice for another repair and asked f... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
1. The start/stop function will not restart at some long stop lights. I have to restart the vehicle. 2. The wiper will come on without being turned on. 3. The brake have started to grind like, the brake pads are bad. The brake will grind sometimes when coming to a stop. They have been checked and a recent service also. The brakes do this even during the day. The dealership found the brakes t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
1. The start/stop function will not restart at some long stop lights. I have to restart the vehicle. 2. The wiper will come on without being turned on. 3. The brake have started to grind like, the brake pads are bad. The brake will grind sometimes when coming to a stop. They have been checked and a recent service also. The brakes do this even during the day. The dealership found the brakes t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 29, 2024
Car is experiencing coolant intrusion into cylinder of engine. Ford dealership in Orlando Florida is saying engine needs to be replaced. I'm reading that this issue is very common with this car. It was a safety hazzard for us because the car was running rough on a very busy highway. Had it towed to dealership.