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: Mar 1, 2023
I took my car to Hyundai due to the rear spoiler squeaking on warm days. Sounded like it was rubbing plastic on plastic. The dealership wanted $200 to just look at what the problem might be. I couldn't afford that. I went home and researched how to look into it my self. I removed the interior top trim piece and 3 locking nut/washer combos fell out of the trim piece. Only 5 nuts hold the spoiler in... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
Nothing happened - fortunately. I want to know why there's no remedy for this recall? Is Honda just waiting on a problem? I want my Mom to be safe and have no issues. Can you/Honda please work toward a speedy solution and keep us updated? This is my Mom's vehicle and she lives in Indiana. I'm her son and I live in South Carolina.
Incident date: Feb 23, 2024
Truck RPMs were running really high between shifting with normal acceleration. I took the truck to a transmission shop as I purchased an extended warranty. The transmission needed to be rebuilt as many parts were worn. The extended warranty repair was made. After repairs, the truck has started doing the same thing 4 weeks later. It appears the transmission is not properly shifting again, I am not ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 16, 2024
My Ford Maverick is one of MANY that has a problem with mold. Mold is growing under the dash in the front passenger footwell. This issue is caused by a water intrusion. There is likely a manufacturing issue with the right front of the truck, which allows water in. The truck has had a problem with fogging up quickly since I purchased it new from Ford. My family's safety is at risk because the mol... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to overtake another vehicle, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact was able to drive to the shoulder. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. On another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost ... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
the rear differential housing started leaking and upon inspection it was found to be cracked along the bottom middle area. the part was replaced by an independent auto repair shop at considerable expense due to the cost of the part. the faulty part was not retained. if it had not been noticed it could have resulted in a catastrophic failure resulting in loss of control of the vehicle and potential... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
Everytime I fill with gas car will not start.i have to pump accelerator, then it will start.it starts normally on all other occasions. This has been happening for about 6 months or 5 thousand miles.
Incident date: Feb 20, 2024
So there is multiple issues with my vehicle. First: I had the recall issue with the fuel injector "fixed" as the dealer stated. Now CO2 is leaking into my cabin when the car is parked and/ or when the remote start is activated. You can not breathe. I bought this car because I have 2 boys in car seats still. It is a serious hazard for anyone that breathes it in, especially kids. Second: after pumpi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2024
This is now the second time this has happened on my brand new 2023 Jetta SE. The vehicle only has 1831 miles on it. The fault happens when the car is being driven after approx. 15 minutes. EPC light, Check Engine Light, and Yellow Warning Light illuminate. Also sounds like a misfire when limping off the road. Codes read at dealer are P0304, P0363, P1D74, and P1D75. All of these codes relate to Cyl... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2024
This is now the second time this has happened on my brand new 2023 Jetta SE. The vehicle only has 1831 miles on it. The fault happens when the car is being driven after approx. 15 minutes. EPC light, Check Engine Light, and Yellow Warning Light illuminate. Also sounds like a misfire when limping off the road. Codes read at dealer are P0304, P0363, P1D74, and P1D75. All of these codes relate to Cyl... Read more
Incident date: Feb 18, 2024
This is now the second time this has happened on my brand new 2023 Jetta SE. The vehicle only has 1831 miles on it. The fault happens when the car is being driven after approx. 15 minutes. EPC light, Check Engine Light, and Yellow Warning Light illuminate. Also sounds like a misfire when limping off the road. Codes read at dealer are P0304, P0363, P1D74, and P1D75. All of these codes relate to Cyl... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2023
My car does not fall under the VINs specified in recall N599 but is exhibiting the same unsafe conditions. At a rolling stop in traffic the car asks me to manually select a gear (while in Drive) and then shuts off the engine. The engine then will not restart and I am in unsafe conditions in intersections. I have brought the car to the dealership several times to resolve this and it continues to... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2023
My car does not fall under the VINs specified in recall N599 but is exhibiting the same unsafe conditions. At a rolling stop in traffic the car asks me to manually select a gear (while in Drive) and then shuts off the engine. The engine then will not restart and I am in unsafe conditions in intersections. I have brought the car to the dealership several times to resolve this and it continues to... Read more
Incident date: Nov 13, 2023
My car does not fall under the VINs specified in recall N599 but is exhibiting the same unsafe conditions. At a rolling stop in traffic the car asks me to manually select a gear (while in Drive) and then shuts off the engine. The engine then will not restart and I am in unsafe conditions in intersections. I have brought the car to the dealership several times to resolve this and it continues to... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
The sam box (electrical system fuze panel) located under the hood is in a spot where if the lid isn't on correctly water will drain from the windshield right into the sam box and cause the vehicles electrical system to deploy the steering wheel airbag. That's at least what happened to me. It was raining out that day and I guess I went over a bump that caused the lid of the sam to get out of place.... Read more
Incident date: Feb 21, 2024
The sam box (electrical system fuze panel) located under the hood is in a spot where if the lid isn't on correctly water will drain from the windshield right into the sam box and cause the vehicles electrical system to deploy the steering wheel airbag. That's at least what happened to me. It was raining out that day and I guess I went over a bump that caused the lid of the sam to get out of place.... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
Vehicle steering sticks and cause a momentary increase in steering effort that could potentially cause overcorrection and an increased risk of a crash. The sticking typically happens when the steering wheel is slightly turned to the left; the steering column and wheel automatically skip back to the right. It feels as if it is 'jumping' or 'skipping' a cog in a wheel. Initially this happened only o... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
Car has less than 30k miles on it and already the brakes are grinding and the brake pads are wearing out. This car is only a year old and should not be wearing out like this! Brakes are a major safety issue if they do not work.
Incident date: Feb 8, 2024
My 2013 KIA Rio began dying while I was driving it in mid January 2024. Approximately three weeks after this began occurring, my oil pressure sensor light started flickering when I would turn the corner. As soon as I got home, I checked the oil and it was empty. I had not previously experienced this and always kept up with the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule. The incidences of my... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2024
My 2013 KIA Rio began dying while I was driving it in mid January 2024. Approximately three weeks after this began occurring, my oil pressure sensor light started flickering when I would turn the corner. As soon as I got home, I checked the oil and it was empty. I had not previously experienced this and always kept up with the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule. The incidences of my... Read more
Incident date: Feb 8, 2024
My 2013 KIA Rio began dying while I was driving it in mid January 2024. Approximately three weeks after this began occurring, my oil pressure sensor light started flickering when I would turn the corner. As soon as I got home, I checked the oil and it was empty. I had not previously experienced this and always kept up with the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule. The incidences of my... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
The TPMS does not alert at the required safety standard of 25% or the recommended PSI. The recommended PSI for the 2023 Palisade is 35. 25% drop would be 26.25. Even driving on 26PSI can be potentially deadly depending on how worn your tires are. I have found my tires at 27-28 PSI at least 3 times since purchasing the vehicle with no alert. The dealership tested what PSI sets off the TPMS warning ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2023
Notice the engine temp was rising, had notice I was slowly losing coolant in my overflow tank. Then while driving it started making noise that the engine overheated need to idle vehicle then as I pulled to a stop light the rims bogged down the whole vehicle shut down The radiator has a small leak in the plastic reservoir on the driver's side of radiator. Could have cause a big problem if I was i... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2024
While driving on the highway, the computer system shut down and all screens went black. The car still drove but none of the controls worked anymore. We could not roll the windows down or turn the fans or a/c on and it was summer so the interior of the car immediately became unbearably hot. We pulled over as soon as it was safe to do so and turned the car off and back on. The system came on partial... Read more
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
Wax coating is evaporating exposing bare metal on the frame. This is the OEM coating and its failure will result premature degradation of the frame of the truck.
Incident date: Nov 29, 2023
The site says my vin number is not affected by the recall 16V907000, however, I believe it is. My car loses power while driving exactly as it is described for this recall and it is unsafe. I am scared. I have almost been in several accidents due to this with my 3 year old son in the car.
Incident date: Nov 29, 2023
Windshield constantly cracks after no or hardly any impact. I’m constantly holding my breath even if it’s hit by a bug, bird poop, or even a rain drop. The windshields are terrible. I’ve gone through 2 replacements and one sealed crack.
Incident date: Nov 29, 2023
The whole instrument cluster went dark suddenly while driving. I had no idea what speed I was going. Eventually I was able to safely pull over to check what was happening. There were no warnings. We checked the instrument cluster dimming and this made no difference. We tested the lights, indicators and brake lights and all were functioning. It was very disconcerting. As we were in small town there... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
Wiring harness on the vehicle is being completely replaced due to "rodent damage" according to the dealer. I am not an automotive engineer but if compromised wiring finally fails while driving I suspect a number of systems could be affected. There was no indication of this problem during vehicle operations. My insurance company agreed to pay for this about $7200. I have owned the vehicle for ten m... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
THIS IS A SUDDEN ACCELATION INCIDENT in reverse with a brake incident. On January 11, 2024 shortly after 12:00 p.m., I was leaving my home and reversing out of my garage. As the tail of the car went slightly beyond the garage door, it stopped abruptly as if detecting something in the path of the car behind it. As I was looking at the rear camera to see why it stopped and what was in the path and c... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Feb 8, 2024
The tie rod collapsed during routine driving causing the vehicle front end to fall in the road.
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
I was driving less than 55mph on freeway on February 5, 2024 when my vehicle went into an out of control spin, Brakes did not seem to work and unable to control vehicle until hit center divider on freeway, Spun 180 degrees and kept going back with no braking until hit center divider.
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
I was driving less than 55mph on freeway on February 5, 2024 when my vehicle went into an out of control spin, Brakes did not seem to work and unable to control vehicle until hit center divider on freeway, Spun 180 degrees and kept going back with no braking until hit center divider.
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Feb 15, 2024
Riders with long hair is getting caught in the "DENALI" emblem embedded in the seat back of the front seats. This has been addressed with a GMC dealer and they stated the seat emblem is within specs as they put it. This is noted on the attached work order regarding this
Incident date: Feb 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Optima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (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 contact stated that while decelerating at slow speeds and then sitting with the vehicle idli... Read more
Incident date: Feb 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the gear had to be shifted from park to neutral and back to park to start the vehicle. The vehicle started and the contact depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle failed to respond but the engine revved up. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked, and the transmission slipped and dela... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
Yes my car was sold to me with structural damages, and I was told any of this when I purchased it!!!!
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
Yes my car was sold to me with structural damages, and I was told any of this when I purchased it!!!!
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
I leased a Tesla 3 Performance Package on Oct 24, 2023. It was delivered to Connecticut, with the cold weather package, and unbeknownst to me, summer tires. Due to the summer tires and driving with them in temperatures unacceptable for their compound, I damaged the passenger rear sidewall. But again, I did not know this was the reason. I brought it to the Milford, CT service center on [XXX] where ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the camshaft sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The camshaft sensor was replaced but the failure persisted. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufac... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2022
Started experiencing a misfire shaking on my ram 1500, took it to the shop for a cylinder 5 misfire, the truck has 67,xxx miles, they're saying it was cylinder 5 lifter failure, apparently also camshaft. From what I've read online this is a reoccurring problem, why would someone want to pay 30k+ for a truck or car that won't last more than 70k miles... now the dealership says they don't know how m... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2022
Started experiencing a misfire shaking on my ram 1500, took it to the shop for a cylinder 5 misfire, the truck has 67,xxx miles, they're saying it was cylinder 5 lifter failure, apparently also camshaft. From what I've read online this is a reoccurring problem, why would someone want to pay 30k+ for a truck or car that won't last more than 70k miles... now the dealership says they don't know how m... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
I was driving about 35 mph, in morning on 10/3/23. Suddenly the rear windshield shattered accompanied by a very loud noise at the rear or hood of car. At first I thought someone threw a rock, or fired a gun, on my car. Pulled car over to inspect. I was very shaken. The road had a few pine trees adjacent, I thought perhaps a large heavy pine cone could have fallen on the back windshield, but had no... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
Bought this one (~80K miles) ~Oct/Nov 2022 from a local dealer as a used car (I was the 2nd owner). The oil light was on when I drove it ~1500 miles. I was surprised and went to shop to do my first oil change. I thought probably that the last oil change they just did not top it up. Unfortunately, after it, I noticed that the oil consumption was much quicker than it's supposed to be and required me... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Sorento. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (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 man... Read more
Incident date: Feb 13, 2024
The truck began flashing problems with the anit lock brakes and electronic brakes off and on. For over two months now, the service lights stay on along with the traction control warning light. I have called multiply locations trying to locate replacement parts to no avail. The brake pedal sometimes is difficult to push and the antilock brakes failed at a slow speed once. I have reached out for hel... Read more
Incident date: Feb 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2010 BMW 328I. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V707000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving at approximatel... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
I am the only owner of a 2015 Hyundai Sonata: in December 2018 the car had a new engine put in when the mileage was 106,894 due to the engine burning oil much too fast. On 9/20/2023 while getting an oil change Jiffy Lube told me the oil was almost empty, as the engine was burning oil way too fast again. This was at mileage 162,148. I checked the oil periodically to make sure the engine had oil. I... Read more
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
Tailgate unlatched and dropped into open position while driving without any action to cause the tailgate to open. Resulting in damage to tailgate from a trailer which was being towed.
Incident date: Feb 12, 2024
The past few weeks I’ve been taking my vehicle for service to the Honda Dealership located in Daphne, Alabama and I’ve been complaining about suspension problems and my main concern is my tie rod end and the dealership refuses to repair, then yesterday when I brought it in for service they charged me for a diagnostics without my permission and I asked for the report and won’t hand it over an... Read more