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 15, 2023
Every time we turn in the vehicle it knocks/clicks. A lot of research shows the CV Axle is causing this problem.
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
Constantly throwing ABS code and electronic braking system code, and then, turning off the alerts on dashboard. Many complaints of 2018 models were found online and a class action lawsuit.
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH and slowing down to make a right turn, the vehicle independently activated the brake and jerked the vehicle to the left. The contact lost control of the vehicle and stated that the vehicle climbed the curb on the passenger side. The contact stopped the vehicle and stated that there was no damage. The contact ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2001 BMW 330CI. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH at night, the front headlights were flickering on and off. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
Incident date: Jan 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar. The contact stated that the front defroster failed to defrost the front windshield as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer nor an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 28,300.
Incident date: May 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the back-over prevention camera image became distorted with a rainbow effect while attempting to reverse. The contact stated that the failure was more evident during daylight. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the back-over prevention camera had failed and needed to... Read more
Incident date: Jan 8, 2024
I heard a pop noise. My car started to smoke a few seconds later full fire. The whole dashboard radio was gone. Burned. No light indicating there was a problem. Car was not running hot.
Fire
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
the transmission has had a few problems, but it started to not go into gear and I almost got destroyed by a large truck pulling out of my road since my truck would not go out of 1st gear and then all of a sudden jumped to 4th gear and took off.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
In this vehicle the instrument panel is an electronic display. This display did not show any controls, speedometer, mileage, warning lights, etc. It was black, with only the backlight on. This morning (Jan 10) on my way to work I noticed my instrument panel was not working. The screen was completely black instead of displaying the normal information (charge level, speed, etc).
Incident date: Jan 6, 2024
Lost power steering. It started working again, but the dealership recommended a replacement due to corrosion which amounted to around 4k. Comprehensive insurance would not cover since the damage was gradual and not immediate.
Incident date: Jan 6, 2024
Transmission issues of going into Gear.Display for Cue system not functional
Incident date: Jan 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) 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 ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 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: Dec 1, 2023
Air conditioning and heating output on drivers side and passenger side vents swings wildly independent of settings and requires continual manual adjustment or complete airflow/system shutoff. The interior of the cab either bakes or freezes on either side and requires constant operator input to manage. Very unsafe as the driver must continually monitor and adjust looking at the display screen and n... Read more
AUDI
A6 ALLROAD
(2020) - POWER TRAIN
Jan 5, 2024
Incident date: Dec 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact pulled to the side of the roadway. The contact stated that she restarted the vehicle and was able to continue driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. The contact stated that the last time ... Read more
AUDI
A6 ALLROAD
(2020) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jan 5, 2024
Incident date: Dec 12, 2023
My son was driving at a highway speed of 55 out of Lawrence, KS. He noticed left headlight flickering and starting to smoke. He immediately pulled over and exited the vehicle. At that point, the whole front of the car was engulfed in flames. Very dangerous. I can provide pictures but for some reason the upload information won't allow me to do it here. Fire department had to put it out and ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Dec 31, 2023
Had it in bmw dealership for recall to be fixed, that caused my engine light to come on. My engine light was still in when I went back to get it. They said au had to pay $100.00 to have the engine light off. I said I'm not paying if it's a recall. They refused to do anything else. I took it home and put my code reader on it and it was showing code for the part that Was not changed under recall. I ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 18, 2023
blind spot monitor light comes on and off; occurs only on driver side; will occur sporadically - also may occur when left blinker is activated; taken to dealership who states sensor not working and has been an issue with other Chevrolet equinox vehicles over the past several years; extended warranty does not cover it; I am now always needing to look for vehicles to my side as the light is not accu... Read more
Incident date: Dec 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2024 Ford F-250 SD. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds for approximately six hours with the heated seats activated, there was an abnormal burning odor detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. While removing items from the vehicle, the contact became aware of smoke in the rear seat near the heated seat, and the seat caught on fire. The contact noti... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
It gave me an engine code saying there was a connection issue but the car was drivable and that i needed to schedule service. No code saying your engine is failing. It was the holidays. Dealers were closing so i figured I'd call and schedule it for service. Never got the chance as it seized up on the interstate at 60mph. Thankfully i was able to safely get it to the emergency lane and then towe... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
While driving the vehicle during winter the temperature of the engine dropped due to thermostat failure leading to no heat in the cabin and a check engine light. Vehicle was towed to the dealer as this failure can cause both engine damage and is unsafe for the occupants in freezing temperatures.
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
Power Tailgate failure, from water leaking into the vehicle. The power tailgate would open and close on its own, even when driving down the road. This is a SERIOUS safety issue if you have children in the vehicle. First sign of failure was a message of tailgate problem on the information center of the dash. That is when the intermittent opening and closing began, as well as battery going dead. To... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
December 24th at approximately 1100 hr. Driving normally on the Garden State Parkway Southbound approaching exit 98. The vehicle instantaneously began to shake out of control. I was able to keep the Vehicle in the travel lane and was able to pull over to the shoulder. I Vehicle pulled over to see if I was ok and explained the truck was front tires shaking violently. I did a pulmonary check under t... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2024
December 24th at approximately 1100 hr. Driving normally on the Garden State Parkway Southbound approaching exit 98. The vehicle instantaneously began to shake out of control. I was able to keep the Vehicle in the travel lane and was able to pull over to the shoulder. I Vehicle pulled over to see if I was ok and explained the truck was front tires shaking violently. I did a pulmonary check under t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2023
The vehicle's steering wheel vibrates regardles driving on highways/freeways and/or city streets. It happens since day 1 of ownership and has been owning for 4 months now. The vehicle's screen got blacked out twice when it was moving; thus, i couldn't read speed and perfom other functions such as turn on AC and/or heat. The regenerative braking/one pedal driving sometimes does not work. It some... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2023
Stopped car in a parking spot for a few minutes. Reversed and proceeded to put the car into drive. Immediately upon switching to Drive, the vehicle produced a loud pop from the rear and announced the check electrical system error. Recall Service 907G was performed on the vehicle in question 2 months prior and was reported as closed when checking by the VIN. However the ICCU and High Voltage Fus... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2023
My 2016 Nissan Frontier is leaking axle grease from the driver side rear tire. The grease/oil got all over the brake pads, rotor, and emergency brake. This seems to be a very common issue that was supposed to have been resolved several models prior.
Incident date: Dec 27, 2023
While driving for about 50miles, the electrical system failed, I lost power to the entire vehicle, steering was hard, brakes hard as well. as I pulled over, the car started back up. Next day car drove fine. Few days later the car cut off at red light in the middle of the intersection while other cars almost hitting me. Changed the fuel pump out because fuel pump would work at times. No one hurt, n... Read more
Incident date: Dec 26, 2023
2nd time AC compressor motor breaks and as is in line with the serpentine belt, all other systems including electrical and engine stop working. Poor engineering or other reason causing part to break down.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine and traction control warning lights remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that engine cylinder #2 was faulty, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offer... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6. The contact stated that while reversing, the brake lights interfered with the optics of the back-up camera. The inference caused the camera image to be distorted which affected the visibility while reversing. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, ... Read more
AUDI
Q4 SPORTBACK E-TRON
(2024) - STEERING
Dec 28, 2023
Incident date: Dec 28, 2023
At speeds above 45 MPH, especially during cold weather, the steering wheel behaves in a "sticky" manner. It requires substantially more force to turn it from the center position.
Incident date: Dec 27, 2023
The rear window of my one year old 2023 HrV suddenly shattered, thankfully while vehicle was parked. No impact to glass or reasoning, I filed an incident report with police out of concern, they had never seen anything like it but stated it was not due to any object impact. This happened right on Christmas weekend, leaving me without a safe car to drive which ruined some of plans and dealership was... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2023
Días atrás se prendió la luz de airbag en el tablero y se siente mucho aire caliente al conducir los dealers me cobran mucho para un diagnóstico que puedo hacer?
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
A yellow warning light went on stating"electrical system malfunction" start/stop is not working. Within 5 miles a red warning light went on that stated pull over when safe then within 100 yds multiple warnings went off and i lost power steering, power brakes etc. I was able to get stopped but the car would not start nor was I able to even put it in neutral to have it towed. I researched the ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
2016 toyota highlander le model v-6 cylinder. The FUEL PUMP runs after engine has been turned off for several hours, even up to as many as 8 hours. This situation can be heard in a closed in garage, in the completely quiet of night time, and at multiple times during the same time period. It happens intermittently with various levels of gas in the tank. The length of time FUEL PUMP can run c... Read more
Incident date: Dec 23, 2023
A Hydraulic Control Unit malfunction resulting in multiple warning lamps flashing on and off intermittently - including the ABS, the EBS, the Traction Control, and the Cruise Control. This is apparently a known issue with this model year truck and is inclusive of a class action lawsuit, yet there has been no recall. This failure results in unpredictable breaking and/or the ability to break and ope... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
we have taken the car to the dealership for the recall and was told they do not have the parts and also wouldn't know how to fix it. every time the car turns on, you can smell the melting of the plastic. it smells bad and am worried every time im driving about a fire. before the recall came out, we had asked about the unknown smell of something burning and was told it was "normal"
Incident date: Apr 30, 2020
The hinge for the passenger door that holds the door from opening widely broke. This is preventing for the door to close properly and I’m unable to lower the window.
Incident date: Sep 13, 2023
Transmission is very laggy when stepping on gas pedal causing late takeoffs. It may damage internals. Also very hard shifting at certain speeds
Incident date: Mar 1, 2023
Fuel is leaking from the top of the gas tank, which is a very dangerous issue.
Incident date: Dec 22, 2023
When coming to a stop and brake applied car starts to vibrate. Local mechanic who looked at the vehicle believes it's the torque converter. The miles are high but it's under a the recall new engine, which technically has only approximately 60k.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
After installing Mazda Genuine Accessory 4-pin trailer wiring harness (P/N VA40-V7-780A), and Mazda’s trailer hitch as well, found that the wiring does not operate correctly. When the turn signal or hazard lamps are activated while the brake is applied, the trailer lamps will operate erratically, flashing faster for a few cycles, then return to a normal flash rate before the erratic behavior rep... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
When the car is been driving over 55 miles the steering wheel feels like sticky and stock. Most of the problem can be feel it on the highway. Is hard to drive like this because you have to put a lot of effort to drive in a straight lane. I took it to my local dealer and they said is normal but I know is not normal because this start after the 6,000 miles before that it was normal. Im scared if som... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2023
I spoke with Josh (Service Manager) on 02/22/2023 after coming back to the dealership after the scar stalled while driving on Interstate 635. Almost getting in an accident and trying to drive the car back to the dealership, the car began bucking once again and wouldn't go pass 40 miles an hour on an interstate where the speed limit reaches 70 MPH. I called and spoke to Mr. Rey, the service advisor... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2023
Noted hesitation while merging into traffic from expressway on ramp, Jeep reving up with loss of power observed. Jeep stayed in 5th gear on the expressway then leaving work at the end of the day hesitation turning onto the road from the parkinglot with hard forward jerking, shift between gears. Check engine light came on noted recalls this morning with the same type of problem that I am currently... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. 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 availabl... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
For over a year now, my Honda CRV 2014 has been producing a rattling noise from the engine on every cold startup. This happens regardless of the temperature outside. When I initially heard it, it was sporadic, again, on cold startup - so the rattling didn't occur every time. Over time though, it will occur every morning, or after the car has been sittinwith the engine off for at least a few hou... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
For over a year now, my Honda CRV 2014 has been producing a rattling noise from the engine on every cold startup. This happens regardless of the temperature outside. When I initially heard it, it was sporadic, again, on cold startup - so the rattling didn't occur every time. Over time though, it will occur every morning, or after the car has been sittinwith the engine off for at least a few hou... Read more
Incident date: Dec 21, 2023
The contact’s husband owns a 2019 Mazda CX-9. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for a diagnostic test, she was informed that the head gasket was cracked, and fluids were leaking into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. Additionally, the message “Excessive Engine Temperature - Engine Output Will be Limited" was displayed. The vehicle was not inclu... Read more