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: Jun 3, 2023
The backup camera malfunctioned. The malfunction was reported to the Ford dealer. No replacement part is available from Ford. The car is still under warranty, but Ford is making no efforts to repair or replace this mandatory safety component of my car.
Incident date: Jun 11, 2023
The two systems that failed are the airbag release on the front passenger side and the stabilitrak system. Both systems show error lights on the dash. The front seat passenger does not have airbag protection. The stabilitrak system error light appears intermittently and when the traction system goes off the car brakes almost stop the car while driving. We go to Royal Buick in Tucson, Arizona. ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
Backup camera abruptly stopped working. It shows a hazy image with lines. There are recalls for 2016 Mustangs for that same issue, but none for my VIN.
Incident date: Apr 3, 2019
An additional problem with a current recall of the air-conditioning hoses hoses ~ I have been diagnosed with toxic mold poisoning and I need my car inspected due to condensation issues asap
Incident date: Apr 3, 2019
Thanks for your support. The power steering is "sticky" causing to overturn and apply excessive force to get in to or out of a turn. I reported this to Honda in December and they diagnosed it as "electric power steering rack going bad. replacement needed" Warranty replacement. However, the part is under backorder and has no ETA since Dec 2023. I called Honda national and opened a case: 13730074 Th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the contact heard an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and was only able to accelerate to 30 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, w... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2023
The ADAS features of my vehicle have been intermittently functional due to a single camera component failing. This has cause unpredictable braking behavior when the car is driven, as the car's emergency braking function abruptly slow the vehicle on some occasions, but not brake the vehicle on other outings. Additionally, the component failure has caused several dependent MILs to illuminate most... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2023
The ADAS features of my vehicle have been intermittently functional due to a single camera component failing. This has cause unpredictable braking behavior when the car is driven, as the car's emergency braking function abruptly slow the vehicle on some occasions, but not brake the vehicle on other outings. Additionally, the component failure has caused several dependent MILs to illuminate most... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2022
The ADAS features of my vehicle have been intermittently functional due to a single camera component failing. This has cause unpredictable braking behavior when the car is driven, as the car's emergency braking function abruptly slow the vehicle on some occasions, but not brake the vehicle on other outings. Additionally, the component failure has caused several dependent MILs to illuminate most... Read more
Incident date: Nov 8, 2022
May 17,2023 6:30a.m. I drove to work, parked for 9hrs & at 4pm when I went to leave my sunroof was shattered.. there are no trees or anything that is over my car.. it looked as though someone had gotten inside my car & punched the sunroof as the glass was slightly pushed outwards.. my car was locked & no signs of entry... upon my arrival to Hudson Nissan I was informed by a Nissan Service Writer ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2023
On 6/4/23 I was on SR 2 in Erie county ,Ohio. The speed limit was 70 mph and my cruise control was set at 70 mph & traffic was fairly heavy. I passed over an expansion joint and my steering wheel started shaking violently back and forth and the vehicle was nearly uncontrollable. The other vehicles near me fortunately saw I was having trouble and luckily they were able to steer clear of me. The... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2023
Leaking from moon roof with water filling spare tire compartment & filling passenger foot space.
Incident date: May 28, 2023
After pulling out of a parking lot, I was accelerating, probably between 30-40mph, and the transmission suddenly slipped into neutral. I had just merged into traffic and because of this defect in the transmission, my truck was sharply slowing down with several other vehicles behind and beside me. Thankfully I drove a manual transmission for years so I knew what was happening. I physically turned t... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2023
vehicle not in park error on display , when the vehicle has been put in park. have to flick the shift lever a couple of times for the error to go away, wont let you shut vehicle off, wont let you start the vehicle.
Incident date: May 28, 2023
I have a 2019 Nissan Sentra with only 17,000 miles. The seatbelt indicator light stays on even while wearing the seatbelt. There is no warning chime just the light. However, if there is a passenger the seatbelt indicator light will go off. My concern is for the passenger's safety. I'm concerned if everything will work like it should especially if there happens to be an accident and the airbags d... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The thermo control valve on my 2020 Subaru Forester is broken and needs to be replaced. I have owned the car for 2 years, am the first owner, and it has less than 19,000 miles. 90 minutes into a drive the "coolant temp low" indicator light came on. After I pulled over, turned off the engine, and turned it back on the check engine light and sport mode indicator light came on, and all ADAS were disa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2023
First trip with trailer, 200 mile trip, stopped for gas and tire sidewall blowout sounding like a gunshot. Trailer not overloaded, cool day 60 degrees. So glad it did not happen while on the freeway as the tire blow out and lost all air would have been hard to control trailer. Goodyear Endurance Tire size ST205/7515d
Incident date: May 23, 2023
First trip with trailer, 200 mile trip, stopped for gas and tire sidewall blowout sounding like a gunshot. Trailer not overloaded, cool day 60 degrees. So glad it did not happen while on the freeway as the tire blow out and lost all air would have been hard to control trailer. Goodyear Endurance Tire size ST205/7515d
Incident date: Feb 24, 2023
On 5/31/22 I took my vehicle for service due @ error. The dealership Mac Hakil I-55 Jackson MS slept my vehicle until 6/2/23 telling me it was my battery charging $813.00. I feel this was a ripped off
Incident date: May 1, 2023
Nissan has a very serious safety concern that if not remedied I will have to take action elsewhere. My 2017 altima lags and sputters randomly. I was almost hit today when I turned from an intersection and the car slowed down in the middle of the intersection. I demand more information about this issue and how to fix it within reasonable price range. The dealer couldn't find a problem. This is a h... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
Steering at any speed is erratic.It has a dead spot and pulls left or right as if a magnet was pulling it causing me to constantly be correcting This happens whether LKAS is turned on or off I have a dealer appointment June 15th
Incident date: May 1, 2023
The drivers airbag being recalled is terrifying. I am currently 9 months pregnant and waiting for the recalled part to be declared is the last thing I need to think about right now. The fact that it could deploy at any moment and spew metal parts is unacceptable and should be declared by now. I am not comfortable driving this by myself and soon I’ll have a new born with me. GM is very disappoint... Read more
Incident date: May 11, 2023
My trailer brake system service light is on. This is due to a faulty wire harness. This issue is also causing the Stabilitrak service light to appear.
Incident date: May 27, 2023
On Monday, March 27th While driving at various speeds, the collision mitigation system message flashed on the instrument panel without anything provoking it/no real cause. I observed while driving the vehicle, the warning message repeatedly flashed on the screen before the entire instrument panel went blank. This includes the infotainment system restarting as well, alternatively, I was driving goi... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2023
On Monday, March 27th While driving at various speeds, the collision mitigation system message flashed on the instrument panel without anything provoking it/no real cause. I observed while driving the vehicle, the warning message repeatedly flashed on the screen before the entire instrument panel went blank. This includes the infotainment system restarting as well, alternatively, I was driving goi... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2023
when utilizing the front wipers during the rain the wipers will stop working at any giving time. also sometimes when you utilize the turn signals the wipers will come on and remain in the upward stuck position. after doing vigorous research about this known issue with dodge vehicle i came across a lot of information online with dodge owners of various models. the dodge avenger forum has tons of wr... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
THIS IS A SECOND CASE FOR A DIFFERENT VIN WITH THE SAME ISSUE. 11524889. The battery's junction box in the engine compartment is melting. While I was driving, I heard a loud pop, I opened the hood, and saw smoke coming from the junction box. I noticed the box was melting around a fuse. The melting is significant, and the vehicle looked to be on fire. The smoke stopped, but I feel the vehicle cou... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 30, 2023
May 1st, 2023 at approx. 3:30pm There were NO warning lights or messages of ANY kind received. No warning given by mail or phone call from selling agent that was issued March 12th, 2021. Was driving on interstate going south headed home after work. Approx 15 mi from home when smoke starting coming into the vehicle & from under the hood. Traveling in fast lane, appox 70mph in heavy ... Read more
Crash
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: May 30, 2023
The vehicle has worn out mechanical components and shakes at highways speeds and the wheels bearing/balljoints are so bad the vehicle swerves all over the road and is nearly impossible to keep under control. I visited the dealer service center and asked for it to be repaired. They answered my call after a week and said they have found nothing severely wrong with the truck and it is ready to be pic... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2021
Airbags deployed in an accident (minimal impact/superficial damage) & deeply lacerated my right thumb. No warning lamps or symptoms of the problem prior. Car to be inspected by insurance claim adjuster & available for inspection.
Crash
Fire
1 injured
Incident date: Feb 2, 2021
While driving 55mph on a 2 lane highway the CMBS flashed the orange BRAKE on my car dash multiple times for absolutely no reason applying a slight brake. There was nothing in front of me or near the car to even set this off. Luckily no cars were behind me. I’ll have to be turning this feature off and have it looked at by my private Honda mechanic in a few weeks. This could cause a serious accide... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2023
Truck does not recognize shifter position of park, will not turn off properly. No wat to tell if transmission is safely in park. Does this about 50 percent of the time. This has to be a safety issue. A dealer in Arizona says that on model of the Chevy Silverado it is a regular issue. I would think this should be a safety recall item.
Incident date: May 25, 2023
ABS Hydraulic control unit failure. ABS and traction control lights on resulting in no ABS, traction control and cruise control. This is a common issue. The part number 68143491AA has been superceded by 68143491AB of which none are available with no ETA. This is unsafe and unacceptable. Also an expensive part and replacement. This needs to be resolved and reimbursed for the consumer, it's a $60K t... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2023
Sub frame rusted so bad the sway bar detached from the sub frame nearly causing an accident and breaking the sway bar link in half.
Incident date: May 25, 2023
While using I-Pedal mode the brake lights do not engage unless fully off of the accelerator. Even a large deceleration force does not engage any of the brake lights when coming to a full stop quickly. This is very dangerous as drivers behind cannot tell you are decelerating quickly.
Incident date: May 1, 2023
The drivers seat is not bolted down properly, it moves while driving. It makes it so that I don't feel in control of the vehicle and I may accelerate unintentionally as my foot is moved by the seat moving. I also fail to break as I need to as the seat moves back and my foot fails to engage on the brake. There are no warnings, and Tesla service is aware and maintains it is "under spec" I have a... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 26, 2023
2019 FORD F250 CREW CAB TRUCK- Consumer writes in about the Recalls- 22V644 & 22S51, in reference to a rear-view camera. Nine months have passed and the local Ford dealership still does not have the repair. Consumer is requesting speedier resolution requesting explanation as to "How this slow response benefits the greater good of our population by letting this safety recall go unresolved?"
Incident date: May 22, 2023
The Entertainment system makes popping and crackling sounds and will cut out. This is very distracting while driving. It does not allow you to use the screen at all including to view backing up. I contacting Honda Corp and was told to get a formal diagnosis which is scheduled for June 16, 2023. Was also told this has happened many times before in other models of pilots.
Incident date: May 22, 2023
Transmission problems. When accelerating the car jerks when its starting to go and the RPM jumps above 4. Mechanics have told me it’s a bad transmission. I’ve seen online my year and model is having issues with there’s also. Also steering wheel doesn’t work anymore for radio and phone calls.
Incident date: May 22, 2023
I took my car in for Ford Recalls to be performed and asked for the tech to check out why my Check engine light came on. Initially they could not find what caused it so they charged me close to $500 to do an in depth investigation and found that I had a crack in my engine that was causing coolant to leak into it. It could not be repaired and I would have to replace the engine. My car only had j... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2023
While driving in stop and go city traffic with the auto start/stop disengaged, the vehicle completely shut off while in drive. After releasing the brakes to proceed in traffic I was unable to control the vehicle or accelerate. The vehicle indicated that it needed to be placed in park and started manually. During this time there was no control of the vehicle. The passengers were at risk of a disabl... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2023
Brand new 2022 ram 3500 dually, 2300 miles 330 into towing trailer 18k trailer transmission blew. Loud clunk will only move in reverse. Left me and family stranded on side of busy freeway. No tow truck could handle truck and trailer.
Incident date: May 20, 2023
When i brought car in for an oil change. cam carrier leak, was reported to me that there was a cam carrier leak. When i look online there are countless reports of this. Seems like there could be something faulty with the engine. Subaru offered to cover the repair as a 1 time curtesy. But if there is an issue with the design of an engine then this should be looked at further. The rear brushings ar... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2023
DEF head failure. Shaw has failed to provide a working solution.
Incident date: May 16, 2023
I started burning oil and was going through a quart of oil every 150 miles, then due to the excess oil consumption my catalytic converter went out.
Incident date: May 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate and then lost motive power. The "Transmission Failure, Service Now" message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) recall repair was performed; however, the dealer determined that the transmission n... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 5500. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH and making a left turn the dual left rear tires had separated from the vehicle and the vehicle landed on the axle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he had the vehicle towed to a dealer who determined that the studs had sheared from the wheel and found that his vehicle... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 17, 2023
While driving over Donner Summit (7000 ft elevation) on HWY 80 towards Reno, the Sun Roof shattered with a loud pop. Fortunately, the sun roof visor was closed so shattered glass didn't make it into the car. I have been reviewing online forums and have found there are other instances of this happening with a similar vehicle like mine which is a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. https://www.jeepgarage.or... Read more
Incident date: Oct 20, 2020
When driving the collision mitigation and brakes apply , flash dash and shake wheel violently. Almost loss of vehicle control. Almost not drivable on 2 lane roads This happens multiple times during any driving. This has been ongoing since Purchase and has been reviewed by Honda dealer without correction. Only recourse was replace controls at owner cost even while under new car warranty