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: Oct 16, 2022
I am reaching out to update complaint number 11503265. Back in October of 2022, my vehicle turned off on me one time at the gas station and would not start until I waited 5 minutes. The vehicle did the same thing about 15 minutes later after I arrived at a friends' house. Following that incident later on that night it happened again. I have also had some issues with the vehicle not accelerating.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2022
Power steering will fail sporadically when at Highway speeds or City speeds and show error code. Advance Trac AWD system disabled, traction control disabled, unsafe.
Incident date: Oct 16, 2022
Power steering will fail sporadically when at Highway speeds or City speeds and show error code. Advance Trac AWD system disabled, traction control disabled, unsafe.
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-450. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle was shaking uncontrollably from side to side; almost causing the vehicle to crash into another vehicle. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and waited for the vehicle to stop shaking. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 55... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2023
Got Electrical System Malfunction to start. I called service and they said car was safe to drive. Continued driving got a fault for automatic start/Stop malfunction, followed by: Right lug nut loose Right brake light malfunction Parking brake malfunction Distance indicator malfunction Power Steering malfunction Drive train ,malfunction. Car engine started hesitating and dash went totally blank. ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 2, 2023
While driving home on Monday, January 23, 2023 I attempted to use my wipers to clean my windshield and the driver’s side windshield wiper flew off to the side of the windshield and wouldn’t go back down. The wiper fluid that was on the windshield obstructed my view for a few moments. A few minutes later when I arrived home, a friend of mine helped me put it back in place and noted the little s... Read more
Incident date: Dec 22, 2022
The water pump started leaking into the engine. Car overheats. Now it has to be replaced or the engine will seize and need to be replaced. The cost to replace this part and the timing belt is $2,685. I have always done all the recommended services and oil changes and I am frustrated that this was not noticed sooner. This seems to be a very common problem with water pumps and many folks had th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2023
While driving the vehicle, error messages began appearing on the in-panel dashboard display. At first, a yellow/orange battery icon appeared with the message "Electrical system: malfunction! Please contact Service". Within an hour, the car experienced another electrical system malfunction (red battery icon appeared with the message "Electrical system: malfunction! Safely stop vehicle") along with ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that upon driving from a complete stop, the vehicle would not exceed 3 MPH as the safety mode engaged. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure persisted the next day; however, the contact was able to drive the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that upon driving from a complete stop, the vehicle would not exceed 3 MPH as the safety mode engaged. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure persisted the next day; however, the contact was able to drive the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle began to overheat and there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle then caught on fire. The contact stated that a significant amount of oil had leaked underneath the vehicle onto the ground. The contact was ab... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jan 24, 2023
Cranked my truck yesterday and put it in drive. Slowly drove about 300 feet and the pretensioner’s discharged in my seatbelts. I fortunately did not have it on yet, but the seatbelts are now unusable.
Incident date: Jun 16, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Audi Q5 E. The contact stated that when she purchased the vehicle the MMI (Multimedia Interface) system failed to load correctly. The contact stated that the dealer informed her that the system would upload later as the system was not communicating with Audi corporate and she would be able to finish the programming later. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken back t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2021
The rear liftgate on this vehicle does not stop if there is an obstruction, i.e., a hand, a head or other body part. Not only does it not stop in case of obstruction, there is no audible sound made to indicate the door is in motion. I was hit in the head hard this morning - hard enough to cause stars and get a nice golf-ball sized bump on my skull. This is dangerous and should be remedied. THI... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2021
All electrical systems failed while driving around 30mph, Power steering failed, power brakes failed, lane assist failed. We were at high risk of a crash due to lack of control of the car while driving. We were lucky that it happened on a flat road and we were able to manually pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was inspected by the manufacturer and we were told that the car did show... Read more
Incident date: Jan 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact pulled off the road and turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the wrench symbol was displayed. The contact stated that the... Read more
AUDI
A6 ALLROAD
(2020) - ENGINE
Jan 24, 2023
Incident date: Jan 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, there was a loud pop from underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power, and she was able to coast off to the side of the road. The contact stated that she attempted to restart the vehicle, but only heard a clicking sound when she would depress the START/STOP button. Th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2022
ENGINE COMPLETLY STALLED WHILE DRIVING, WAS PARKING IN A PARKING GARAGE, AND WAS DRIVING UP ON AN INCLINE TO PARK AND MY CAR JUST STALLED AND ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE PRESENT PRIOR TO, AND ALL POWER WAS STILL ON. I WAS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE, BLOCKING CARS IN. I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND RESTART IT AND IT STARTED UP WITH NO WARNING LIGHTS AND AS IF NOTHIN... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2023
The car windows were down the windshield wipers were running the front lights were on and parking brake light is flashing. I'm not sure how water was sitting where the spare tire was located. As I researched it stated it may be a faulty comfort module.
Incident date: Jan 24, 2023
"Full Self Driving" without explanation stopped working while I was using it. I tried to park the car, walk away, lock it; I even rebooted the car by holding both scroll wheels on the steering wheel as I've been directed in the past. Nothing worked. I noticed during my shift that "Auto Pilot" still worked on the highway so I was using it for a couple miles successfully. Then when the time for the ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2023
"Full Self Driving" without explanation stopped working while I was using it. I tried to park the car, walk away, lock it; I even rebooted the car by holding both scroll wheels on the steering wheel as I've been directed in the past. Nothing worked. I noticed during my shift that "Auto Pilot" still worked on the highway so I was using it for a couple miles successfully. Then when the time for the ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 24, 2023
My rear suspension cross member on my frame is so rusted and rotted that it snapped and I have a crack in the main frame from more rust right by the gas tank.
Incident date: Apr 4, 2022
Component: 2016 Audi Q5 Available for inspection : UNKNOWN Safety risk: YES The car was just driven and parked in the garage, approximately 30 minutes prior to our discovery of the fire. My wife and I had to escape the fire. UNKNOWN YES The Town of Sterling, MA fire department investigated the fire and determined that the vehicle caused the fire (See attached report). Then, AMICA Insurance Compa... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 4, 2022
My vehicle steering system had a loss of communication/loss of power to the electrical power steering. It nearly resulted in a very bad accident at an elementary school drop-off. I recorded a video of what is happening after the fact for documentation. Basically, it sounds as though there is a known communication issue from the fully electric steering to the primary electrical system on the veh... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2022
Back up camera has stopped working. When the vehicle is put in Reverse the guide lines continue to appear, while there is no video of what is behind the vehicle. I looked up recalls on 2020 Ridgeline, and there are no reports. 2017-19 backup camera recall for similar problem. Honda dealer appointment to confirm is 3 days from today. There were no warning signs of failure.
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
I am reporting coolant leaking into my engine causing my engine to lock up at around 75k to 80k miles. Torque converter needing to be replaced at around 80k miles. Torque converter clutch solenoid needing replacement at 80k miles. Rear CV joint axel needing replacement at 85k miles. Control arm replacement at 100k miles. The only recall is the transmission bushing, in which I haven’t fixed becau... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
I am reporting coolant leaking into my engine causing my engine to lock up at around 75k to 80k miles. Torque converter needing to be replaced at around 80k miles. Torque converter clutch solenoid needing replacement at 80k miles. Rear CV joint axel needing replacement at 85k miles. Control arm replacement at 100k miles. The only recall is the transmission bushing, in which I haven’t fixed becau... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2023
Driving and it will randomly have a death wobble...hit a bump or at a certain speed it will have a death wobble and is hard to control until slowed or stopped.
Incident date: Jul 4, 2022
The insulation on the internal wiring of the headlight (left and right) have fallen off the wiring leaving sections of conductor exposed creating shorts in the lighting system. This is a known problem in the BMW community (owners and BMW) since at least 2011. This is due to the use of bio-degradable wiring by BMW that breaks down prematurely. Replacement headlight assemblies (high intensity dis... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Flex. The contact stated while approaching the vehicle, he noticed a fluid leak underneath the engine. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the water pump and timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The manufacturer had not been inf... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2023
Engine loses power and then stops now car won't start catalytic converter the gas cap the 02 censorAnd the throttle body
Incident date: Oct 15, 2022
While stopped at an intersection, the steering wheel jerked to the right and the power steering systems shut down and felt like it was "locked" in position. The idiot lights on dashboard indicated power steering and Vehicle Stabilitrack systems were not working. It was a yellow light with a car and something representing swerves. The truck steering became incredibly difficult to control and turn ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 9, 2022
2021 Dodge Ram Hemi Etorque shuts down while driving. This has happened approximately a dozen times in the last year. On most occasions this has happened within the first 5 minutes of driving. On all but one occasion we were yielding and then pulling into an intersection and the truck shut off in the middle of the intersection. This caused vehicles that were driving at full speed to swerve from hi... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2023
The contact's girlfriend owns a 2001 Ford Windstar. The contact stated that the rear axle was previously replaced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V608000 (Suspension). The contact stated that while his girlfriend was driving approximately 10 MPH and making a left turn, a loud bang was heard from the rear of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact's girlfriend was able to veer t... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2020
My Father's car key can be taken out of the ignition when it is not in the off position but his specific VIN is not listed as part of the recall.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2020
engine consuming lots of oil. sometimes it fails to accelerate when I press the accelerator pedal.
Incident date: Jan 7, 2023
Message appeared on display Jan 7 2023: "Electrical system: Malfunction! Please contact service" The trunk lid opened while I was driving, the a/c quit (I am in Key West!), the auto start/stop quit. I had heard of many other Audi owners whose car just quit, so I scooted home and parked. I had it towed to Coral Gables FL at my expense, and the dealer told me it was an alternator problem that neede... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2023
This 2013 Mercedes C300 with 88,xxx miles has significant subframe rust. This is unacceptable and is a safety hazard because the rust and corrosion will continue to spread and cause additional safety issues. This will cost over $4,000 to repair, but it is a manufacturer defect. There are a ton of similar complaints online, so this is clearly a systemic issue with this model that needs to be invest... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2023
My 2007 MB ML320 CDI has problem with water entering where spare tire located,after rain or when i use car wash.It builds inside so much water that module for for fuel pump stopped working,all wires were corroded,I paid for repairs from my pocket because MB dealership refused to fix my vehicle even they new MB ML/GL models have issue with water entering spare tire area.Now I find out they have rec... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2022
Starter Generator failure of the 48v Mild hybrid system. This issue is very common, and has a recall on the 2019+ audi a6 (however its because of a risk of electrical fire). Car sends errors to driver as many electrical components begin to fail and fault one by one, steering wheel dynamics shifted while in motion (as steering module failed), air suspension faults occurred. The car inevitably died ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2022
The rear view camera sometimes stops working when backing up. Even if you go in park and go to hit reverse button again to "reset" it will still be a black screen. In a van, its difficult already driving a larger vehicle and adding the fact that you can't see when backing out of a spot or when going out of a drive way or even into a driveway, increases room for error or injury. This has been an is... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2022
The vehicle started shaking and stuff wrong from the rear wheels and was told to pull over safely. The error codes Dl_a063 and Dl_a139 popped up and it seems there is a rear drive unit failure.
Incident date: Dec 11, 2022
Valve lifter failure resulting in bent rod engine failure.
Incident date: Jan 13, 2023
The back window is leaking water. Possibly from 3rd brake light or the back window seal. Dealership said factory warranty has expired but have extended warranty on it. They won't cover the replacement window seal because they deemed it has routine maintenance. Back seat and floor are soaked. Truck is 4 years old. They want me to pay for all the repairs. From my understanding this year and model of... Read more
Incident date: Jan 17, 2023
This model has misleading user manual about park assist chime button, park assist front camera on button. Apparently they have removed the ultrasonic sensor and did not enable any user interface to do with Park assist in the control menu. This is misleading safety feature and total lie to the customer. Please flag this as a safety flag so the user will be aware of it. There is no option for the ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 29, 2022
2022 Hyundai Tuscon abruptly locks steering wheel while driving to the point you cannot turn the steering wheel. Many different types of warnings appear on the dash from blind spot warning to front end collision. luckily, we were going at a moderate speed, I was driving and forced the wheel to turn enough to get off the road. If this happens to a woman while driving, they will most likely not be a... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2022
We have a 2014 Audi Q7 with 60K mileage that we serviced and maintained by Hoffman Audi all the time. On December 27th, while on the freeway, the engine was shut down without any prior alert, with a lot of smoke and oil leakage. With our minimal knowledge, it appears the gasket was frozen, causing the coolant to leak into the engine's unwanted part and damage it completely. This is a manufacturin... Read more
Incident date: Dec 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the low-beam headlights failed to properly illuminate the roadway. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where both headlights were replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to t... Read more